TANKS Travel Tales - a travelogue.......

Israel, Tel Aviv This article was originally published in this blog in April 2017. Some may ask, why is visiting a local market even a bucket list item? The simple answer from me is that anything can be a bucket list item depending on individuals. For some, even swimming in the local lake can be a bucket list item while for others; only climbing the highest peak on earth will qualify as a bucket list item, all other stuff don't even come near. Therefore, what is a bucket list item can only be defined by the individual making his or her own list.  For me, morning markets are the heartbeats of any city. In the markets, I can observe and interact with locals, indulge in local street food, buy souvenirs and simply soak in the local atmosphere. Ever wonder why the old Tsukiji Market of Tokyo was such an attraction for tourists worldwide? The precise reasons were what I had just stated. Located in a part of Tel Aviv just steps from t...

Visiting markets wherever I travelled to has always been a favourite activity for me. From Seoul to London, Basel to Tokyo, Fremantle to Taipei, Bangkok to Tallinn and many other cities, I always made it a point to visit the local markets. Mingling with the locals and enjoying the sights, sounds and tastes of fresh local produce have been and will continue to be among the highlights of my travel itineraries. On a rare chilly January afternoon in my home city of Singapore, I was going through my digital archives of travel photographs and came across these photos of the morning market in the southern French city of Toulouse. These photographs were taken on my first trip to Toulouse many years ago when I was there to attend a work-related conference. Being a work trip, I had no time for much sight seeing. Thus, my visit to the morning market, on a weekend, absolutely delighted me because it provided me a chance to enjoy the city.    Fresh and locally-produced carrots, Toulouse, O...

It was late morning when I arrived at the market. After spending a good part of the previous night chilling out at the many cafes in town, I had woken up later than usual in the morning and had my breakfast at the hotel before sashaying out of my room into the glaring sun-lit street to start my sight-seeing of Busan.  My first stop for the day was the market. I enjoyed going to the markets in every city I visited. Always mindful not to get in the way of the locals going about their businesses at these markets, I made it a point to be as non intrusive as possible. For a start, that meant leaving my DSLR camera in my backpack. Out came my cellphone, discreetly recording my visit to the market and never directly filming or photographing anyone without their expressed permission. Morning market in Gwangan-dong, Suyeong District, Busan,  South  Korea (2019) But instead of just sight-seeing, my trip to the market in Busan had a purpose. I was there to buy kimchi ...

Flea markets are always interesting places to visit when traveling. After all, it is at these markets where all manners of used goods, collectibles and antiques are sold. Flea markets are where old items deemed no longer important or useful by its current owners are given a new lease of life by its new owners. I love to wander through flea markets, sniffing out a collectible or two to be bought and brought home as souvenirs of my travels. It is also at flea markets where I can mingle freely with the local crowd, share a chat or two with new acquittances and given an insight into the culture and lives of the local people. A vendor pedalling used and refurbished electric fans, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2019) To me, a flea market is more than just a place to browse or buy used goods or collectibles. It is also a window into the heart and soul of the city which I am visiting. My most recent visit to a flea market was  on a Sunday in Ipoh, the state capital of the...