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

Seychelles,  Mahé I had only visited beautiful Seychelles once, in 2000.  During that trip, I drove a rental vehicle around the island of Mahé, charted a sports fishing boat for a big game fishing experience, enjoyed dinners by the beach at Beau Vallon at dusk, strolled around charming Victoria, shopped at the morning market, visited a museum and swam among coral fishes.  This was definitely a travel bucket list item for me. The trip was also the first time I had visited an African country. The original article was posted on this blog in July 2018. ⛰ ****************** The capital of Seychelles is Victoria. Located on the island of Mahé, Victoria was formerly the seat of the British colonial government.  The beautiful beach at Beau Vallon,  Mahé, Seychelles (2000) History and Geography While the city itself was previously founded by French colonies in the late 18th century, the name Victoria was given to the city by the Br...

In a recent visit to the ArtScience Museum in Singapore's Marina Bay Sands, I toured an exhibition about "lights". Titled "Future World-Where Art Meets Science", the exhibits featured the wonders of light and allowed visitors to immerse themselves in a world of digital arts, all powered by lights. I had a fun time strolling through the halls, marvelling at the wonders of light and at times, immersing myself in the exhibits. Yes, some of the exhibits were structured such that visitors may actually "immerse" themselves. Unlike traditional museum visits where one could only view exhibits from a distance, this was one place where one can enjoy some the exhibits physically. Each exhibition at the ArtScience Museum is exhibited for a pre-determined period. Most of these so-called travelling exhibitions will be closed and taken down after the pre-determined period, to be taken over by another travelling exhibition. One can thus visit the ArtScience Museum reg...

It has been more than 5 years since I last visited London. There are many things that I missed about this city. From the great food, shopping, book stores, street scenes, parks and theatres to its tradition and culture. And of course, there are always that two major attractions for me in London, the Natural History Museum and the iconic British Museum. In all my trips to London, I had always spent time at these museums; marvelling at the displays, learning about its exhibits and getting enthralled by the richness of history. On each visit, there were always something new, something to learn, knowledge to gain and experiences to savour. I hope to be able to visit London again soon. And my first stop will undoubtedly be the British Museum. One of the iconic central pieces of the museum's exhibits that is always ready to greet each and every visitor who walk through its entrance, British Museum, London, England, United Kingdom (2017) 

I am sure all of us will remember some of our outings or excursions when we were kids. To take time out, leave the boring four walls of the classroom behind and to venture into the outdoors. The excitement of a day out with our classmates and friends to explore new experiences and learn new things. Those were the good old days. While visiting the Bank of Korea Money Museum, I chanced upon this scene of kids crowding around an exhibit, excited and eager to learn. Sensing a photo opportunity, I took this photo with my DSLR. I like that this photograph showed the kids with their inquisitive nature crowding around the exhibit. Even with their backs to the camera, their excitement at seeing something new were still clearly "visible". Day at the Museum, Bank of Korea Money Museum, Seoul, South Korea (2019)

London, England, United Kingdom I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs since I was a kid. Growing up, I would read lots of books and magazines about dinosaurs. I still do. :-) At public libraries or bookstores, any books or magazines about dinosaurs or with a dinosaur picture on its cover will made me stoped right in my tracks for a second look. Thus, when I fist visited London's Natural History Museum in 2011, I was thrilled. I spent an entire day at the museum, mostly at the dinosaur-section. From then on, every visit to London would not be complete for me without a trip to the Natural History Museum. Dinosaur exhibit, Natural History Museum, London, England, UK (2017) On each visit, I would spend the most time at the dinosaur exhibits. Over the years however, I have learned to appreciate and thus spent more time on the other exhibits such as the Earth Treasury (featuring minerals, gemstones and rocks), Volcanoes & Earthquakes (learning about the changing face of the pl...

Explore your neighbourhood...... Travel in your own backward In a time when travel beyond national borders are difficult to plan and execute, traveling in our own backyard through exploring our immediate neighbourhood seems to be the new norm. At the very least, we get to know our own neighbourhood better, contribute to the local economy and at the same time, still get to "travel". Linkway between different wings of the museum, National Gallery, Singapore (2016) Traveling refreshes our mind and break the boredom of everyday work life. Anything that is not part of our normal and daily routine thus qualify as a new experience to refresh our minds. Go for a stroll in that nearby neighbourhood park. Spend an hour or two during the weekends to hike in the small hills, forest or meadows near your home. And you will be surprised how refreshing that experience can be for both body and mind. Of course, safe distancing and social responsibilities still apply. View ...

Vacationing....... in your home city's less visited neighbourhoods....... When we think of going on a vacation, it is usually about taking off to some distant destinations. While it is the much accepted idea of an "ideal" vacation, there are times when we couldn't just pack our holiday bags and go off to that far-flung dreamed destination. We are all bound by commitments such as family, work or budgets. So if you only have the luxury of a day or two for a break and are limited by constraints such as family and budget, how do you take a "vacation"? Over the years, I had found myself in similar situations. When budget permits, I typically booked a nice local hotel for a luxurious staycation. In times when budget got a bit tight for me, I just took a day off work and visited local neighbourhoods for walks. Often,  I found that I could enjoy myself just as much as going off on some distant holiday trips. A throw-back to what Singapore was like ...

The capital of Seychelles is Victoria. Located on the island of Mahé, Victoria was formerly the seat of the British colonial government.   History and Geography While the city itself was previously founded by French colonies in the late 18th century, the name Victoria was given to the city by the British colonial government in the 19th century. Due to its history, the local culture and tradition have strong hints of both French and English influences. This includes the local Creole language which incorporates both French and English words. Clock Tower, Victoria,  Mahé, Seychelles (2000) Climate The climate of Victoria is tropical which translates to year-round warm weather coupled with relatively high humidity.  The months of June and July are typically drier while the months between December to February usually bring more rain to the city, the island of Mahé and generally most parts of the Seychelles. My personal experience was tha...

This has been a crazy month at work for me. After my short holiday to Siem Reap last month, I have been working non-stop, seven days a week. And to cap it all up, some reshuffling of work schedules mean that I will have to correspondingly reschedule my planned trip to Hong Kong and Taipei next month! That's kind of disappointing but life always serve up its surprises; both pleasant and unpleasant and this is one of those unpleasant surprises. Taking a short break from my work (well, I still have a life outside of work!), I decided to treat myself to some nice chocolate buffet in town yesterday night which was a Saturday. I have not been out and about in town of late, especially in the nights and I was surprised by the sights and sounds. There are the usual night scenes in Singapore which never failed to amaze me even though I was born, live and work in Singapore. Not expecting the carnival-like atmosphere and the amazing sights that I was to encounter, the only cameras I h...