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

Nothing is more magnificent than the sight of historical monuments which are testament to past civilisations. These monuments are living evidence of the history, culture, arts, science, knowledge, politics, religion and more of people who, collectively with other civilisations across the world and across the ages, form the basis of humankind and its evolutionary history.  Located near Siem Reap in north-eastern Cambodia, historical Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple complex in the world based on land area. Built in the early 12th century, Angkor was originally constructed as a dedication to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Towards the later part of that century, the temple complex was converted to a  Buddhist temple.  In 1992, the Angkor Archeological Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 16th Session of the UNECSO World Heritage Committee. Angkor Archeological Park includes Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.  Angkor Wat Temple Complex, Angkor Wat, Angkor National Park, Camb

Israel, Galilee, Capernaum, 4th Century Synagogue This article was originally published in this blog in November 2018. This was my only visit to Capernaum and for convenience, I succumbed to the touristy-thing and booked a guided day-trip which not only brought me to Capernaum but also to other biblical sites around the Galilee region. ****************** Traveling to places of historical significance has always been a favourite travel itinerary for me. These trips allow me to visit in person the locations of places I read about in the history books. Amongst the many historical places I had visited, one of my favourite and also an item on my travel bucket list is Capernaum. Frequently cited in the Gospels, Capernaum is located on the shores to the north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Reportedly inhabited since the 2nd century BCE, the town was abandoned in the 11th century. Capernaum was originally a small fishing village, probably because of its close geographical proximity to the Se

Israel, Nazareth Growing up in a family who was and still is predominantly Roman Catholic, I have always identified myself as Catholic even though I am not officially baptised as one. Wherever I travel, I would always ventured into a church to pray when the opportunity presented itself. During a trip to Israel many years ago, I took the chance to book a day trip whose itinerary included a visit to the Church of the Annunciation. Also known as the Basilica of the Annunciation, the church is located in the city of Nazareth in the northern part of Israel. The story goes that this church was established at the very site where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus Chris t. Church of the Annunciation (a.k.a.  Basilica of the Annunciation), Nazareth, Israel (2002) The current church is a double storey building constructed over the site of earlier churches from the Byzantine and Crusader eras. At the l