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

UK,  Scotland, Glasgow Time do fly indeed. This article was originally posted in this blog on 17th September 2014 describing my trip to Glasgow even further back by another 3 years, in 2011. This was my one and only trip to Glasgow.  During the trip, I had spent time exploring the city on foot, alone. Without any digital GPS-assisted map to guide me. Why? Because I was neither looking for anything nor going anywhere in particular. Thus, began my love for uncharted and unplanned walking trips around cities I travelled to. I often will spent a day or so, diving straight into parts of a city; walking, sightseeing, discovering and enjoying what the city has to offer. And hopefully, serendipitously chance upon a minor adventure or two that I can translate into a travel tale after the trip. And while on my little "adventures", maybe to tick off an item or two on my travel bucket list. ⛰ ****************** Glasgow..... The name of this famous city i...

Murals, when artistically and correctly placed, could add much character and colour to a location.  I have always appreciate well-designed and tastefully-coloured murals in all the cities I have visited. And this mural of a brightly-coloured and fiery tiger on a wall along the River Clyde was amazing. It brightened up an otherwise dull neighbourhood and somewhat added character and finesse to the locale. Tiger mural, River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (2011)

Inspiration from Travel Programmes....... For most travellers, their typical travel itineraries will be planned around famous landmarks or icons. Some intrepid travellers will go further to explore the lesser known places, to experience things that the typical travellers will not get to enjoy. If we were to stay away from the famous landmarks and icons and instead ventured to explore the back alleys of the cities we had visited, what will be the kind of travel experiences that we will have encountered? Taking cues from some travel programmes which featured unexplored areas or back alleys of popular tourist destination cities, I had explored the suburban and back alleys of some of the cities I had visited. These included Nakano Ward of Tokyo which is just minutes away from crowded Shinjuku but seems like a world away when it comes down to ambience and crowd. A small shrine along the road, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan (2017) I had also travelled away from the city centre of G...

Glasgow..... The name of this famous city in Scotland seems to evoke an almost magical nostalgia in me. Why is this so? I don't know actually because I have only visited Glasgow once in September 2011 despite being a fairly frequent visitor to the UK. Glasgow has many beautiful buildings with their awesome architectural designs. This is a relatively large city with a population of more than 3 million but yet it seems uncrowded and romantic, unlike many other large cities. During my trip to Glasgow, I had the time to take leisurely strolls around this wonderful city. This afford me the luxury to simply walk and explore the city at my own pace, without any agenda or timeline to adhere to. Basically, I had the time to enjoy the city for what it is! Glasgow City Chambers, George Square, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (2011) Stone sculpture of a Lion at George Square, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (2011) George Square, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (2011) Sights of Glasgow, walkin...