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

I took this photograph of an Asiana Airlines A330-323 plane at Incheon International Airport in November 2019 while walking to the boarding gates to board my flight from Seoul to Singapore with Singapore Airlines. I have never flew with Asiana before. Maybe I will get a chance to do so when I next visit South Korea. 😊 Asiana Airlines Airbus A330-323 at Incheon International Airport, Incheon, Seoul, South Korea (2019) Asiana Airlines Airbus A330-323 at Incheon International Airport, Incheon, Seoul, South Korea (2019)

Korea, Busan, Train Journey from Seoul Inspired by the first full-length Korean movie I ever watched; Train to Busan, I was excited to take the real train journey from the South Korean capital city of Seoul to Busan. While my short train ride of just under 3 hours was rather mundane compared to the adventures of the characters in the title movie, this was nevertheless still an exciting experience for me because that was the first time I ever took a train in South Korea. The trip was in November 2019. ****************** The Korean movie, Train to Busan , largely served as the inspiration for my decision to fly to Seoul instead of Busan even though the main destination of my vacation trip was Busan. I chose to experience a train journey from Seoul to Busan and to enjoy the scenery of South Korea as part of my rail trip because the rail line passes through other major South Korean cities such as Suwon, Daejon, Daegu and Ulsan. High Speed Train at the Station, Busan Station (KTX), Dong-gu,

The Sungnyemun Gate is one of the 8 Gates of the Fortress Wall of Seoul during the Joseon Dynasty (July 1392 to October 1897). Its location is near to the Seoul Station, next to the Namdaemun Market. Its exact address is: 40 Sejong-daero, Namdaemunno 4(sa)-ga, Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea. Designated as a National Treasure of South Korea, the gate was first built during the reign of King Taejon in the year 1398.  On a trip to Seoul in November 2019, I stayed at a nearby hotel and took the opportunity to walk out late at night to photograph this iconic structure. As it was close to midnight, there was almost no one on the streets and I had unrestricted views of the Sungnyemun Gate, by just standing across the street. This was one of the photographs I took. Canon EOS70D, 27mm, f4, 1/40 Sungnyemun Gate,  Jung-gu, Seoul, South Korea (2019)

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)

While shopping in the Myeongdong area during a trip to Seoul, I was told by a fellow tourist that there was an evening light festival at the nearby Cheonggyecheon Stream (a.k.a. Cheonggye Stream). Because I had the evening free of any planned itinerary, I decided to take a stroll to Cheonggyecheon, treating the trip on foot as a walking tour of the area. When I arrived at Cheonggyecheon, I was not disappointed. There was indeed a splendid light festival on-going. Moving amongst the crowd, I walked along the stream and marvelled at the beautiful displays of lanterns and lighted figurines.  As it was raining, I had to juggle my umbrella together with my DSLR whilst jostling with the crowd. But I still managed to take some photographs of the festival before the eventual heavy downpour forced me to pack up my DSLR and seek shelter from the weather. Evening light festival,  Cheonggyecheon Stream, Seoul, South Korea (2019) Evening light festival,  Cheonggyecheon Stream,

“Better to see something once than hear about it a thousand times” Sculpture at a Temple, Gangnam-gu, Seoul,  South  Korea (2011)