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

Modern day cruise ships are huge behemoths where almost anything imaginable can be found onboard.  After having been on several cruises already, I am beginning to believe that even on cruises with no or very few port days, I will still not run out of things to do onboard. After all, it is really difficult for one to get bored on a huge cruise ship that can span a couple of hundreds of metres or more, from bow to stern. Even on days when I may feel a bit on the introvert side, I can always find a relatively serene corner to read or write, a warm beverage in-hand. There will also almost always be a gym for me to work out, swimming pools to get some tan, a dance hall to enjoy music and a dance or two, lots of food for the glutton in me, spectacular shows for entertainment, even a promenade to shop or window shop, my room balcony to look out at the sea and contemplate life and more. Of course, there is also the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. While on a cruise that was...

I visited Penang again in March 2024 when I took a cruise which had a stopover at the Swettenham Pier in Georgetown. Due to the relatively short stopover of only around half a day,  I only disembarked to walk around the pier area to take photographs of the cruise ship. Back to the ship at dusk, I was at Deck 15 and had a rather good view of the city when I spotted this photo opportunity of the setting sun.  Taken with my iPhone 15 Po Max, this is the view I witnessed onboard Spectrum of the Seas' Deck 15 of Sunset over the City. 📸 Sunset over the City, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia (2024)

On a recent cruise onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas, I visited Hong Kong for the first time via a port visit. While I had traveled to Hong Kong many times previously, all these visits were by air via either Cathay Pacific or Singapore Airlines. This was the first time I visited Hong Kong by sea! View of Hong Kong's water from onboard Spectrum of the Seas berthed at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal, Hong Kong SAR, China (2023) The cruise ship was already berthed at the Kai Tak Cruise Terminal by the time I woke up lazily in my cabin at about 8am. After a quick breakfast at the Windjammer cafe at Deck 14, I disembarked from the ship and was soon onboard the free shuttle bus that ferried cruise passengers from the cruise terminal to different areas of the city. I chose to take the shuttle to Mong Kok and had a great time relaxing over aromatic coffee and delicious waffles whilst people watching at Langham Place. I also found time to shop at the many and varied retail shop...

In August 2023, I made only my second visit to the city of Yokohama. This despite that I had visited numerous times over the past years. Only slightly more than an hour by regular train from Tokyo, Yokohama is located south in the prefecture of Kanagawa. Most famous for its port, Yokohama is today also where large cruise ships visit to pick up or drop off passengers.  Pokémon  at the  marina waterfront, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) Famous landmarks for visitors to the city include the Red Brick Warehouse, Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama, Yokohama Chinatown as well as the Minato Mirai district located just next to the sea. Cable Car, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) The main intent of my trip to Yokohama was not to visit the city for sightseeing. I was there to board the cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas for my cruise from this city to Singapore. But I decided to stay in Yokohama for 2 nights prior to boarding the cruise. The reason being to give...

I visited the city of Kumamoto for the first time in August 2023 as part of a port visit by the cruise ship I was sailing on, Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas. The cruise's itinerary was to take passengers from Yokohama to Singapore, sailing in a south, south-easterly direction, whilst visiting some ports along the way. The original port visits in the southern parts of Japan were Shimizu and Osaka. But these 2 port visits were cancelled due to inclement weather because of a nearby typhoon. It was summer in Japan in August and the typhoon season was in town, literally and figuratively. The cruise company subsequently decided to add Kumamoto as a port visit to the itinerary to compensate for the lost of the the 2 cancelled port visits. Weather conditions are part of the forces of nature and I appreciated the cruise company's decision making discretion to ensure that all passengers had a safe and enjoyable trip. Thus, I was not upset at the lost of 2 port visits. Moreove...

Gearing up for my next trip......  In less than a week's time, I will be going on my planned vacation. This will be my second trip of the year. After this, I have no other trips either planned or confirmed for 2024. I am still trying to come to grips with the astronomical increase in travel costs. Thus, I have been searching and waiting for discount deals on flight tickets and accommodations, but no luck so far. And so, the search and wait continue. The coming trip is a relatively short and unadventurous 5 days/4 nights return cruise from Singapore to Penang and Phuket. I had booked this cruise sometime in the middle of last year, paying a lot less than what I would need to pay if I am to book a similar cruise itinerary today. And, I love the ship, Spectrum of the Seas. Sadly for me, this ship will leave Singapore next month (April 2024) for its new home ports in China. Thus, this will very likely be the last time I cruise on Spectrum unless it returns to be home ported in Singapor...

South-East Asia, Malacca Strait This article was originally published in this blog in July 2022 as one of my Trip Recollections articles. The article reminisced my first ever cruise trip and also my first ever visit to Penang's Georgetown as part of the cruise ship's port call. Even though this was a relatively short 3-nights regional cruise, I really enjoyed the trip. While I had since went on longer cruises including a 12-nights cruise from Yokohama to Singapore, this first cruise will always be fondly remembered as the one that "introduced" me to a cruise vacation.  A bucket list item well and truly checked.  ****************** I finally got to enjoy my first ever cruise experience. A short 4-days, 3-nights cruise from Singapore's Marina Cruise Centre to Penang's Georgetown in Malaysia onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas. Deck 15 of Spectrum of the Seas, Royal Caribbean Cruise, Straits of Malacca (2022) Maybe it was my first time on a cru...

New Year and new Travel Plans......  2024 is in full swing and January is always the time when I map out my travel plans for the year.  What's been cooking in my travel plans pot? Nothing much really! At least not for the time being. Between the last week of January and first week of February, I am likely to embark on my annual road trip to Ipoh to spend Chinese New Year (a.k.a. Lunar New Year). This year's Chinese New Year falls on 10th and 11th February. I usually will start my trip before or after the festive period. This is to avoid the traffic jams at the border crossings between Singapore and Malaysia. This year will be similar, I will travel early to avoid the peak travel season chaos. Photographs of my trip to Ipoh in February last year, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2023) Next up will be a 4-nights round-trip cruise onboard the Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas from Singapore to Penang and Phuket. This will be my fourth time cruising on the same ship and probably the...

  " For some, who are travelers, the stars are guides ." - from Le Petit Prince by  Antoine de Saint-Exupéry Night view taken from the balcony of my cabin at the aft of the ship when I cruised with Spectrum of the Seas in July 2022, Straits of Malacca (2022)

A short stopover on my cruise in August 2023 saw me visiting Nha Trang for the first time. Because of the relatively short time we had before we need to return to the ship, I did not venture into the city itself. Viewed from offshore onboard the ship, the city seems huge with lots of sprawling skyscrapers. Unfortunately, I did not get to explore the city to experience its hustle and bustle. My brief few hours on shore was really nothing to shout about. Going ashore on tender boats, we landed in a rather obscure location with only a few local shops in the area. Getting to the city will require a taxi ride and I figured that was not going to be worth the effort and hassle because I had less than 4 hours onshore. This was partly due to my own fault because while the first tender boats started bringing passengers from ship to shore at 8.30am, I had chose to go ashore only around 11am. The last tender boat was scheduled to depart for the cruise ship at 3.15pm. Thus, my brief couple of hours...

My cruise in August 2023 had a stopover in Kagoshima. This was the last port call in Japan before the cruise ship officially leaves Japan for international waters to travel to China's Hong Kong. Kagoshima, Kagoshima, Japan (2023) In accordance to immigration procedures, all passengers on the cruise had to disembark for Japanese immigration and customs clearance at this last port of call in the country. Taking advantage of the hours we had while the cruise ship was in port, most passengers including myself took the chance to visit Kagoshima city itself. However, I did not join many of my fellow passengers to take the JR Train into the city centre. Instead, I spent my time shopping and dining at the malls that were within walking distance of the port. Yes, there are many malls within walking distance. And I was not disappointed. I managed to buy a good quality Made-in-Japan fishing reel and some clothing items.  The cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas was docked within walking distance...

As I geared up for my upcoming month-long multi cities trip across several counties in Asia, I am starting to wonder if I have missed out anything. Travel documentations, accommodation bookings, inter-city transportations, air tickets, travel insurance and more are all in order. At home, I have made arrangements for my pets to be taken care of and my plants to be watered at regular intervals. Pre-travel, I have done all the laundry, paid all my upcoming bills, make sure my phone apps are all updated and decided on which work laptop to bring along for the trip. Yes, I am never far from my work, thanks to the wonders of modern technologies!  But, there is always this nagging feeling that I have missed out something, only to find out when I am abroad! Well, I will only know when the time comes. Meanwhile, I am only left with my luggage to pack, to decide what clothes to bring along and of course, my writing instruments (pens and pencils) and materials (inks, refills and notebooks) to ...

Following my first-ever cruise trip in July 2022, I embarked on my second cruise vacation in end-October 2022. Despite this being my second cruise holiday, I had actually booked this trip way back in January 2022 before I even booked my first cruise trip for July 2022. Ah, the irony of life! 😁 Like my first cruise, this trip was also on the same ship, Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas. Unlike my first cruise, this was a slightly longer trip for 5 nights onboard, 2 nights more than the previous trip. Deck 15 of Spectrum of the Seas as seen through the glass canopy of the North Star , Phuket, Thailand (2022) No longer a cruise virgin and having been onboard the same ship just months earlier, I had matured into a seasoned cruise pro. Boarding on sailing day was a breeze, I had my essentials packed and was all ready to enjoy my holiday. View of Marina Bay Cruise Centre as Spectrum of the Seas pulled out of port, Marina Bay, Singapore (2022) Cabin Classes I had booked myself and m...