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

Kumamoto , Kumamoto Prefecture, Japan This article was first published on this blog in April 2024. Prior to this trip, I had already know about Kumamoto and their cute mascot, Kumamon . This day trip was a port visit when the cruise ship Spectrum of the Seas made a port call as part of the cruise from Yokohama to Singapore in August 2023. Originally not part of the itinerary, this port visit was a last minute insertion after the ship had to skip port visits to Shimizu and Osaka due to Typhoon Lan . I was not upset about the skipping of the two scheduled port visits because I understand the importance of safety for everyone onboard, both passengers and crew. I was instead thrilled about the last minute inclusion of Kumamoto (via Yatsushiro Port ) as a port stop. And thus, one of my bucket travel list item to visit Kumamoto was achieved. ****************** 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 saili...

Preparing for my first trip and cruise of 2025.....  In a little over two weeks from now, I will be going for my first vacation for the year. And also my first cruise and probably only cruise for the year.  In term of preparation, nothing much. Just mentally psyching myself up to take as much enjoyment as possible from the trip. I will be sailing on Royal Caribbean 's Anthem of the Seas on a return trip from Singapore to Indonesia 's Bali and Lombok . For the trip, I will be bringing along my writing instruments to record my travel log and also for my journaling and writing. I will of course not be spending all my time writing but also will be out and about the ship, looking for fun stuff to occupy my 8-nights cruise. I intend to star gaze , if that is even possible considering how brightly lit modern cruise ships are and I am certain the Anthem of the Seas will be no exception. Then, there will be the late night dancing. I am not an alcohol drinker so no alcoholic bever...

Thus far, my only cruises have been onboard Royal Caribbean's Spectrum of the Seas . Prior to this cruise, I had previously sailed thrice onboard the same ship, including a 12-night cruise from Yokohama to Singapore . These sailings had helped me made many friends including both fellow passengers and crew. I had met many wonderful people during these trips. Therefore, I decided to make one last sailing onboard the ship before it repositioned from Singapore to China in April 2024. This cruise was a 4-night sailing in March 2024 for a return trip from Singapore to Penang and Phuket . After three previous cruises onboard the same ship over a period of two years, I am rather familiar with the ship, its layout and its facilities. Thus, finding my ways around the ship was no issue. On the flip side, there was less exploring to do!  Entertainment-wise, I had actually watched all the onboard shows before but still watched them anyway during this trip. I did notice that even for the same ...

Starting a brand new travel year in 2025 with a cruise.....  While I did not get to travel much in 2024, I certainly am not going to be able to make up for it in 2025. I currently have two cruises booked for the year and will probably add a couple of short regional trips as the year progresses. And for the end of year travel period, I intend to visit Japan in winter . That's all for my travels this year. I am anticipating a very busy year on the work front. Thus the absence of any major travel plans, especially trips that may require a slightly longer itinerary. Less trips mean I will need to enjoy each trip more. A balance between quality and quantity. My upcoming trip will be a cruise from Singapore to Bali and Lombok and back to Singapore. A total of 8 nights, including at least 4 sea days. I am still deciding what I want to do on the scheduled port visits in Bali and Lombok .  While I had visited Bali multiple times, I had previously only visited Lombok once when I staye...

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 tha...

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 reta...

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...