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...

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...

  " 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)

Mobile phones with good quality cameras are now an essential part of everyday life, travel included. Gone are the days when one has to bring along a chunky conventional camera when travelling so as not to miss those opportunistic photo moments that one is bound to encounter. Whilst on a recent cruise trip as I was sighted-seeing from the balcony of my cabin located at the back of the ship on Deck 13, I took this photograph. As the ship pulled out of Singapore's Marina Bay Cruise Centre and travelled along the Singapore Strait heading for the Strait of Malacca, I decided that this view of commercial shipping will be a good digital memento of my trip. This photo reminded me of the busy shipping that contributes to global trade and keeps the economies of many countries humming along nicely. Commercial Shipping, Singapore Strait, Singapore (2022)