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

Israel, Tel Aviv This article was originally published in this blog in April 2017. Some may ask, why is visiting a local market even a bucket list item? The simple answer from me is that anything can be a bucket list item depending on individuals. For some, even swimming in the local lake can be a bucket list item while for others; only climbing the highest peak on earth will qualify as a bucket list item, all other stuff don't even come near. Therefore, what is a bucket list item can only be defined by the individual making his or her own list.  For me, morning markets are the heartbeats of any city. In the markets, I can observe and interact with locals, indulge in local street food, buy souvenirs and simply soak in the local atmosphere. Ever wonder why the old Tsukiji Market of Tokyo was such an attraction for tourists worldwide? The precise reasons were what I had just stated. Located in a part of Tel Aviv just steps from t...

I always enjoyed photographing buildings and architectural structures wherever I travelled to. While I am no architectural buff, buildings have always been favourite photographic subjects for me. A photograph of a building tells us stories about the place where it stood as well as the history of the place between its construction and the present. It also tells us about the culture and people of the place. Depending on how one looks at and interpret a photograph of a building, it can be different things to different people. It can rejuvenate memories of previous experiences and people, and it can also invoke a longing to travel to the place. Building, Jaffa, Tel Aviv-Yafo, Israel (2017)

Local food....... Traveling often bring us out of our comfort zone. And this includes food....... what we eat during our travels. Local food encompasses the cultures and traditions of the place we travel to. Other factors that typically shape the local cuisine are economic development, climate and location. Lunch set consisting mainly of ox meat, Luang Prabang, Laos (2017) While I am always game to try out the same food that the locals delight in dining on, there are some "no-go zones" for me. And where does this red line begins? I generally do not eat anything raw; unless it is sashimi or sushi prepared in a clean environment. Health reasons aside, I personally do not delight in putting something that is uncooked into my mouth. Taking this a step further will be eating "live" food. That is another experience which I totally avoid. Besides the cruelty of it all, I am rather squeamish about eating something that is still squirming and moving. So whil...

Reading and Travelling....... What has reading got to do with travelling? Plenty of reasons. For me, reading up on the countries and cities I am visiting provide me with lots of information on the sights and sounds that I can expect. It also allows me to better plan my itinerary and help me to decide on where to stay and how much time to spend in a particular place. Other important information like currency exchanges, local culture and customs, potential immigration hurdles and visa applicabilities are also what I look out for when I read up on the places i am about to visit. Most of these information can be found in travel guides or on the internet. Dungeons and Dragons, a wall mural in a former dungeon and now a toilet, in a restaurant housed in a heritage building, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) And of course, reading about the experiences of other travellers provide me with a whole new world of information not usually available in officially published literature. For this r...

Regular readers of this blog will know that whichever city I visited, I always make it a point to go to the local market places. I strongly believe that the culture and heartbeat of any city is usually depicted in the activities of its markets.  And in Tel Aviv, there are no other markets more popular amongst both locals and tourists than the Carmel Market. Shuk HaCarmel a.k.a. Carmel Market, Tel Aviv, Israel (2017) History The Carmel Market of today can be traced historically back to as early as the 1920s to a marketplace known as the "Hakerem". Over the years, this market morphed into what today is the Carmel Market. Officially known as the Shuk HaCarmel, this market is well known to locals and tourists alike and is almost always described in travel guides on Tel Aviv. Getting There The Carmel Market is located along HaCarmel Street and is bordered by Allenby Street and the Magen David Square. It is within less than 5 minutes walking distance from...