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

Nowadays, wall murals seem to be a popular way for cities and towns to get visitors to take photographs and post these photos on social media. A rather easy way to promote the destinations, without having to spend lots of efforts and resources on marketing. A simple way to get visitors to "help" promote the destinations they visited, to other potential visitors! Of course, I could be wrong on this and the murals were simply put up because they beautify the areas. And having these murals around simply have nothing to do with destination marketing or promotion.  Nonetheless, there are some murals that I encountered in my travels that simply stopped me in my tracks. Why? I do not know. Maybe because the mural do tell a story. A story of the place.  While traveling through  Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District of Thailand, I came across such a mural. Despite the fact that I was really tired from a full day of travels and simply cannot wait to reach the hotel to check-in for th...

In many places of great historical and cultural significances around the world, wall sculptures left by generations before us convey messages of events past. Such messages are recorded versions of history of the places where they are found.  I have always been fascinated by how our ancient ancestors were able to faithfully convey events that would otherwise require many pages of descriptive words, through a series of wall sculptures. The creative ingenuities, stone masonry skills and storytelling talents of our ancient forebears were translated into these beautiful and amazing wall sculptures that allow us of later generations, to learn and study the civilisations that preceded us. Are these wall sculptures from the past simply just art? Or recorded history? To me, they are both and more. In my previous visits to Cambodia's renown Angkor Wat in 2015 and 2022, I spent time studying the many wall sculptures that still remained in this ancient site. The experience has made me more awa...

Over the past 10 years or so, quaint and lovely Ipoh has become more like a second hometown to me. I loved everything about Ipoh, from the unhurried pace of the life here to the delicious food that only people of Ipoh can somehow whip up with the simplest of ingredients. Common yet unique. Myself posing with the wall mural of a Tiger, Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2023) This abandoned shophouse being reclaimed by nature shows the rustic charms of Ipoh, Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2023) And in the last decade or so, many cafes had sprung up here. Most of these are of the local, owner-operated type rather than the international franchise varieties. These are all usually located in the Old Town area of Ipoh where weekends saw tourists, both domestic and international, arriving in their hundreds to enjoy Ipoh as a destination of choice. Cafe chilling sessions aplenty by myself and also with friends, Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2023) A delicious serving of pancakes, Old Town, I...

Traveling is always fun, even when strolling in malls. During my most recent trip to Busan in November 2019, I came across this very colourful and beautiful wall painting of characters from Line Friends. I was not exactly looking for something so beautiful and interesting. Rather, I was looking for the washroom after having lunch at a mall when I came across this wall art just beside the washroom. The lively portrayal of the Line Characters simply brightened my already happy day. I just could not resist the urge to snap a couple of photographs to share with friends on my social media account. And here is one of those photographs. Wall art in  mall, Bujeon-dong, Busanjin District, Busan, South Korea (2019)