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

The Tonle Sap consists of the Tonle Sap River and the Tonle Sap Lake. It is located in Cambodia and is connected to the mighty Mekong River. As the season switches between the dry and wet seasons, the size of the Tonle Sap Lake varies considerably. During my trip to Siem Reap in September 2015, I took a half day boat ride along the river. The ride took me right along the river all the way to the open expanse of the lake. Here, the vastness of the Tonle Sap lake becomes evident as it stretches beyond the horizon. I snapped this picture of some of the houses along the Tonle Sap River as my boat pulled out from the jetty and headed towards the Tonle Sap Lake. The photo was taken using the panoramic mode of the camera on my iPhone 6 Plus. Houses along and on the Tonle Sap River, Siem Reap, Cambodia (2015)

September 2015 has been a busy month at work for me. Because of this, I had not been writing much. Thus, I missed my self-set quota of publishing one travel article every two weeks on this blog. Now that things have cleared up a bit at work, I hope to be blogging more regularly. In this month, I managed to find some time to travel to Siem Reap, Cambodia. The purpose of this trip is to visit the world famous archeological temple sites that are part of the UNESCO World Heritage Site listing of Angkor. As a keen student of history and archaeology in my free time, I had read and researched much on Angkorean history. However, no photographs or research can match the feeling of personally standing in the midst of these magnificent temples. While what remain today of these temples are but a shadow of the grandeur of the original buildings in their heydays; standing on what was and is still considered holy temple grounds and walking the hallways of the temples that were built and crafted ...

The state of Malacca (a.k.a. Melaka) lies south of the Malaysian capital city of Kuala Lumpur. The states of Johor and Negri Sembilan are to the south and north of Malacca respectively. By car along the North-South highway, Malacca is just a 3-hour plus drive from Singapore, depending on traffic conditions. Malacca City, viewed from a room window at the Hatten Hotel, Malacca, Malaysia (2015) Designated a UNESCO World Heritage Site in 2008, the city centre boasts a number of iconic tourist attractions. Besides places for sight-seeing, Malacca's rich cultural heritage also translates into an equally rich food culture.  A simple breakfast of Roti Canai (an Indian flatbread) is usually served with curry, Malacca, Malaysia (2015) Claypot Rice served in a hot claypot with rice, chicken and lots of flavourful garnishing, Malacca, Malaysia (2015) Malacca's many historical buildings and sites have been "preserved" as museums. These museums are natura...

Loch Ness is the largest lake in Scotland by volume. Reaching depths at up to 230 metres (about 750 ft) in some areas, it is not surprising that Loch Ness comes with legends of its own. Chief amongst the legends associated with this large Scottish Loch is the Loch Ness Monster (a.k.a. Nessie). Loch Ness, Scotland, UK (2011) I first read about Loch Ness and the Loch Ness Monster when I was a school librarian at the age of 9 years old! Since then, the legend of the Loch Ness Monster has continued to fascinate me. As I grew older, my perception of the possibilities of the existence of the Loch Ness Monster changes but somehow, I still choose to nostalgically believe in the legend! Thus, when I finally visited the famous and legendary Loch in September 2011, it was one item off my bucket list! Travelling north from Glasgow into the Scottish Highlands and passing by famous landmarks such as Glen Coe and the city of Inverness, I finally reached Loch Ness after several hours. A...

Singapore celebrates the 50th year of its history as an independent nation this year. As part of the year-long celebration to mark the young nation's 50th year of independence, a series of events including exhibitions are held all year round in 2015. At an exhibition held at the National Library Board headquarters in Victoria Street in the month of August, plastic building bricks were used to re-create scenes of Singapore life over the past 50 years. These include interesting and iconic events that mark the country's journey as a young nation from 1965 to 2015. Recreated in mini-scale plastic building bricks are snapshots of Singapore's history such as public transport, public housing and the country's diverse cultures. One particular exhibit caught my eye; a recreation of a row of historical shophouses that features Peranakan architecture. Peranakan refers to the Straits Settlement people of Chinese descent who settled in South-East Asia around the 15th to...

The Chinese city of Suzhou is well known for its cuisine. The relatively light flavours of Suzhou cuisine brings out the natural taste and "sweetness" of its ingredients. This is because the key ingredients in Suzhou dishes are not masked by the overpowering and overt taste of spices, herbs and flavourings. My recent visit to Suzhou in the beginning of July 2015 coincides with the Crayfish season. Aptly named as Xiao Long Xia (han yu pin yin) which translates literally as Little Dragon Prawn (a.k.a. Little Lobsters). For the dish that was served in my dinner, these small freshwater crustaceans were prepared boiled and possibly dipped or marinated in Chinese rice wine. They were then served cold on a bed of ice. The taste was unique and the rice wine brought out the rich natural flavours of the Crayfish. I enjoyed the Crayfish and I must say that it can get really addictive as I ate quite a number of them during that dinner. Whether that addictive streak was due to th...

Ipoh is the capital of the Malaysian state of Perak and is located geographically north of the Federal Capital of Kuala Lumpur. I usually drove from Singapore to Ipoh once or twice a year to visit relatives and friends who live there. While in Ipoh, I like to drop by the Old Town area for its delicious food and unique local branded cafes. This area is a commercial district of the city and located here are many historical shophouses. During my most recent visit to Ipoh in February 2015, I walked passed this old shophouse with very interesting murals on its side facade. Taking out my iPhone 6 Plus, I took this picture. Mural on a historical shophouse, Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2015)