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

An unexpected trip was the highlight of the month of April for me. A dinner with friends sometime in March resulted in a last minute decision to collectively travel together to India to attend another friend's wedding. Kathakali Dancer (female character), Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (2016) A quick booking of air tickets was followed by an application for an e-tourist visa for the visit. With the air tickets confirmed and the e-tourist visa approved, I was soon booked for my quick 2-day trip to the city of Thiruvananthapuram in Kerala State of India. Despite the short trip, everything about the trip was new and interesting to me. This was my first time visiting India and I was glad I made the short weekend trip despite my initial doubts about taking time off from my busy work schedule.  Indian-style breakfast, Thiruvananthapuram, Kerala, India (2016) This was also my first time attending an Indian traditional wedding and to do so in India itself makes th...

Toulouse, is located in the south-western region of France and is the capital city of Haute-Garrone. It is also known as the Pink City because of the unique architecture of some of the buildings in the city which use pink terracotta bricks. Home to European Aerospace giant, Airbus, Toulouse is the fourth largest city in France after Paris, Lyon and Marseille. I visited Toulouse for the first time in 2005 to attend an international symposium on System Engineering. In-between the conferences, seminars and meetings of the various chapters of the symposium, I managed to find some time to walk around and enjoy this beautiful southern French city. The highlight of my short sight-seeing walking trips in was my visit to the Capitole (a.k.a Place du Capitole). This magnificent building houses the City Hall, the Orchestra (Theatre National du Capitole Orchestra) and the Opera House. The 8 pink marble columns create a unique architectural style worthy of the attention of many budding...

Shanghai cuisine although originating locally, do have influences from its neighbour provinces. Traditionally, Shanghai dishes are marked by the emphasis on sight, smell and taste. Thus, it is not surprising that most Shanghai dishes are served heavily seasoned. In particular, the use of chinese wine in the cooking is fairly common. The elaborate table layout at a restaurant in a Shopping Mall near The Bund where I had my meal, Shanghai, China (2015) During my brief visit to Shanghai in July 2015 as part of a working trip, I had the chance to try Shanghainese food in Shanghai itself! I thus tried to made full use of my 2-day stay in this famous Chinese city to try as much of the local cuisine as I could. The result was satisfying. The heavily seasoned and tasty dishes find total agreement with my taste buds. Here are some of the dishes that I had the chance to try during my stay in Shanghai. Due to personal preferences, I do not eat pork. But I find the presentatio...

Short trips allow us to get away from work for a few days, recharge and return to work with that extra zest. People often asked me how I manage to work so hard without being stressed or burnt out. My secret lies in the short breaks I took every 3 to 4 months. For such trips, traveling regional is the answer.  My favourite beach holiday destination, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016) In the month of March, I realised that I still have some vacation leave left over from 2015 and decided to take a short trip to my favourite regional destination of Bali. While I still chose to stay at the Nusa Dua area, I decided to modify my itinerary a little this time by staying further north of Nusa Dua at the Sofitel instead of at my usual accommodation at the Grand Hyatt. Sipping drinks by the beach at teh Sofitel, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016) The trip was a nice one. Everything about the Sofitel was awesome, the service was great and the food served at the hotel was delicio...

Murals are generally artwork not painted on canvas but artful paintings on walls and buildings. I have always marvelled at murals and the artistry talents behind these beautiful art pieces. And if the murals are applied on old historical buildings, then the added charm of these building mixed artfully with the painted pieces truly bring out a magical feel of fairy tale proportions. Dragon Dance mural, Old Town, Ipoh, Perak, Malaysia (2016) In my many trips to Ipoh's Old Town district, I usually spent a couple of quiet afternoons wandering through this part of the city that exudes charms from another era. Standing all over this area are old buildings dating back decades. Unlike other cities, these buildings are in no danger of being demolished to pave ways for modern skyscrapers. Therein lies the charm of Ipoh's Old Town. Over the past few years, many independent indie-style cafes have sprung up around the area. More often than not, these cafes tend to build around th...