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

This was a hurried booking for an unplanned trip from Singapore to the city of Thiruvananthapuram in the state of Kerala, India in the month of April 2016. The trip resulted from an 11th hour decision to attend the wedding of a friend. The booking was done just a few days before the trip and I was lucky to still be able to get a seat for the flight. The only direct flight available from Singapore to Thiruvananthapuram was offered by SilkAir, the regional arm of Singapore Airlines. I have flew on SilkAir many times before on my trips around the South-East Asian region but this was by far my longest flight onboard a SilkAir flight.  Total flight time from Singapore's Changi International Airport (IATA: SIN, ICAO: WSSS) to Thiruvananthapuram's Trivandrum International Airport (IATA: TRV, ICAO: VOTV) is slightly over 4 hours. The route is usually serviced by either an Airbus A320-200 or A319-100 aircraft. As is common on all SilkAir flights, inflight service onboard Fl...

Returning from Orlando to Singapore during my recent trip to the United States, I had two transit stops  These transits were at the Denver International Airport in Colorado (IATA: DEN, ICAO: KDEN) and Narita International Airport in Tokyo (IATA: NRT, ICAO: RJAA). I don't usually have the habit of photographing the same plane that I was about to board for my trip probably because I was always busy walking around the airport taking photos of other planes as well as photos of planes taking off and landing at the runways. Thus this photo will probably count as the first time I did take a photograph of the plane I was about to board. This was also only the third time I had flew or about to fly on a Boeing 787 and my very first time on the 787-9 variant of the Dreamliner. My previous two Dreamliner flights were both on the 787-8 base model on All Nippon Airways (a.k.a. ANA) and United Airlines respectively. United Airlines Boeing 787-9 preparing for departure from Gate B32...

I missed writing and publishing my regular Travel Bits series for the month of May 2016 by exactly one week. But rather than miss it completely, I decided it is better to be late than never. And so, I went about penning and publishing this blog post on a Sunday afternoon to make up for it. :-) The last month had been an extremely busy one for me on the work front. However, just as I had an unexpected trip in April 2016 to Thiruvananthapuram (a.k.a. Trivandrum), I had another unexpected trip in May 2016. This was a last minute and hastily arranged work trip to Orlando in Florida of the United States to attend an industry conference. Dome of the Orlando International Airport (IATA: MCO, ICAO: KMCO) as viewed from within the airport's passengers sitting area near the Duty Free shops, Orlando, Florida, United States (2016) As usual with all my overseas trips regardless of whether these are for work or personal vacations, there are tons and tons of work to clear before, d...

Enroute to the United States recently, I caught sight of these 3 birds from United Airlines lining up at the Boarding Gates at Narita International Airport. They are two Boeing 777-200s and a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner.  Having only my iPhones with me, I took this picture using my iPhone 6S. United Airlines planes all lined up at the Boarding Gates. The planes at the foreground and background are Boeing 777-200 while the plane in the middle is a Boeing 787-8 Dreamliner, Narita International Airport, Tokyo, Japan (2016) See also other Airplane Pictures in this travel blog

The discovery of the Angkor Temple ruins in the 19th century and the subsequent international tourism associated with the now famous UNESCO World Heritage Site has allowed Siem Reap to grow into probably the most "famous" city in Cambodia known to travellers all over the world. The Siem Reap International Airport (IATA: REP, ICAO: VDSR), Siem Reap, Cambodia (2015) Silkair, the regional arm of Singapore Airlines, flies direct from Singapore, Siem Reap, Cambodia (2015) Tourism is the main stay of the local economy in Siem Reap and the number of hotels, restaurants and pubs are a testament to that. My first impression of Siem Reap with its dusty roads, haphazard traffic and low-rise housings was that it resembles many of the smaller cities common in the developing countries of the South-East Asian region. However, the friendliness and hospitalities of the locals soon set this small city apart from the rest. Due to my inability to accurately pronounce wor...

The National Gallery Singapore is located within two iconic Singaporean national monuments. These are the former Supreme Court Building and the City Hall. Both monuments were built during the times of colonial Singapore when the country was a Crown Colony of the United Kingdom. Today, these two buildings have been refurbished, restored and designated national monuments. It is thus fitting that instead of being leased/converted into commercial spaces, these monuments are today home to probably the world's largest collection of Singapore and South-East Asian art. These arts focuses not just on Singapore's cultural heritage but also its inherent links to the cultures of the greater South-East Asian region and the World. The National Gallery is currently Singapore's largest museum. The National Gallery Singapore is housed in two iconic buildings designated as National Monuments, Singapore (2016) View of the Marina Bay Bay Sands Integrated Resort from the Nation...

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...