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

"We cannot extend our lives. But we can certainly expand it. Travel!"  - Anonymous (verbally related to me by a friend who heard it from someone he met on his travels) The Author in front of the Kintai-Kyo Bridge ( 錦帯橋 ), Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan (2019)

Of all the cities in the world that I had visited so far, none other than Taipei managed to always evoke that sense of nostalgia in me. I can't explain that feeling. In fact, the first time I visited Taipei was in 2015, way past the times of my growing up years! Cityscape of Taipei, Ximending, Wanhua District, Taipei, Taiwan (2015) As to what kind of nostalgic feelings that Taipei has for me is difficult to describe in words. It probably is a combination of the old school streets and their layouts, the friendliness and unassuming attitude of the locals which is a rarity in most cities in today's materialistic-driven world, the food, the number of small bookstores tucked around in almost every corner of every street and a lot more. My connection to all things in Taipei probably also stemmed from my childhood years when I grew up watching Taiwanese dramas and documentaries on TV, most of which centred around life in Taipei. Advertising billboards screaming for at...

Keeping a Travel Journal....... Travel journals can be a very useful item during one's travels. Not only does a journal allows one to jot down experiences encountered during a trip which may otherwise just become another fading memory, it also allows one to keep notes of the destinations, the next destinations and so on. In this day and age, a journal does not has to be a hardcopy notebook. A simple digital notepad or a simple travel app can serve as a travel journal. Personally, I prefer a hardcopy notebook although I had use a combination of both physical notebooks and digital notepads as my travel journals. Taking notes about the places just visited, short write-ups of experiences encountered and sketches of what one saw and experienced are just some of the many stuff that can go into a travel journal. Weeks, months or even years later, looking through the old travel journal is almost certain to bring back great memories of a past trip that has long been consigned t...

All Nippon Airways (ANA) currently has two A380-800s in service as of the date of this blog post. Deliveries of the new A380 Superjumbo began in March 2019. A total of three of this aircraft type will eventually be in the service of the Japanese airline. Each ANA A380-800 comes in a 4-class configuration featuring 8 seats in First Class, 56 seats in Business Class, 73 seats in Premium Economy and 383 seats in Economy; a total of 520 seats. The aircrafts currently only serve ANA's route from Tokyo to Honolulu, with flights departing from Narita Airport. I was overjoyed to see one of these A380-800 in its special Turtle Livery at Narita Airport on 9 June 2019 and again on 17 June 2019.  Airbus A380-800 with Turtle Livery at Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan (2019) Airbus A380-800 with Turtle Livery at Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan (2019) Airbus A380-800 with Turtle Livery at Narita Airport, Tokyo, Japan (2019) Airbus A380-800 with Turtle Livery 1/200 scale ...

"We travel not to escape life but for life not to escape us."  -  Anonymous Hiking trail, Okuhida, Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (2014)

While on transit at Los Angeles International Airport (IATA: LAX, ICAO: KLAX) during my recent trip to the United States, I have had the opportunity to walk around the Tom Bradley International Terminal as I waited for my connecting flight. The Tom Bradley International Terminal (also known as Terminal B) is where most arriving and departing international flights to and from the United States operate from. Terminal B was opened in September 2013 and is structured such that it is easy to locate the boarding gates even for passengers visiting for the first time. While the number of shops here are not as numerous as those found in some international airports in Asia of similar size and scale, the shops-mixed here do offer a wide-enough range and depth of merchandise to satisfy the shopping needs of most passengers. I was particularly impressed by the large LED display panels located throughout the terminal. There were at least 3 that I counted and these large electronic billboard...

After a day trip to Loch Ness, our small tour bus turned into the vicinity of beautiful Perthshire. While most members of my travelling party were more keened on a late lunch after spending the better part of the day visiting Glencoe and Loch Ness, my attention was more focused on the beautiful countryside. Lunch had to wait. As the group settled down for a hearty lunch, I opted for a quick sandwich and soon ventured off with my cameras to capture the beautiful moments of the surrounding picturesque fields. Wide open fields with bales of hay being prepared for the coming of winter, Perthshire, Scotland, UK (2011) Wide open rolling hills in the countryside never fail to enthral me. Growing up and living in a compact city of bricks and mortar, I have always love the countryside, with its wide open fields, trees,  wild birds, farm animals and such. On the day that I was in Perthshire, there were no singing birds and grazing farm animals to be seen. Probably because ...