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

Planning for my next vacation....... Apart form the trip itself, one of the greatest thing about a dream vacation is the trip planning. Finding out about the places to visit, the food to eat and the kind of experience that can be enjoyed is a joy for anyone who enjoys travelling. While my motto has always been to travel with only a loose plan in place so that I can serendipitously  chance upon some delightful travel experiences, a loose plan still needs some basic information before it becomes what it is, a plan! With the internet literally at my fingertips, I can easily look for information whenever I have some free time in-between work meetings or tele-conferences. And these bits of information that I collect are all cut-and-paste digitally into my smart phone. A month or two before the trip, I will collate all this information to form a broad itinerary such as the cities to visit, the areas that I want to stay for the night and the sights and food I want to enjoy. Wit...

At the time of writing this blog post, travel around the world for leisure is not a viable option. Many countries are in lockdown due to the COVID-19 pandemic currently sweeping the world. Many national borders are closed to prevent further transmission of the virus and to stop the pandemic from getting more serious. Air travel has mostly grind to a standstill. COVID-19 first surfaced in November 2019. Slowly but then accelerating rapidly, it has now spread to many countries around the world. Current number of infected is around 1.7 million people with more than 106,000 fatalities recorded worldwide. Today is 12 April 2020. Here in my home country, we are advised against unnecessary international travel. Domestically, we are also advised to limit movements outside the home and to practice social distancing to help  contain the spread of COVID-19. Working from home (WFH) is the trending acronym not just in Singapore but around the world now. All these are in the i...

"The sole cause of man's unhappiness is that he cannot stay quietly in his room "  - Blaise Pascal (19 June 1623 - 19 August 1662), mathematician, physicist, inventor and writer. Upper Seletar Reservoir, Singapore (2016)

Israel, Nazareth Growing up in a family who was and still is predominantly Roman Catholic, I have always identified myself as Catholic even though I am not officially baptised as one. Wherever I travel, I would always ventured into a church to pray when the opportunity presented itself. During a trip to Israel many years ago, I took the chance to book a day trip whose itinerary included a visit to the Church of the Annunciation. Also known as the Basilica of the Annunciation, the church is located in the city of Nazareth in the northern part of Israel. The story goes that this church was established at the very site where the angel Gabriel appeared to the Virgin Mary to announce that she would conceive and bear the Son of God, Jesus Chris t. Church of the Annunciation (a.k.a.  Basilica of the Annunciation), Nazareth, Israel (2002) The current church is a double storey building constructed over the site of earlier churches from the Byzantine and Crusader eras. At t...

These are uncertain times... to travel ....... The recent worldwide pandemic as a result of the COVID-19 outbreak has resulted in uncountable number of trip cancellations due to travel disruptions imposed by many national authorities in a bid to control and stem its spread. For travelers mid-way through their trips in a distant and foreign land, this could not have come at a worse time. Due to sudden flight cancellations, what could have been a straight forward flight itinerary had quickly unravelled into a nightmare battle to get home quick before further lockdowns result in even more difficulties to return to their home country and city. From the many accounts of travellers stuck overseas and trying desperately to find a way home, what was once a simple flight from one destination to another had now became a not-so-simple odyssey involving multiple transits via numerous carriers, not forgetting the relatively large amount of additional costs involved. Airlines worldwide ...

Fishing for ayu (a.k.a. sweetfish, Plecoglossus altivelis ) is common among the residents living close to rivers and streams in Japan. With its clear and clean waters, many rivers and streams are teaming with aquatic life and ayu , being a favourite food fish, is often fished both commercially or as a hobby by many locals. Crossing the famous Iwakuni Bridge or Kin-tai kyo  on my way to the top of Mount Yokoyama to visit the Iwakuni Castle, I looked down into the passing Nishiki River and chanced upon the sight of this fisherman fishing for ayu at low tide. Because I was standing on the bridge almost directly overhead, I could frame this shot seemingly from a bird eye's view perspective. This is another of those photo moments that would digitised the memory of that moment in time during my trip. A perfect digital momento to an unforgettable travel experience. Fisherman, Nishiki River, Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture, Japan (2019)

On a friend's recommendation, I decided to visit the Sorrento Quay Boardwalk for dinner as one of my itinerary items while visiting Perth. Arriving on a rainy June afternoon, I drove into the huge car park at Sorento Quay. Along the way, I noticed a number of leisure fishermen trying to get bites on their lines along the many breakwaters that lined the coast. The many small boats and yachts berthed  at the harbour,  Hillarys Boat Harbour,  Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Located at Hillarys Boat Harbour, there are many shopping and dining outlets at Sorrento Quay. As I was early for dinner, I had a perfect excuse to shop at the many retail shops. My memorable purchases here include a very beautiful lava crystal candle holder.  Entrance to Sorrento Quay,  Hillarys Boat Harbour,  Perth, Western Australia, Australia (2018) Venturing in the light rain out into the boardwalk area, I discovered that one can purchase tickets and...