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

Malaysia, Perak, Gopeng, Exploring Peninsula Malaysia's Longest Cave System This article was originally published in this blog in January 2017. I have always been fascinated with caves and this was actually my first visit to a natural cave system. While I would not say my first visit to Gua Tenpurung was an adventure of a lifetime, it was nevertheless a good introduction to caves for me as a novice and definitely worthy of a tick off my Travel Bucket List. ****************** Located in Gopeng in the Malaysian state of Perak, Gua Tempurung is one of the longest cave system in Peninsula Malaysia (a.k.a. West Malaysia). New to caves and caving? Gua Tempurung is a cave where beginners could breeze through with zero prior caving experience. A natural opening allows some sunlight into the cave near its entrance, Gua Tempurung, Gopeng, Perak, Malaysia (2016) History and Geography Estimated at around 10,000 years old, Gua Tempurung is a cave system that runs under the limest...

So here we are, almost heading into the third year of a worldwide pandemic and counting. The past couple of days were marked by the news of the discovery of a new and potentially more nasty COVID-19 variant, named Omicron. That news had triggered panic and resulted in routs on stock markets worldwide from Asia to Europe.  Countries hastened to protect their citizenry and started to issue travel restrictions on areas where this new virus variant had surfaced. This confirmed that my decision not to jump on the bandwagon of leisure travel from the recent loosening of travel restrictions to be a correct one. Imagine having my trips all booked and paid and now having to deal with the hassle of untangling the administrative mess with multiple parties involving trip re-bookings, postponements and cancellations. Indeed, now is really not the time to embark on leisure travel. With these uncertainties hovering over my potential travel plans like the proverbial Sword of Damocles, my pass...

Nothing is more magnificent than the sight of historical monuments which are testament to past civilisations. These monuments are living evidence of the history, culture, arts, science, knowledge, politics, religion and more of people who, collectively with other civilisations across the world and across the ages, form the basis of humankind and its evolutionary history.  Located near Siem Reap in north-eastern Cambodia, historical Angkor Wat is the largest religious temple complex in the world based on land area. Built in the early 12th century, Angkor was originally constructed as a dedication to the Hindu god, Vishnu. Towards the later part of that century, the temple complex was converted to a  Buddhist temple.  In 1992, the Angkor Archeological Park was inscribed as a UNESCO World Heritage Site at the 16th Session of the UNECSO World Heritage Committee. Angkor Archeological Park includes Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom.  Angkor Wat Temple Complex, Angkor Wat, Angkor ...

"There is no unhappiness like the sighting of land (and work) again after a joyful, careless  voyage. " -  Mark Twain (30 Nov 1835 - 21 Apr 1910) - American Humorist, Writer, Publisher, Lecturer and Entrepreneur  Ferry plying the route between Helsinki and Tallinn in the Baltic Sea, Helsinki, Finland (2017)

To resume travel..... or stay put for now? As authorities in many countries started to peel back on travel restrictions, many who have had enough of being unable to travel have cheered these decisions and started travelling or planning to travel again. I am not referring to those who generally have justified needs to travel; whether this is for business, work, or to visit immediate family members, relatives and friends due to one reason or another. What I am talking about are those who resume travel for leisure's sake. The justifications put forth by these leisure travellers are that they need a break. So what kind of "break" do they really need? I am not sure. But to throw caution to the winds and embark on leisure travel at this moment in time just to sight-see may not be exactly a good idea. Apart from having to "jostle" with those who really need to travel for limited air tickets (many airlines are still not back to full operational capacity vis-a-vis pre-pa...

Israel, Galilee, Capernaum, 4th Century Synagogue This article was originally published in this blog in November 2018. This was my only visit to Capernaum and for convenience, I succumbed to the touristy-thing and booked a guided day-trip which not only brought me to Capernaum but also to other biblical sites around the Galilee region. ****************** Traveling to places of historical significance has always been a favourite travel itinerary for me. These trips allow me to visit in person the locations of places I read about in the history books. Amongst the many historical places I had visited, one of my favourite and also an item on my travel bucket list is Capernaum. Frequently cited in the Gospels, Capernaum is located on the shores to the north of the Sea of Galilee in Israel. Reportedly inhabited since the 2nd century BCE, the town was abandoned in the 11th century. Capernaum was originally a small fishing village, probably because of its clos...

"It's not what you look at that matters, It's what you see." -  Henry David Thoreau (1817 - 1862) - American Naturalist, Poet and Philosopher Bees harvesting nectar from a lotus flower, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2016)