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

Japan, Shiga Prefecture, Moriyama This article was originally published in this blog in May 2019. It chronicled my visit to Moriyama, a city in Japan's Shiga Prefecture. I had arrived in Moriyama from Takashima, another city in Shiga. My 2-day stay in Moriyama was planned to be a leisurely stop in my itinerary with nothing much planned except to enjoy the beautiful views of Lake Biwa. However, this short stay turned out to be a rather interesting part of my overall trip as I discovered lots of things to see and do. As I checked out of my hotel in my third day here for my onward journey to Tokyo, I left knowing I will return because there are still much to see and do here.  ****************** First Impressions My first view of the city was when the hotel bus rolled into the city over the scenic Biwako Ohashi Bridge over Lake Biwa. I had boarded the free shuttle provided by the Lake Biwa Marriott for hotel guests at Katata Station on the Kosei Line. With...

  "Let your wanderlust take hold and bring yourself to places unknown....... " - Timothy Tan, tankstraveltales Stairs, Old Town, Tallinn, Estonia (2017)

First personal trip of 2023.......  This February, I kicked off my personal travel year of 2023. Nothing fanciful, just a drive up north to Malaysia to visit the city of Ipoh. A total driving distance about 550km, one way. Including the return trip and other drives around Ipoh, I will typically clock more than 1,200km each trip.  I usually drive to Ipoh during the Chinese New Year (CNY) period for a short break. This year, CNY was in January. But I could not make the trip due to work commitments. However, in many ways, driving to Malaysia from Singapore during the so-called off-peak periods has many advantages. The main perk, less traffic congestions at the land border crossing. There will also be less traffic along the way, which makes the drive a lot more enjoyable. And in Ipoh, less crowd everywhere, from the restaurants to the cafes.  Looking forward to enjoying my annual road trip and the delicious food in Ipoh. And also, my favourite fruit, Durians! 😀😁  Duria...

It has been more than 5 years since I last visited London. There are many things that I missed about this city. From the great food, shopping, book stores, street scenes, parks and theatres to its tradition and culture. And of course, there are always that two major attractions for me in London, the Natural History Museum and the iconic British Museum. In all my trips to London, I had always spent time at these museums; marvelling at the displays, learning about its exhibits and getting enthralled by the richness of history. On each visit, there were always something new, something to learn, knowledge to gain and experiences to savour. I hope to be able to visit London again soon. And my first stop will undoubtedly be the British Museum. One of the iconic central pieces of the museum's exhibits that is always ready to greet each and every visitor who walk through its entrance, British Museum, London, England, United Kingdom (2017) 

Singapore, Mount Faber Despite being born and raised as well as living and working in Singapore for almost the entirety of my existence, I had never taken the cable car in Singapore before. This is despite that cables cars are not a rarity here and have been around for as long as one can remember. Eventually, I did get to try out a cable car ride in Singapore. And not just a ride. I had booked an in-car dining experience to celebrate New Year's Eve of 2020 and welcome the arrival of New Year's Day on 2021. What an experience! This article, posted in this blog in July 2021, is all about a personal bucket list item fulfilled. For me, a bucket list item don't have to mean traveling to the ends of the world, diving into the deepest oceans or climbing that highest peak. It can be anything that one has always want to try or do but has never get around to actually doing it. Its not about bragging rights or awesome materials to post on social media. ...

Revisiting places.......  I have a habit of re-visiting the same countries, same cities and same towns when I travelled on vacations. My creature-of-habit style even extends to the accommodations that I stay at, the places I dine in and even the stores that I shop with during trips. I always believe that on any first visits, we only have sufficient time to mentally decide whether we like a place, whether this place somehow struck a chord with us deep within and so on. On a second visit, we start to get to know the place as it grows on us. And from the third and subsequent visits onwards, we start to appreciate the place at a deeper level as we discover more and more about it, especially those proverbial off-the-beaten-track aspects of it. I start to make friends with the locals, true friendships that continue even after I returned home. We kept touch through social media, phone messages, phone calls and of course, in-person when I return for another visit. And these are the reasons...

    Alight from the train am I, Into a land of bygones past, Walk the streets alone am I, Into eras of glories past. Marvels fill my brain, Flights of fantasies within, Thoughts flow like trains, Imaginations like fountains spring.  This, my journey begins, Air of excitement reigns, That, my adventure ends, A road well worth the time. - Journeys , an original poem by Timothy Tan, tankstraveltales On my second trip to Angkor Wat, Krong Siem Reap, Cambodia (2022)