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

Japan, Yamaguchi Prefectures, Iwakuni This article was originally posted on this blog on October 2020. I was on a trip to Hiroshima when on the spur of the moment, I decided that Iwakuni in neighbouring Yamaguchi Prefecture is not so far away after all. Amending my intended itinerary, I took the train from Hiroshima Station to Iwakuni Station, then hopped on a local bus that took me to the famous Kintai-kyo and of course, Iwakuni Castle. One of the major item on my Travel Bucket List is to visit as many Japanese Castles as possible. Visiting Iwakuni Castle thus checked off an item on my Travel Bucket List! ****************** Located in Iwakuni in Yamaguchi Prefecture, the original Iwakuni Castle was built in the year 1608. Sited at the top of Mount Shiroyama, the castle must had looked a formidable obstacle to any attackers in the 17th century. However, merely seven years after the building of the castle was completed, it was torn down based on a decree ( Ikkoku-ichijo ) from the Shogu

The Angkor Archeological Park is a UNESCO World Heritage Site. It is also one of the most important archaeological site not just in Cambodia but also probably in the South-East Asia region. The park covers an area that extended for hundreds of square kilometres and include major sites such as the Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom ancient temple complexes. Other notable sites include Banteay Srei, Beung Mealea, Srah Srang, Preah Khan and Preah Lup. I had been fortunate to get to visit the Angkor Archeological Park twice. During these visits, I got to view many of the artefacts and wall sculptures up close, taking digital photographs with both my DSLR and mobile phones. Video clips taken wit my digital devices during the second trip not just recorded what I saw and experienced but also hopefully, document the ingenuity of the ancient Khmer people who built these sites. Here, I had compiled a short 4-minute plus video of my second trip. The video is made up of a combination of video clips and st

A 5-part mini series of videos on the topic of "Love the Seas" has been uploaded to the YouTube Channel of this blog at TANKS Travel Tales YouTube Channel. S.E.A. Aquarium, Sentosa, Singapore The idea behind the mini-video series is to focus on the wonderful world of life under the sea. The main underlying message is of course fo all of us to play a part in saving the seas; to use less plastics, stop pollution and work towards a more sustainable lifestyle in our everyday activities. The video footages and photos were taken at the S.E.A. Aquarium in Sentosa, Singapore. The links to all 5 videos are here: Link to Video - Part I Link to Video -Part II Link to Video - Part III Link to Video - Part IV Link to Video - Part V

Budget Trip......  Beginning the last week of May 2024, I will be going on a budget trip where I will be travelling by train from Bangkok to Singapore.  My target is to set aside SGD$500 (about USD$370 based on current conversion rate), and set off from Singapore to Bangkok by Budget Airline. From Bangkok, I will progressively travel southwards by train towards Singapore. Train travel will be on Class 3. This is a budget travel trip after all. Along the way, I will pass by several cities in Thailand and Malaysia and spend time overnight in some of them. There will also be an over-nighter where I will travel in the train overnight. I have never travel like this before. Thus, I am absolutely looking forward to it. While there will be nothing luxurious during the trip, what I will get to enjoy will still be an amazing experience, traveling with the locals and exploring local culture and cuisines first hand. There will be none of those 5-star resort treatments. Neither will there be any di

This blog has had a corresponding YouTube Channel since 2021. Unfortunately, I have not been posting and updating videos to the Channel. This is changing. I will be posting videos of places I had visited and my travel experience on a regular basis from now on. Through the videos posted on the  TANKS Travel Tales YouTube Channel , I hope to better engage with readers of this blog using a more visual and interactive format. So head over now to the revamped TANKS Travel Tales YouTube Channel to explore the Channel, watch the travel-related videos that had been posted and subscribe to view more upcoming travel-related videos! TANKS Travel Tales YouTube Channel current landing page as of 2 May 2024

Japan, Niigata and Yamagata Prefectures, Kairi Joyful Train Ride This blog post describes my experiences taking a tourist train for the first time. The trip was in August 2023 when I traveled to Niigata Prefecture for the Nagaoka Fireworks Festival. A sign in Car No 3 of the Kairi Train, Tsuruoka, Yamagata Prefecture, Japan (2023) ****************** Watching train documentaries on Japan's NHK World Channel, I had always wondered what it would be like to experience a ride in one of Japan's so-called tourist trains. The opportunity to actually ride on one presented itself when I visited Niigata Prefecture in August 2023 to attend the Nagaoka annual Fireworks Festival. I extended my stay in Niigata by an extra day and night so that I can actually catch a ride on the Kairi Tourist Train. The icing on the cake was that my 7-day Japan Rail Pass allowed me to ride on the Kairi in Car 1 without any additional charges. I just need to make a reservation in advance. I originally intended

In August 2023, I made only my second visit to the city of Yokohama. This despite that I had visited numerous times over the past years. Only slightly more than an hour by regular train from Tokyo, Yokohama is located south in the prefecture of Kanagawa. Most famous for its port, Yokohama is today also where large cruise ships visit to pick up or drop off passengers.  Pokémon  at the  marina waterfront, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) Famous landmarks for visitors to the city include the Red Brick Warehouse, Cup Noodles Museum Yokohama, Yokohama Chinatown as well as the Minato Mirai district located just next to the sea. Cable Car, Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) The main intent of my trip to Yokohama was not to visit the city for sightseeing. I was there to board the cruise ship, Spectrum of the Seas for my cruise from this city to Singapore. But I decided to stay in Yokohama for 2 nights prior to boarding the cruise. The reason being to give my itinerary enoug