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

Returned from a Trip, Preparing for Another......  And just like that, my autumn trip to Japan is completed. During the trip, I had explored parts of Tokyo I had never before visited, drove to Nikko and got to spend some time at the Nikko Toshogu Shrine, had lunch by Lake Chūzenji and explored its surroundings on foot including the Kegon Falls and checked off a Travel Bucket List item by staying at the historic Nikko Kanaya Hotel. As of 2024, the hotel is 150-years old. Historic and famous people including Albert Einstein, Dwight D Eisenhower, Helen Keller and Isabella Bird were some of the previous guests and visitors to this hotel. I had read Ms Isbella Bird's travelogue on her travels in Japan, "Unbeaten Tracks in Japan" and had drawn much inspirations from the book, both for my own travels and writings. From the book, I had also read about her trip to Nikko in the 19th century. Thus, to stay at the same hotel was for me, a Travel Bucket List item.  In my upcoming trip...

UK,  Scotland, Glasgow Time do fly indeed. This article was originally posted in this blog on 17th September 2014 describing my trip to Glasgow even further back by another 3 years, in 2011. This was my one and only trip to Glasgow.  During the trip, I had spent time exploring the city on foot, alone. Without any digital GPS-assisted map to guide me. Why? Because I was neither looking for anything nor going anywhere in particular. Thus, began my love for uncharted and unplanned walking trips around cities I travelled to. I often will spent a day or so, diving straight into parts of a city; walking, sightseeing, discovering and enjoying what the city has to offer. And hopefully, serendipitously chance upon a minor adventure or two that I can translate into a travel tale after the trip. And while on my little "adventures", maybe to tick off an item or two on my travel bucket list. ⛰ ****************** Glasgow..... The name of this famous city i...

Modern day cruise ships are huge behemoths where almost anything imaginable can be found onboard.  After having been on several cruises already, I am beginning to believe that even on cruises with no or very few port days, I will still not run out of things to do onboard. After all, it is really difficult for one to get bored on a huge cruise ship that can span a couple of hundreds of metres or more, from bow to stern. Even on days when I may feel a bit on the introvert side, I can always find a relatively serene corner to read or write, a warm beverage in-hand. There will also almost always be a gym for me to work out, swimming pools to get some tan, a dance hall to enjoy music and a dance or two, lots of food for the glutton in me, spectacular shows for entertainment, even a promenade to shop or window shop, my room balcony to look out at the sea and contemplate life and more. Of course, there is also the opportunity to meet people and make new friends. While on a cruise that was...

For someone who plan and book my own travels every time, I still find it surprising how I can still make the most basic of mistakes; getting the travel dates in my itinerary all mixed up. Yesterday, I decided to book my accommodation for my trip to Hong Kong in April 2025. I had already been booked on a 5-night cruise that will sail from Singapore to Hong Kong, scheduled to depart on 16th April. However, foolish me happily believed that since it is going to be a 5-night cruise, I will arrive in Hong Kong on 20th April. Nope, its 5-nights and not 5-days. This means I will only arrive in Hong Kong on 21st April. Before this realisation, I had happily booked my accommodation from the 20th April onwards instead of from the 21st onwards. Fortunately, I had chosen the higher-priced package that allows me to modify or cancel without penalty. Otherwise, it will be money down the drain. This mistake had also happened just 2 months prior when I was booking my airline ticket to another destinatio...

Getting Ready for My Trip......  Exactly three weeks from now, I will be at the airport to board the flight for my vacation to Japan. Settled my pet's boarding arrangement and now planning how to ensure my plants stay hydrated while I'm away for almost two whole weeks. Trip accommodations have also been booked and paid, except for one which will be automatically paid before I commence the trip. No necessity to change currency because I still have lots of Japanese Yen left over from the previous trips and I will mostly be using credit cards to pay for my trip expenses. But if the currency exchange rate is in my favour, I will probably change some Japanese Yen to average down from the previous exchange rates of Yen vs SGD (Singapore Dollar) from two years ago.  Work-wise, I have completed most of my more urgent work tasks, well within the scheduled timelines. No hiccups there so everything seems in order, at least for now. My trip itinerary is rather flexible, as is my travel st...

Japan,  Yokohama Chancing upon an event featuring one's favourite franchise characters of all time definitely qualifies as a Travel Bucket List item. At least in my opinion! This was what happened to me when I arrived in Yokohama in August 2023 to discover myself in the midst of the  Pokémon World Championship 2023. Needless to say, I quickly immersed myself into the  festival-like atmosphere of the event. It was such a joy joining leagues of Pokémon fans worldwide to celebrate  Pokémon World Championship. The original article was posted on this blog in November 2023. ⛰ ****************** How often does anyone chanced upon a major event featuring one's personal hobby while traveling? I did, in August 2023. Sandshrews! Yokohama, Kanagawa Prefecture, Japan (2023) Arriving at Yokohama two days early to rest and relax before boarding my cruise to the Kyushu region and other parts of Asia, I found myself in the midst of the Pokémon...

I visited Penang again in March 2024 when I took a cruise which had a stopover at the Swettenham Pier in Georgetown. Due to the relatively short stopover of only around half a day,  I only disembarked to walk around the pier area to take photographs of the cruise ship. Back to the ship at dusk, I was at Deck 15 and had a rather good view of the city when I spotted this photo opportunity of the setting sun.  Taken with my iPhone 15 Po Max, this is the view I witnessed onboard Spectrum of the Seas' Deck 15 of Sunset over the City. 📸 Sunset over the City, Georgetown, Penang, Malaysia (2024)