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

Japan,  Iwakuni A beautiful wooden arch bridge, the Kintai-kyo in Japan's western prefecture of Yamaguchi was originally built around 1673. With a history dating more than 350 years, the bridge spans over the Nishiki River, overlook by the Iwakuni Castle on top of Mount Yokoyama.  The original article was first posted in this blog on 4 July 2021. ****************** When I travel, I typically do not have a fixed itinerary or a list of sights to experience. My preference being to wander around without any fixed plans while hoping to serendipitously chance upon local gems not listed in any travel guide books. But occasionally, I did have an item on my to-do-to-visit list which I usually picked up while browsing magazines or watching travel shows on TV. The  Kintai-kyo  is one such item. Having been "introduced" to this historical wooden arch bridge while watching a travel documentary on Japan's NHK channel, I decided that when the opportunity presented itself, I will tr...

For me, food is always a highlight of any trips. Local food, especially street food or hawker food is always a delight.  When it comes to hawker food, Malaysia certainly has a lot to offer. When I had a one-day stopover in Taiping  in Malaysia's Perak state during my South-East Asia Train Journey trip in May 2024, I seized the opportunity to savour as much local food as I possibly could eat. I was not disappointed, Every dish I ate was delicious and left me craving for more... 🍲 Claypot Rice, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024) Chicken Noodles, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024) Noodle Soup, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024) Satay, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024) Apom, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024)

Starting a brand new travel year in 2025 with a cruise.....  While I did not get to travel much in 2024, I certainly am not going to be able to make up for it in 2025. I currently have two cruises booked for the year and will probably add a couple of short regional trips as the year progresses. And for the end of year travel period, I intend to visit Japan in winter. That's all for my travels this year. I am anticipating a very busy year on the work front. Thus the absence of any major travel plans, especially trips that may require a slightly longer itinerary. Less trips mean I will need to enjoy each trip more. A balance between quality and quantity. My upcoming trip will be a cruise from Singapore to Bali and Lombok and back to Singapore. A total of 8 nights, including at least 4 sea days. I am still deciding what I want to do on the scheduled port visits in Bali and Lombok.  While I had visited Bali multiple times, I had previously only visited Lombok once when I stayed in...

I had a rare opportunity to visit Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan with an overnight stopover while traveling by train through parts of South-East Asia in mid-2024.  Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan is the provincial capital of Prachuap Khiri Khan Province and is about 240km south of Thailand's capital city of Bangkok. In Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan, I stayed at a hotel by the beach with direct view of the Khao Chong Krachok Monastery which is located on the top of a hill. The next morning, I decided to climb the 400 steps up to the monastery and was rewarded with a bird's eye view of the town and the coastline. However, I was more amazed by the view of the monastery while on my way up the hill. This is the view that amazed me, Khao Chong Krachok Monastery,  Mueang Prachuap Khiri Khan District, P rachuap Khiri Khan, Thailand (2024)

Often, when we travel, we will come across sceneries or structures where we just could not stop ourselves from taking that photograph as a memento. During a stopover while on my train journey through South-East Asia in June 2024, I came across this giant coffee cup at the Antong Coffee Mill in Taiping. Upon setting my eyes on this "giant", I told myself I simply had to have a photograph taken with the cup! And thus, many photographs of myself and the giant cup were taken. Photo opportunities not to be missed! Here are two of these photos for sharing. Giant Coffee Cup, Antong Coffee Mill, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024) Giant Coffee Cup, Antong Coffee Mill, Taiping, Perak, Malaysia (2024)

Japan,  Nagaoka The Hanabi Matsuri in Nagaoka is arguably one the best in Japan, a country renowned for its many Hanabi Matsuri held annually all over the country in the summer months of July and August. I had the rare opportunity to fulfil a personal Travel Bucket List item when I attended both days of the Nagaoka  Hanabi Matsuri in August 2023. ****************** Attending the Nagaoka Hanabi Matsuri (Fireworks Festival) has always been a travel bucket list item for me. This year, I finally managed to check this item on my list. I attended the event on both days, on the 2nd and 3rd of August 2023. With an estimated 20,000 rounds of fireworks launched into the summer night sky of Nagaoka, this is arguably one of the best fireworks display not just in Japan but probably in the world. Held along the Shinano River, this is truly the mother of all Fireworks Display for me. Here, I am sharing a couple of photos and a short 12-seconds video of part of the fireworks display. I have a...

From the balcony of my hotel room at the Eastern & Oriental Hotel, I saw Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas leaving port enroute to Thailand's Phuket on the night of 3 December 2024. The colourful lights of the cruise ship and its reflections in the pitch black water of the night was a delightful sight to behold. A rare photo moment that I just could not miss. 📸 Royal Caribbean's Anthem of the Seas leaving port, Georgeotown, Penang, Malaysia (2024)