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

China is a huge country with varied landscapes; many of which are stunning and too beautiful to describe with words. In my few visits to the country, I had experienced both the beauty of China's spectacular nature as well as its awesome cityscapes. In a visit to Shenzhen, I came across one such view soon after I had checked in to a hotel located at one of the high floors of a modern skyscraper. The view? Skyscrapers amidst rolling hills! A sight to behold and one that left me spellbound as I stood at the ceiling-to-floor windows of the hotel lobby admiring the beautiful views of the city and its wondrous natural beauty. I was soon joined by my friends who stood equally spellbound by the beautiful sights of a modern city backed by green rolling hills in the distance. Skyscrapers amidst rolling hills, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (2015) More skyscrapers with hills in the horizon, Shenzhen, Guangdong Province, China (2015)

"All that is gold does not glitter, just as not all those who wander are lost."  - JRR Tolkien Wild Heron at a waterfall, Bali, Indonesia (2015)

I was awestruck by the grandness and magnificence of this building during my walking tour of the Old Town of Tallinn. While there, I had no opportunity to enter the building itself. Thus, admiring its facade and photographing its structure as I walked around its perimeter had to suffice.  The  Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, Tallinn, Estonia (2017) Without knowing what this building was, its history and its name, the photographs I took allowed me to conduct basic research on it after the trip.  Based on my rudimentary research into the building long after my trip to Tallinn, I was to discover that it was built in the year 1865 by the German architect, Martin Gropius. Also known as the Palace of Ungern-Sternberg, the building is today the home of the Estonian Academy of Sciences. The Academy is a group of scientists whose aim is to promote research & development and scientific cooperation as well as knowledge dissemination.  The main building housing the Academy is a

Inspiration from Travel Programmes....... For most travellers, their typical travel itineraries will be planned around famous landmarks or icons. Some intrepid travellers will go further to explore the lesser known places, to experience things that the typical travellers will not get to enjoy. If we were to stay away from the famous landmarks and icons and instead ventured to explore the back alleys of the cities we had visited, what will be the kind of travel experiences that we will have encountered? Taking cues from some travel programmes which featured unexplored areas or back alleys of popular tourist destination cities, I had explored the suburban and back alleys of some of the cities I had visited. These included Nakano Ward of Tokyo which is just minutes away from crowded Shinjuku but seems like a world away when it comes down to ambience and crowd. A small shrine along the road, Nakano, Tokyo, Japan (2017) I had also travelled away from the city centre of G

Beitou is a district of Taipei located to the north of the city. Although well-known with locals and travellers for its hot springs, Beitou is also home to the "green" library of Taiwan. Designed with eco-friendly features, the Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library is outfitted to be both energy efficient and environmentally friendly. Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library, Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan (2018) Beitou Branch of the Taipei Public Library, Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan (2018) Besides its eco-friendly features, the library itself is an architectural marvel and definitely the most distinctive feature in the Beitou landscape. Visitors to Beitou just can't miss this architectural landmark. The Beitou Library, Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan (2018) Shelves of books lined the Library's interior, Beitou, Taipei, Taiwan (2018) The spacious interior is designed to be energy-efficient based on the Library's overall eco-friendly concept, Be

There were gasps as a fast flying raptor that flashed shades of red, orange and brown streaked through the sky before making contact with the surface of the calm waters of the cove. Our small boat with its load of tourists, including myself, our guide and boatman were excited but calm. Seconds later, a second raptor joined the first and we were treated to a front-row seat of a real-life wild documentary  in action as the pair of raptors before us fished for prey in the waters. A pair of  Brahminy Kites, Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002) The Scene We were in Langkawi, enjoying a day out in the sun cruising along the coast and the many coves of this Malaysian island situated in the Andaman Sea, off the mainland of West Malaysia, somewhere in the north-western region of the peninsula.  The Trip My trip was stretched over a short weekend, courtesy of a free stay at a newly opened five-star resort on Langkawi. Only the resort stay was free, thanks to my rare good luck

" For my part, I travel not to go anywhere, but to go. I travel for travel’s sake. The great affair is to move; to feel the needs and hitches of our life more nearly; to come down off this feather-bed of civilisation, and find the globe granite underfoot and strewn with cutting flints.” ―  Robert Louis Stevenson Pebbled bank of a freshwater stream in Okuhida, Takayama, Gifu Prefecture, Japan (2014)