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

Culture shock....... different perspective on life's priorities For many of us who live our entire existence in the busy and fast-paced city, it has become ingrained in us that everything have to be completed quickly. There is simply no tolerance for any waste of time. And this belief goes along when we travel. When we travelled to cities, towns or villages where the pace of life was much slower, we started to get impatient if we had to wait for services. Sometimes, we began to start getting upset at the "slowness". Whenever this happened, it would be prudent to take a step back and reflect. If the services we were expecting had been a little bit slower, did it somehow meant that the service was bad or that the attitude of the service provider was bad? The difference in expectations and realisation of speed of service delivery is usually down to simply  the perspective of life's priorities. In the smaller cities, towns and villages, the pace of life would def

It was late morning when I arrived at the market. After spending a good part of the previous night chilling out at the many cafes in town, I had woken up later than usual in the morning and had my breakfast at the hotel before sashaying out of my room into the glaring sun-lit street to start my sight-seeing of Busan.  My first stop for the day was the market. I enjoyed going to the markets in every city I visited. Always mindful not to get in the way of the locals going about their businesses at these markets, I made it a point to be as non intrusive as possible. For a start, that meant leaving my DSLR camera in my backpack. Out came my cellphone, discreetly recording my visit to the market and never directly filming or photographing anyone without their expressed permission. Morning market in Gwangan-dong, Suyeong District, Busan,  South  Korea (2019) But instead of just sight-seeing, my trip to the market in Busan had a purpose. I was there to buy kimchi . This is a tr

United Kingdom, England, Wiltshire - UNESCO World Heritage Site Straight out of the history books and right before my eyes stood Stonehenge. That was what I experienced when I visited this neolithic era monument for the first time. Stonehenge, Wiltshire, England, UK (2011) It was the beginning of autumn in 2011 and the morning air was chilly at the site. Despite the cold, I bravely joined the crowd of visitors circling this prehistoric assembly of stones arranged in concentric rings, a monument both to its era and to the people who built it. Slowly observing and studying the site as my walk progressed, I compared what I had read and learned from books and documentaries to what stood before me. This allowed me to better appreciate the depth of the historical significance of the site. And no, I was no selfie-seeking tourist gunning for that breakout viral photo on social media. I was a student of history, at least for that brief moment in time. I remembered circlin

Located between Japan and Korea, Tsushima is an island group of Nagasaki Prefecture. With its sub-tropical marine environment, Tsushima has its own unique flora and fauna. The relatively low human population density in this island group has generally allowed the local flora and fauna to flourish without much human intervention. Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (2019) During my recent trip to Tsushima in early November 2019, I did some hikes around the northern areas of the main north island, Kamino-shima. Armed with my DSLR camera fitted with a standard 60mm macro lens, I digitally recorded the natural beauty I encountered during these hikes. Getting ready to disperse its seeds when the next wind blows, Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (2019) Wild daisies, Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (2019) More wild daisies, Tsushima Island, Nagasaki Prefecture, Japan (2019) This plants has prickly seeds that stuck to my pants as

"Live to travel, travel to live "  - KTX Onboard Magazine, November 2019 Issue KTX Onboard Magazine in the seat pocket, Seoul to Busan Service, South Korea (Nov 2019)

Sustainable Travel....... Climate change is the catchphrase of our time. To ensure that I play my own small part towards more sustainable and environmentally-friendly trips, these are the little rules that I follow while travelling: Do away with disposables - I pack my own small set of re-useable cutlery in my check-in luggage and use them during my travels. This allows me to totally eliminate the need to use any disposable cutlery for my meals during my trips. As much as I can, I will also avoid dining at eateries where food are served using disposable bowls, plates and cups. Cut-down on single use plastic bags - Bringing along my backpack when out sightseeing, small purchases on-the-go can be placed right into my backpack, drastically cutting down on the need for single use plastic bags. Re-useable Water Bottles - Boiling water at the hotel room and filling up my water bottle with the boiled water after it has cooled down to room temperature. This way, I avoid the

As I sat in the hotel lobby waiting for the transport to the airport, I looked up and saw this beautiful painting on the ceiling. I am not sure what is the technical term for such paintings, if there is indeed such a term. But I personally called it ceiling art. As I studied the painting in more detail, I reckoned it must be telling a story, albeit one steeped in Balinese history and culture. To "preserve and commit" this art piece to my memory as well as to keep a digital memento of my trip, I took out my mobile phone and snapped this one photograph before I had to rush off to the waiting taxi for my ride to the airport. Ceiling art at a hotel lobby, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2018) This is how the art piece looked from the front of the hotel lobby, Nusa Dua, Bali, Indonesia (2018)