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

Tiberias and Galille, Israel Growing up in a Catholic family, I had been schooled and taught the bible since young. Thus, while the lands of Tiberias and Galilee were foreign to me, the names definitely were familiar ones. Having an inquisitive mind and a streak of wanderlust in me since my childhood days, I had told myself I shall visit these regions when I am a grown up. This bucket list travel item was fulfilled in 2002 when I visited the region for the first time as part of a packaged tour group.    Statue of St Peter in Capernaum, Nahums Village, Galilee, Israel (2002)   The Tiberias of today is a city on the western shores of the Sea of Galilee with a population of about 45,000. The region and the Sea of Galilee were mentioned many times in the Bible. The Sea of Galilee was where Jesus walked on the water and the surrounding regions were where Jesus spent much time with his disciples.    Sea of Galilee with the view of the Golan Heights in the background, Tiberias, Galilee, Israe

Travelling on foot allows us to see and experience a lot more than if we were to just zoom pass a place on a vehicle. And nothing beats going on a hike around a locale during a visit. A hike opens up a whole new world of discoveries. The delights and joys of experiencing new sights, meeting people and simply discovering the surprises that a local trail may offer are the immeasurable. And these were what I experienced when I went hiking in and around Interlaken during a previous visit which took place around late spring/early summer. Apart from the many local flora and fauna that I encountered during my short one-day hike near the Lutschine River, I also came across many beautiful little gardens tended to lovingly by their owners. I especially loved the way they decorated their gardens and window sills with clay figurines of gnomes and other small creatures. The figurines added a touch of mythical air as well as a romantic fairy tale atmosphere to the gardens.   Gnomes figurines in a ga

Its almost Christmas of 2020....... and time for my travel reminiscence of the year....... 20 December 2020, 5 days to Christmas. Time to slow down, take things easy and enjoy the festive period between Christmas and New Year. And the year-end period is also typically the time when I reminiscence for the year that is ending, including my travels for the past twelve months. This year's reminiscence of travel is definitely different from years past. With Covid being the wrecking ball that it has been on almost everything in 2020, travel had been an impossibility or near-impossibility. For the whole of this year, my one and only trip out of my country of residence was in late January 2020 when I travelled to Malaysia's Kuala Lumpur and areas around it in Selangor State. The trip was memorable in the time spent with family members located across the border, not knowing at that time that it will be quite a while before I will get to see them face-to-face again. Yes, we still keep in

Murals, when artistically and correctly placed, could add much character and colour to a location.  I have always appreciate well-designed and tastefully-coloured murals in all the cities I have visited. And this mural of a brightly-coloured and fiery tiger on a wall along the River Clyde was amazing. It brightened up an otherwise dull neighbourhood and somewhat added character and finesse to the locale. Tiger mural, River Clyde, Glasgow, Scotland, UK (2011)

  "Let your dreams wander and bring you to places and adventures unknown." -  Timothy Tan, author of this blog - tankstraveltales   Pre Rup, Siem Reap, Cambodia (2015)    

Theme parks are not just for kids, especially those with rides as exciting and exhilarating as those at Six Flags Over Texas . Featuring both the tallest and fastest Roller Coaster in Texas, this is one that is certainly not for the faint-hearted. Game to supersize the excitement factor? Head over to Six Flags Over Texas for some adrenaline rush! :-)   The Joker, Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, United States (2019)     Another of the many exciting rides at Six Flags Over Texas, Arlington, Texas, United States (2019)  

London, England, United Kingdom I have always been fascinated with dinosaurs since I was a kid. Growing up, I would read lots of books and magazines about dinosaurs. I still do. :-) At public libraries or bookstores, any books or magazines about dinosaurs or with a dinosaur picture on its cover will made me stoped right in my tracks for a second look. Thus, when I fist visited London's Natural History Museum in 2011, I was thrilled. I spent an entire day at the museum, mostly at the dinosaur-section. From then on, every visit to London would not be complete for me without a trip to the Natural History Museum. Dinosaur exhibit, Natural History Museum, London, England, UK (2017) On each visit, I would spend the most time at the dinosaur exhibits. Over the years however, I have learned to appreciate and thus spent more time on the other exhibits such as the Earth Treasury (featuring minerals, gemstones and rocks), Volcanoes & Earthquakes (learning about the changing face of the pl