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

Many beautiful tropical islands can be found in Malaysia. One particular island that I usually visit is located in the state of Terengganu in West Malaysia. Pulau Lang Tengah (or Lang Tengah island; Pulau is the Malay word for island) is located geographically about 40km north-east of Kuala Terengganu (the state capital of Terengganu). It is a much lesser known island compared to the nearby and more popular resort island of Pulau Redang. Pulau Lang Tengah is the perfect place for those looking for a quiet and small island paradise without the usual tourist traps. There are only a four small resorts here catering mostly to locals from the Malaysian mainland and these resorts are nowhere near the standards of 4 or 5-stars establishments. Instead, these are small family-run resorts with basic amenities and the local kampung (a.k.a. village) feel. A stay at any of the resorts will include accommodation and meals simply because there are no other shops or restaurants on the island. I...

Note from the Author: This article was originally written in February 2000 based on my first ever visit to Ho Chi Minh City. Since then, rapid developments have taken place in Vietnam as the economy develops. Thus, I am sure what I experienced and saw during my trip may not be what will be experienced and seen by today's traveller to the same place. The photographs that accompanied this article were taken by myself using 35mm films and scanned into digital format simply because digital photography in the year 2000 was not only not popular but also really expensive! - Timothy, Nov 2014 *************** From its origins somewhere in the highlands of Tibet, the river flows to eventually empties itself into the South China Sea. This mighty river, the Mekong, cuts through parts of China, Myanmar, Thailand, Cambodia and Vietnam to reach its destination. As it enters Vietnam from Cambodia, the Mekong splits into two main channels, Tien Giang and Hau Giang. As it continues on the final...