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

Langkawi is administratively part of the Malaysian state of Kedah. Unknown to many visitors, Langkawi is actually an archipelago of 104 islands and is located north-west of Peninsular Malaysia (a.k.a West Malaysia) in the Andaman Sea, in a location that is approximately south-west of southern Thailand.  Because of its proximity to Thailand, the local cuisine in Langkawi has strong influence from Thai cuisine and Thai ways of cooking. Tom Yam Soup, a popular Thai dish, is widely available in Langkawi. I last visited Langkawi many years ago in 2002. During that short trip, I decided to include a visit to the mangrove areas of the main island (a.k.a. Pulau Langkawi or Langkawi Island) as part of my trip itinerary.  The photos below documented my trip to the mangrove areas. Upstream of the Mangrove Forest, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002) A Brahminy Kite a.k.a. Red-backed Sea Eagle ( Haliastur indus ) fishing for food, Pulau Langkawi, Kedah, Malaysia (2002)

The city of Takayama is also known as Hida-Takayama and is located in the mountainous Hida region of Gifu Prefecture in Japan. A popular dish in Takayama is Wasakana or river fish. There are many species of river fishes in Takayama but the ones that are regularly served as part of the local cuisines are Ayu ( Plecoglossus altivelis , ) a.k.a sweetfish and Iwana ( Salvelinus leucomaenis ), a species of river trout.  Wasakana (River Fish). This fish was pickled and then grilled. I am not sure of the species of this fish which was caught in the river behind the Ryokan where I resided during my stay in the mountains. Takayama, Gifu, Japan (2014) The fishes are usually marinated with sea salt and grilled. This method of cooking the river fishes is most popularly shown in pictures or on travel documentaries. During my visit to Takayama in October 2014, I finally got to savor the delicious tastes of the Wasakana prepared in authentic local styles by the locals. Besides the u