Wayfarer: Stories from a traveler looking to experience real life in other countries

Our travel philosophy is to try to experience a place the way a native would with the understanding that we are not locals. Everywhere we have gone, the residents have been part of our joy as we embrace the customs, food and idiosyncrasies of a particular place and see their excitement in our shared experiences - some good and some, shall we say, we hope not to repeat. Most often these wonderful encounters involve food and drink. I've said numerous times that nothing is more tied to a culture than its food and drink, so to see a country through our stomachs is really experiencing a country properly. Whether it's rotted shark in Iceland, fermented mare's milk in Mongolia or ambuyat in Brunei, the sheer delight in the faces of the locals while we push our way through some, ur, interesting fare is undeniably part of the fun.

Of course it's not just the food and drink, and we've shared in life-changing adventures that define who we are and how we want to live. It's these escapades that help us choose the next destination and drive us to do whatever is necessary to actually make it happen. How many people do you know who said "I want to go to New Zealand" after they saw Lord of the Rings and actually go?! How many Star Wars fans actually go to Tunisia to see Tatooine? As much as we can, we try to put words to action.

The Top 10 lists were inspired by my desire for brevity when it comes to writing. Sure, I can be longwinded while storytelling, but when I write, I try to just jot down a pithy phrase which I think is due to my short attention span when I'm reading myself. It's like I don't want to subject the audience to more words than necessary the same way I don't want to spend more time reading if I can avoid it. Whether I've accomplished that goal or not is another matter, but the attempt is to capture a moment, an experience or a subtle insight that this outsider gleans while trying to appreciate what a local does on a daily basis.

It is important to note that these are my experiences, memories and perceptions. I try not to embellish too much and I also rely on the input from our guides (official or otherwise), fellow travelers and friendly residents without worrying too much about fact checking their stories or confirming their assertions. In the end, these are my reflections and if there are inaccuracies it's not because of any devious intent or fraudulent scheme.