For me, it started with street tacos in Mexico.
That was the gateway.
I still try new taco stands every chance I get, and I have favorites in cities all over the map. Some are famous, while others are little roadside places I found because I saw a crowd gathered around a grill.
The same rule applies everywhere I travel: follow the smoke, watch where the locals are eating and be willing to try something new.
That approach led me from Mexican tacos to Asian noodles, skewers, soups and plenty of dishes I could not identify until they were sitting in front of me.
Sometimes I still could not identify them after eating them.
But that is part of the adventure.
I loved Vietnam so much that I returned at the end of 2025 to explore Northern Vietnam in more depth.
When a place pulls me back that quickly, I listen.
I definitely found my favorites, but I continued making a point of trying at least one new place every day. That is easy when many street-food meals cost only a few dollars—or less.
The financial risk is low, and the reward is usually high.
Vietnam also reminded me that the local experience does not always involve beer. Sometimes it involves strong coffee, iced tea and accidentally finding a temporary office for less than a dollar.
On my first morning in Hanoi, I wandered into a small neighborhood coffee shop. By day five, I had returned every single day.
The owner already knew exactly what I liked: iced coffee and tea. She kept refilling them as needed for the same total price—about eighty-seven cents.
One day, I sat there for three hours listening to a hockey game and surfing the internet.
My total bill was under a dollar.
That is not just cheap.
That is a lifestyle.
One of my favorite discoveries was an enormous outdoor food court with hundreds of choices.
Rows of stalls were cooking just about everything imaginable in one place. I could walk around for ten minutes and change my mind twenty times about lunch.
This is where indecision becomes part of the experience—and pointing at whatever looks good is often the best strategy.
The place did not mess around, and that came through immediately in the videos and photos. The scale, energy, smells and nonstop cooking created organized chaos in the best possible way.
If there was ever a place where “just one more bite” could turn into a full-blown food crawl, this was it.
Street food is not just a cheap way to eat while travelling. It is one of the easiest ways to connect with a destination.
I learn by watching how the food is prepared, seeing what people order and sitting among locals going about their normal day. I may not speak the language, but food gives us something in common.
The local beer helps too.
Not every meal becomes a favorite. Sometimes I order something I would never order again. Sometimes the beer is warm, the chair is plastic and I have no idea what I just ate.
But even those meals usually become stories.
That is why I keep trying new places.
I am not looking for the fanciest restaurant or the perfect tourist experience. I want the taco stand, neighborhood coffee shop, outdoor market and cold local beer that make a place feel real.
Because long after I forget the souvenir shop, I usually remember what I ate, where I was sitting and who was there.
Keep travelling.
Keep trying something new.
And most importantly…
Live life to the fullest!
Phoenix → Los Angeles
Saigon → Nha Trang
Saigon → Phú Quốc
Saigon → Phnom Penh
