Brooke Thio

From schools to workplaces, tea time is not complete without mandazi and you’ll find it in upscale restaurants, street food carts, or in homes. In fact, a wedding can be metaphorically referred to as “pilau”: when you get engaged, Kenyans will tell you they’re waiting for pilau, which simply means they’re waiting for the wedding. Kenyans love their tea: It is often said that they take tea as they wait for more tea to get ready. Beyond these icons of Kenyan cuisine, don’t hesitate to try dishes like fried tilapia, kuku paka (chicken in coconut gravy), irio (mashed potatoes with corn and peas), and more.

Staying with locals is my favorite tip for travelers who want to immerse in local culture, but it’s also important for ensuring socially sustainable travel. If staying with locals isn’t an option, a unique boutique hotel can be the perfect introduction to a destination’s culture. Community-based tourism led by locals is the best way to understand a destination’s culture. and if you’ve shared photos of people you met during your travels, like my photos of Kazakh eagle hunters in Mongolia, make sure you don’t sell or allow the reuse of your shot without your subjects’ permission (in commercial photography, this necessitates a model release).

But even if you’re not a coffee drinker, Australia’s second-largest city has so much more to offer: a thriving café culture, an innovative dining scene, and diverse arts and cultural offerings that have also earned the city a reputation as the country’s arts capital. We recommend you rent a car if you’re planning to explore Melbourne’s outskirts, but within the city, Melbourne has one of the country’s best public transport systems and you can save a few days on car rental. For that you’ll need to get a myki card, the stored value transport card that can be used on all modes of public transport. Getting around Melbourne: taking the bus Buses are usually the least crowded public transport, so if you have time to spare and just want to take your time to explore slowly, the bus is the way to go.

Lake Toba’s Batak Museum may not house the fullest collection of its people But Mr. Ondi, our museum guide, explained that the Batak – which comprise six subgroups around North Sumatra – are also fierce guardians of their heritage. After touring the interior of the museum, Ondi led us to Huta Batak: a replica huta (village) with six Toba Batak houses. that’s how these houses could be donated to the museum!