Cultural differences – it’s why I travel. To get my fix of the different, the shock of the new. Ideally I’d be dropped into a country without any foreknowledge of the place – just leave me to figure it out once I’m there. No reading ahead of the journey, no warnings or recommendations. Just the chance to soak up and experience a new way of life, to find out what makes a different people tick. Okay, so that’s impossible. But I love to explore, enriching my holidays and myself by gaining an appreciation of other people, confounding prejudices and challenging preconceptions . It doesn’t have to be outrageously adventurous – one of my favourite things is to get to a city or a town in a foreign country, sit in the main square and just watch the world go by. Pretty soon you start noticing the differences – the leisurely pace of the evening stroll in Argentina, the brewing night-time hubbub in Morocco – and it’s pretty much guaranteed that you’ll start chatting with some locals as well. Food’s important. Exploring the palate of a country is one of the easiest and most satisfying cultural handles to grasp. I may live in a large, sophisticated cosmopolitan city, but don’t tell me that eating at the finest Chinese restaurant in town compares with a meal at a local eatery or street stall in Sichuan Province, or that a five-star meal at one of the city’s many Middle Eastern joints can hold a candle to joining a family for dinner in Syria and enjoying their veritable homemade banquet. Food reveals the character of a place and its people, and nothing is so good at helping you bond with locals. Ancient culture is important to me as well. Angkor Wat may be an obvious place to go to in Southeast Asia – but it’s also as spectacular as buildings get, and fascinating for the portrait it provides of the Khmer Empire. Likewise the Mayan ruins of Central America – go to Tikal and Chetumal for the spectacular buildings and to learn about the ancient civilisations, but also to help build your understanding of the societies today. Whether it’s experiencing downtown bustle totally unlike that of home (the everywhere-is-a-market vibe of La Paz springs to mind) or taking in the quiet, timeless culture of rural heartlands (visit parts of Kerala and you’ll know what I mean), getting a feel for why people are as they are, how they express themselves and what they believe in – it’s why I love going to these places, and why I want to keep travelling!
