Insider鈥檚 Travel Guide
Summer 2019 | By Eric Michael聽鈥�96
Knights come from more than 150 countries, so who better to tap聽for trusted travel advice? Whether you鈥檙e hitting the road to these聽exotic destinations 鈥� or just fantasizing about it 鈥� here鈥檚 some聽great local knowledge from international students about the best聽scenic sites, cultural experiences, thrilling adventures and fantastic聽flavors from their homelands that you won鈥檛 want to miss.
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Must Visit
Manuel Antonio聽National Park
鈥淎t this protected rainforest聽on the Pacific coast, visitors聽can appreciate both jungle聽and beach landscapes, as well聽as incredible biodiversity.聽It鈥檚 common to see howler聽monkeys, giant sloths, lizards聽and different kinds of birds.鈥�
Must Taste
Desayuno t铆pico
鈥淲hen I think about Costa Rican聽food, the first thing that comes聽to mind is breakfast. Our typical聽breakfast comes with fried cheese,聽fried plantains, toasted bread,聽eggs and gallo pinto, which is our聽national dish of rice and beans. Simply聽amazing.鈥�
Must Experience
A canopy tour
鈥淗igh in the rainforest, you fly along a zip line through the聽trees and across valleys with incredible views. More than聽just appreciating nature, you get an amazing rush of聽adrenaline too.鈥�
Must Visit
Fernando de Noronha
鈥淭his archipelago about 200 miles聽off the coast has an ecological sanctuary聽for animals, and one of the most incredible聽things to do there is scuba diving. It is聽special because it makes you feel聽like you鈥檙e literally somewhere聽outside of Earth.鈥�
Must Taste
P茫o de queijo
鈥淚t translates to 鈥榗heese bread鈥櫬燼nd is one of Brazil鈥檚 food staples.聽It鈥檚 made out of yucca flour, so it鈥檚聽gluten-free. It鈥檚 super gooey on the聽inside, but crunchy on the outside聽鈥� and absolutely the first thing I eat聽when I go home.鈥�
Must Experience
Carnival
鈥淲e celebrate [Carnival] every February聽or March throughout the whole country,聽and everything about it is amazing: the聽colors, the costumes, the music. I think聽it truly represents the essence of the聽Brazilian people and their happiness.鈥�
Must Visit
Camino de Santiago
鈥淢any locals and visitors like to walk this network of聽pilgrimage routes leading to the shrine of the apostle St.聽James in the Cathedral of Santiago de Compostela. Some聽routes cross many heritage sites, plus it is an awesome聽experience, and you get a certificate when you arrive.鈥�
Must Taste
Paella Valenciana
鈥淧aella Valenciana is normally made of rice, chicken,聽rabbit, green beans, tomato, olive oil and saffron. The rice聽must be a specific size and be carefully cooked so it absorbs聽all the flavors from the other ingredients.鈥�
Must Experience
La Tomatina
鈥淟ocated in the small village of Bu帽ol聽outside Valencia, this annual聽festival is a huge tomato fight聽that鈥檚 extremely fun. But don鈥檛聽worry about wasting food:聽They only use tomatoes that聽cannot be sold in the market.鈥�
Must Visit
Great Wall of China
鈥淵ou will feel the incredible聽engineering power of the ancient聽Chinese people trying to defend聽themselves from invasion.鈥�
Must Taste
Nanxiang xiaolongbao
鈥淎 special treat you鈥檒l find only in聽Shanghai, these delicious steamed聽buns have a thin wrapper and a juicy聽filling, usually pork.鈥�
Must Experience
The Palace Museum, Beijing
鈥淎 former Chinese imperial palace聽from 1420 to 1912, this is a must聽for visitors interested in history聽and culture. Outside, the palace exemplifies traditional Chinese聽architecture. Inside, there are rare聽and valuable works of art, including聽calligraphy, paintings, antiques and聽bronze-ware.鈥�
Must Visit
Udaipur
鈥淎 city in the western state of聽Rajasthan, Udaipur is a place聽steeped in royal culture and聽boasts an extravagance of聽fascinating palaces and temples. It reels聽you into the old quaint world of Indian聽heritage and history.鈥�
Must Taste
Laal maas
鈥淎n absolute favorite of both聽locals and tourists, it鈥檚 a perfect聽combination of both the Mughlai and聽tandoori cuisine traditions. It鈥檚 a really聽hot mutton curry cooked overnight in聽yogurt and a blend of hand-ground spices.聽It鈥檚 so soft it melts in your mouth.鈥�
Must Experience
Shilpgram
鈥淎 visit to this living-history village聽outside Udaipur is an everlasting聽experience. I watched a 90-year-old聽man dressed in flamboyant local attire聽dancing and singing while balancing four聽earthenware pots on his head.鈥�
Must Visit
Bali
鈥淏ali is a really unique place to聽relax, de-stress and grow. I love how聽it鈥檚 different every time I visit. There聽are a lot of things to do, from hiking聽and surfing to great nightlife.鈥�
Must Taste
Sumatran coffee
鈥楯ava鈥� became synonymous with聽coffee because of this creamy, rich,聽chocolaty drink from the island of聽Java. We use a process called 驳颈濒颈苍驳听产补蝉补丑 or wet hulling, which gives it a聽higher moisture than a regular coffee.鈥�
Must Experience
Becak ride
鈥淩ide in a tricycle taxi. It鈥檚 similar to an聽Uber, but instead of the driver in front聽of you, he will be in the back pedaling 鈥斅燼nd you get to enjoy the view.鈥�