Ngrick's Traveler Profile

Let you in on some of my travel mindsets:

Traditional Cultures & Lifestyles 
I refuse to be restricted by traditions, cultures or religions of any form, be it from my own race or the society that I live in. I want to keep an open-mind and selectively adopt values that I truly believe in. However, I like to travel to places that are rich in traditional cultures. Being open-minded allows me to readily accept most beliefs and ways of life of the locals without having prejudices against what they believe in or do. I am very much interested in the lifestyles of the locals than artefacts displayed in museums. 

"Like it or not, it's your own belief that is stopping you from doing what you want."

Local Tastes
Don't ask me to go Vietnam eat Japanese food or go China eat western food. It defeats my purpose of travelling. I like Thai food in Thailand, Vietnamese or French food in Vietnam and Chinese food in China. In Taiwan, it's the theme restaurants (additional fun factor) and night markets that attracted me the most. Food is also part of my travel. The most memorable adventure that I ever had was to venture into a small Vietnamese village, entered a run-down eating place, without a common language, pointed at an empty plate, which the next table had finished, and ate what was served.

"Home-made food is a way to capture someone's heart. The locals know that too."

New Challenges
I conquered Mount Kinabalu, with an altitude of 4,095m, but I will not want to climb another mountain that is taller. Many people will call it a challenge to conquer new heights. But to me, the first 4,095m will not be something new, anything above 4,095m is just endurance and perseverance. Same goes for bungee jumping, if I ever do a 70m jump, I will not do 50m or 100m. I would like to introduce this concept called "new challenges". It's my way of challenging myself to do things that I have not done before.

"Life's short, there's not much time to keep doing the same thing over and over again."

Bizarre Food
I don't really like to eat bizarre food, such as the duck embryo (balut or trung vit lon) or insects, but I like to challenge myself to eat what most people don't. Many people are inhibited by this thing called "forms" (or shapes), which they can never break out of. The duck embryo may look disgusting but once in the mouth, it tastes just like duck meat and egg. I had tried many bizarre food during my travels and always on a lookout for them. I would very much want to try the black spider in Cambodia and live sago worm in Sarawak.
  
"Challenges don't exist without fear."