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You won’t be able to find authentic Filipino food in the Philippines—until you step into a local’s home.

AFAR chose a destination at random and sent chef John Currence on 24 hours’ notice to a hot, sweet, sticky country where he followed a trail through the cuisine to the people who make it.

From Tel Aviv to Beirut to Gaza, one thing is shared: a common—and undying—love for hummus.

Nonprofit founder, Joe Rosli Sidek, showcases the diverse culture that is George Town, Malaysia through his favorite places to visit.

Simple things gain thoughtful complexity at this bar and tapas hideaway. Charleston’s selective F&B crowd immediately embraced Babas for its unique ideas, like a pomegranate cocktail that features fruit juiced on the spot and mixed with your spirit of choice. The drink-forward menu converts from a hipster coffee shop focus during the day (quiche, BLTs, and drip coffees with peanut pecan milk made in-house) to an evening cocktail and wine bar, accompanied by small bites like pickled shrimp with fennel and lemon, deviled eggs, and a brioche grilled cheese with dijon. It’s worth adding truffles to the grilled cheese, or order them served doused in burgundy and butter on a baguette—one of the owners imports truffles as a side business (and another, the wine whiz Marie Stitt, is the daughter of Southern fine-dining guru, Frank Stitt). Wash it all down with a brilliant pre-bottled 5 oz. martini or gin-and-tonic. Modeled after a European neighborhood café, this is a casual hangout with ample bar seating that stays busy with an in-the-know local crowd.

Coffeeshops may not be the first type of venue that comes to mind for gifts and souvenir shopping. Pity, since you can find so many culturally significant treasures at establishments like Baba, in the middle of the action on Warmoesstraat. While the weed may be priced for tourists (who can still buy it legally in Amsterdam), the Asian-inspired coffeeshop also sells t-shirts, mugs, grinders and other paraphernalia you’ll be proud to take home to your druggie friends. Pretty bar maids in tank tops, yummy hot chocolate, big screens broadcasting MTV or football games, and a zen vibe add to the appeal. The coffeeshop takes no responsibility for customers who purchase items that violate laws in their own countries, but if you take your goods home clean, you should be OK in most places. The Baba Souvenir Shop further down Warmoesstraat has a much wider selection of bongs, pipes, lighters, grinders, mugs, ash trays, rolling papers and pretty much anything else related to smoking marijuana or hash. If you want to bring home something truly representative of one aspect of the Dutch capital that’s brought it significant acclaim, this is the place.

Babaloo is a cuban food truck in San Francisco that’s menu items read like an “I Love Lucy” rerun. And the food lives up to the punch line. They offer great cuban sandwiches with a variety of meats which are fantastic, but I love the Babaloo combo with pork and sweet plantains served with a veggie salad. I am sure that Ricky would approve of washing that down with a cold beer too! Babaloo spends most of their time in the Monterey area so when you catch them in the city, eat there!

Four generations of the Chan family lived in the grand house that is now the home of the Baba & Nyonya Heritage Museum, and the family continues to operate the museum there now. A walk across its handsomely tiled floors and through its rooms filled with Chinese antiques is a trip back to late-19th-century British Malaya and a fascinating look at how wealthy Peranakans lived. The chengal wood stairwell with its gold leaf carvings is particularly impressive. Next door is the Straits Chinese Jewellery Museum, housed in a teal shophouse (a type of building common in this part of Southeast Asia, with a shop on the ground floor and a residence above). On display are exquisite pieces of vintage furniture and a glittering array of gold jewelry.

While the rum-soaked baba au rhum cake originated at Stohrer pâtisserie and is a classic, it’s the éclair au chocolat and the seasonal flavors (this winter’s include both salted caramel and chestnut cream) that deserve special attention. So do the majestic frescoes by artist Paul Baudry (famed for his décor in the Palais Garnier opera house) that adorn the shop’s walls and ceiling.

It also happens to be one of the oldest patisseries in Paris, and is absolutely worth dropping by on your next trip to the city for one of their delicious sweets.

Ali Baba has been serving visitors to Aqaba for so long it wouldn’t be surprising to hear that Lawrence of Arabia once hitched his camel outside to take his lunch. It’s definitely an institution, and one that spills out from its air-conditioned salons to the sidewalks of old Aqaba. There are two ways to go with the menu here. Choose the traditional Jordanian option and enjoy an endless stream of delicious mezes, or take advantage of the fact that you’re on the water and order the catch of the day, most likely unloaded from the port just a few hours earlier. Aqaba’s relaxed atmosphere means that, unlike most other places in Jordan, you can indulge in an alcoholic drink while dining at Ali Baba in full public view.

Baladi Cafe offers a large number of vegan and vegetarian dishes, with a menu featuring Mediterranean favorites like moussaka, kebabs, fattoush, baba ganooj, and falafel, betraying Chef Khaled Jebrail’s family roots. The atmosphere is down-to-earth and friendly.

Ali Baba and his 40 thieves would have thought they’d gone straight to paradise if they’d stepped into this mall dedicated to that most precious of metals—gold. As a local bride’s dowry is still paid out in gold jewelry, this souq plays an integral role in the continuation of marital rites in Bahraini culture. As a bonus, in the gold souq, where the gram is king, the craftsmanship is belash (free).

Meet Bengali Ma. She’s an aghori, part of a rare sect of Hinduism that has a reputation for very bizarre practices. In their belief system, everything is the same, which means they might eat meat but aren’t bothered if the meat came from an animal or....a human. They might have sex but it doesn’t matter if the person is alive or dead. They (fortunately) practice away from society and speaking to outsiders is very rare. When I was in Varanasi recently, a professor friend who studies the aghori took me out of the city for a very rare meeting with Bengali Ma, one of the few female aghori. The first question I wanted to ask was about the unusual way aghori are said to practice. Was it true? Bengali Ma was vague. She said she doesn’t do these things. But, she told me, when you’re in training, which consists of hanging around cremation grounds for about 10 years and doing ample amounts of mediation, you have to do a lot of strange stuff. “To get to the light,” she said, “you have to go through the darkness first.”

Abdulla has a great selection of Hamam supplies. I stock up on soaps here. Abdulla Alibaba Türbe Sokak 25, Nuruosmaniye Tel. +90 212 526 3684 Tired of shopping? There is a terrific cafe next door to take break.

There is nothing fancy or flashy about this popular garment shop in Connaught Place - and that is just how the locals like it. Its unassuming exterior leads to a space filled with woven and fashion textiles. The outlet, established in 1956, recently expanded its product line to include leather, bamboo, and cane. Many garments are designed by professionals at the National Institute of Design and National Institute of Fashion Technology.