If you’ve been following this blog for a while, you’ll know that there are certain foods and flavors I’m obsessed with. I can’t seem to travel anywhere without talking about coffee, nachos, bread, cheese, and peanut sauce. Oh peanut sauce! My first introduction came as a tender traveler at the age of just 20 when I went to Amsterdam for the first time. At first I couldn’t fathom the idea of peanut butter - that classic of the jelly sandwich - as part of a savoury dish but it didn’t take more than a few bites for me to hooked. Amsterdam has a great Indonesian food scene but for the absolute real deal you have to take a journey into the heart of the Indonesian capital, Jakarta. In my opinion, the best foods in Jakarta come with peanut sauce - and plenty of it. Here you’ll find everything from bustling street vendors, bicycle vendors, and food carts to world renowned restaurants led by celebrity chefs. No matter what your budget or style, there’s a spicy, succulent peanut dish for you.

Do you remember the time we stayed in the cheapest hotel room in London? Our short term pain was definitely worth the long term gain - we saved enough to enjoy some amazing theater tickets! And, of course, our misadventures provided tremendous amusement for all our wonderful readers! That marriage-testing situation was a memorable travel experience - and it perfectly summed up our value travel philosophy. We are all about knowing where to save, when to splurge, and how to get a steal of a deal. And that translates into a TON of fun when it comes to planning out the best Kauai activities for families - whether you're a couple, a family with kids, a family with seniors, or multi-generational. 

London may have been our most amusing save, splurge, steal scenario but it's a system we put into action in just about every destination we visit. It's such a part of who we are and how we travel that we wanted to start an entirely new series on the blog dedicated to how we save, splurge, and "steal" all around the world. And there's no better place to kick things off than Hawaii.

While Hawaii has plenty of tempting splurges (check out our list of favourite indulgences on the Big Island!) it is also one of the most affordable, value oriented destinations we've ever been to. We love sharing our passion for the more affordable side of Hawaiian life and the island of Kauai in particular is the embodiment of the best of the save, splurge, steal ideals. Here's what earned our money and our affections on the garden isle, staying with kayaking in Kauai.

What's our vote for the best Indian food in Ottawa? It's the East India Company - and it's thanks in part to a few secrets we learned behind the scenes! Most chefs are notoriously tight lipped when it comes to sharing their culinary secrets but Chef Nitin Mehra couldn't spill the beans even if he wanted to. The exact recipe for his restaurant's famous garam masala is a secret guarded so tightly that there's only one person on earth who knows the exact formula - his mother. Technically, it's not even her recipe. She inherited it from Chef Mehra's great grandmother on the day she passed away.

If you get goosebumps just thinking of how close that recipe came to being forever lost, you're not alone. Talking with Chef Mehra gave me amazing insight into the careful crafts of the culinary world, the passion and discipline that are poured into every sauce, and the role that family, tradition, community, and care play into making good food taste great.