The skinny: Travel favorites are places, things, events, cultural customs — anything that you care about and want to share with National Geographic and fellow travelers around the globe. They aren’t meant to be reviews or critiques (there are plenty of those out there already). This is a place to share your actual favorites — your favorite restaurant, trail, bench, shop, hotel or street food cart. You get the picture.

So poke around the interactive map and find out what you shouldn’t miss on your next trip. Use the “staff favorites” filter to check out insider tips from National Geographic staffers — and don’t forget to scroll down and add your own.

Cuenca is My City

The first place I take a visitor from out of town is Parque Calderon. It is beautiful — and a great way to see the city. There are awesome cafes and bakeries on every street.

When I crave amazing pizza I always go to Tutto Freddo. It isn’t a pizza shop — in fact, they’re famous for their ice cream, but they also make the best (and cheapest) personal-sized pizzas around. It’s less than $5 for an 8″ made-to-order pizza and bottle of coke.

To escape the beautiful colonial architecture I head to Mall del Rio, Cuenca’s largest commercial area — a palace of steel, glass and concrete complete with a multiplex theater, bowling alley, and huge food court (they even have a Burger King).

For complete quiet, I can hide away in Paradise Park. Well not complete quiet, but just about as good as it gets in a city. It is super relaxing — with little kids and families playing and a small river running through it.

Carriage ride at Paradise Park in Cuenca. (Photo: Bryan and Dena Haines)

If you come to my city, get your picture taken with the flower vendors at the flower market off of Parque Calderon. The setting is beautiful and they are quite willing to pose for a photo (especially if you purchase some flowers). One lady even agreed to be filmed when we were shooting the House Hunters International episode.

If you have to order one thing off the menu from Creta it has to be the filet mignon. Good beef is hard to find here — and it’s the best I’ve had yet.

La Victoria is my one-stop shop for great electronics (Cuenca’s version of Best Buy — much smaller but still the best selection around).

Locals know to skip gringo pricing and check out the real prices instead. It has long been said that there are two economies here. The “gringo price” is often offered in response to skin color and frequently depends on your (in)ability to communicate in Spanish. After a while you will learn that taxis never cost $10 and seldom $5. And that 5 apples don’t cost $3 like back home (maybe $1).

When I’m feeling cash-strapped I go on the bus ($0.25), buy some Yuca Bread ($0.15 ea), sit on a bench in Parque Calderon and people watch. My whole family can do this for less than $4.00.

Photo ops in my city include the old town architecture, flower market and Parque Calderon (yes, again). The best vantage points are from the restaurant above Fruitalados and from Turi, a look-off south of the city.

If my city were a celebrity it’d be Johnny Depp — sophisticated yet quirky and a little eccentric.

The most random thing about my city is the weather. No one knows if or when it will rain or be extremely hot. You can start the day in an insulated jacket and scarf, be down to a t-shirt by noon and have a rain storm in the afternoon.

My city has the most soccer-obsessed men. Of course, the word obsessed is a little strong, but how else can you describe men who work 12 hours a day and find the time and energy to play soccer for an hour at lunch? And on Sunday. And after work. Yeah, soccer is pretty important here.

My city has the most friendly women. Friendly in a social way. They make conversation at grocery stores, restaurants and on the street. We seldom go into the downtown without chatting with a local Cuencana.

In my city, an active day outdoors involves running errands in the city (everyone walks everywhere). On a day off, almost everyone heads to a park. The city is surrounded by mountains, so there are some great hiking places around.

My city’s best museum is Museo Banco Central (Central Bank Museum). It has everything from a complete history of the country and its indigenous people, to restored Inca ruins and an amazing aviary. Count on spending 3 hours or more exploring and learning.

Inca Ruins at the Central Bank Museum, Cuenca. (Photo: Bryan and Dena Haines)

My favorite jogging/walking route is Avenida 12 de Abril. It has wide sidewalks that run along side the Tomebamba River. When it hits Solano Avenue, there’s a stone staircase that leads into the old town.

The mall food court is the spot for late-night eats. Because everything else shuts down by 7:00 p.m. The mall is open late — until 9:00 p.m.

To find out what’s going on at night and on the weekends read the local paper or check the the tourist bureau — they have a full listing of everything going on. There are lots of free events and concerts.

You can tell a lot about my city from a drive from the airport to the center. You’ll pass modern apartment buildings, luxury car dealers, adobe houses and colonial architecture.

You can tell if someone is from my city if they sing while they speak. Cuencanos are known throughout the country for “singing” as they speak. It is thought to be one of the most beautiful forms of Spanish.

In the spring, summer, fall and winter you should try to remember what season it is, because nothing changes here. Sometimes it rains a little more. Sometimes the sun is out more. The exception is November, when you can see the trees on Avenida Solano bloom into an amazing purple. Our daughter loves it.

A hidden gem in my city is the hot baths in Baños (not the big one near Ambato; Cuenca has its own hot springs). You can swim in natural hot springs under the stars and then dine in a fine restaurant at Hosteria Duran. Just a 20 minute taxi ride from downtown.

For a great breakfast joint try one of the breakfast buffets at the expensive hotels. For $8 to $12 you can stuff yourself (not that I would know) on a huge variety of breads, cakes, fruit, eggs and breakfast meats — oh, and cereals, fresh juice and coffee. All with amazing service and luxurious surroundings — and for the price of fast food back home.

Just outside my city, you can visit Chordeleg. It is just a 45 minute drive and is famous for silver jewelry. There isn’t a woman in the world (or husband, right?) that wouldn’t love to spend a couple of hours looking at the handmade silver jewelry. And another plus? It’s very inexpensive.

If I didn’t live in a city, I’d live on the beach. It was a dream of mine before we moved to Ecuador, but we decided as a family that the Andes mountains fit us better. And guess what? We were right!

The best book about my city is one I have yet to find. All we have so far are travel guides, and they don’t represent Cuenca well at all. Somehow a list of restaurants and hotels isn’t very compelling for such a beautiful and diverse city. I’ve seen some Spanish ones downtown that I’ve got to check out.

When I think about my city, the song that comes to mind is “Beautiful Day” by U2.

If you have kids, you won’t want to miss the $1.50 DVD stores and all the ice cream shops. Gourmet ice cream for $2.00 or less. It’s a kids heaven.

Roasting cuy (guinea pig) and pigs on every street corner could only happen in my city. A little shocking to see at first, they are a familiar part of life here. No, I haven’t eaten the street food yet. Maybe next year…

My city should be featured on your cover or website because it is a fabulous jewel that deserves more attention than it gets. If someone is planning a first time trip to South America they should start in Cuenca and get their Latin legs. It’s like South America for beginners.

• If it’s good enough for JFK and Jackie, it’s good enough for me! This list of A-one destinations is sure to please the most discerning members of your group. [The Wall Street Journal]

• Want to capture your travel memories on film without looking like an amateur? Document your adventures like a pro with these tips. [Matador Network]

Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar. Check back in the morning for our daily roundup.

Photo: John Butler/My Shot

I have been photographing Vietnam for 21 years, and returned last fall to see what had changed. I was especially interested in new wealth as there haven’t been millionaires there until the last few years. I wondered what wealth looked like in a Communist country.

In Saigon I stayed with my friend Phuong Anh Nguyen, who escaped by boat when she was 13, returned to Vietnam at 24, and now runs the hottest bar in Saigon, the Q-Bar. She is also one of the most beautiful women I have ever seen. When I asked Phuong Anh whom I should meet, she immediately suggested Dang Le Nguyen Vu, someone she referred to as the “Coffee King.” She arranged for me to meet him, as she knows everybody.

The Coffee King’s 12th-floor office is on a street full of “hair salons,” shops that are fronts for service girls. He greeted me in his grand 12th floor office and offered me a perfect espresso, then we sat down to talk. He watched me intently while I spoke; I knew that he was judging me.

I must have impressed him, though, because he invited me to spend three days at his ranch. As the Coffee King never poses for photographs, I felt honored, but nervous, too. I wondered why he was allowing me into his life, and what he would reveal.

A week later I found myself way up in the green misty highlands of Vietnam, listening to him tell me how he was going to change first Vietnam, then the world, through coffee.

The Coffee King owns Vietnam’s most successful coffee company: Trung Nguyen Coffee, which is as ubiquitous as Starbucks. Vietnam is the second biggest exporter of beans in the world, so that makes the Coffee King pretty rich.

The ranch house was in the traditional style of the region – one story, long, and not large – but oddly decorated inside. The living room was filled with imposing busts of revolutionary figures – Napoleon, Che Guevara, Mao Tse Tung. He told me he talks to the busts and gets inspiration for how to change the world.

There was also an immense autographed photo of him with General Giap — one of the world’s greatest living generals (he’s 100 as I write this) — who is responsible for winning Vietnam’s independence from both France and the U.S. I myself have spent much time with General Giap, and my photographs of the general are considered his official portraits. Later I realized this was why the Coffee King had allowed me into his world.

But we didn’t spend time inside surrounded by busts; we sat at an old scratched wooden table in the Chinese style pavilion outside. For such a rich man, his furniture was very simple, a reflection of a culture of austerity that dates back to Ho Chi Minh.

Also known as "The Chairman," Mr. Vu's life revolves around coffee. (Photo: Catherine Karnow)

For two days and two nights, the Coffee King smoked cigar after cigar and, in an operatic sing-song voice, spoke sadly about his love for the Vietnamese people and his deep despair for their future.

He pointed to his head and asked, “Why do you think I have no hair?”

“It is from stress. I do not sleep,” he said. “The people are too passive; they just do what they are told. The Vietnamese people are our greatest resource, and yet we are failing to show the world who we are and what we are capable of! We have no identity!”

The key to change, he said, was in the Vietnamese people — if they would only “wake up.”

I wondered whether he was voicing his frustration with the government, which censors freedom of expression, but he was quiet on this point. Indeed, in Vietnam, as others had told me, it is not what you do, it is what you say, that can anger the government.

Then, with eyes narrowed, gesturing with his Cohiba, he declared that everyone should embody the “coffee spirit.” But he was vague on the particulars; I wondered if he had a plan.

On my last night, I pressed the Coffee King for more. I wanted to know exactly how he was going to change Vietnam, and then the world, with this coffee spirit. In his flowing white tunic and matching pants, he resembled a prophet. He leaned forward and told me his vision. “My coffee shops,” he said, “will be gathering places where people, especially young people, will exchange ideas, where they will express themselves in all ways, through conversation, performance, art, workshops, lectures. Exciting and influential people will come and teach, and the people of Vietnam will wake up, be enlightened, and be inspired to think creatively and bring change to their country!”

As we sat at the old table on the pavilion, a light rain pattering on the roof, his Arabian horses stamping about in a nearby barn, I saw a man whose vision was clear because his love for his people was unwavering. I was seeing not only an individual with an intention so strong he would stop at nothing, I was also seeing the Vietnamese spirit, that indomitable force that keeps them focused on the goal no matter what the cost.

Catherine Karnow is a contributing editor at National Geographic Traveler. She will be showing her photography of Vietnam at Benroya Hall in Seattle February 26-28.

Learn more about how you can take a photo workshop with Catherine.

See photos of where you — or readers like you — went, and get inspired to plan your next trip.

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Costumed guests arrive at the "Ballo Tiepolo"

As it’s Mardi Gras today, we thought it would be a fitting time to share this insider Q&A with travel photographer Dave Yoder (who often shoots stories for National Geographic Traveler magazine), who traveled to La Serinissima, Venice, during Carnival (Italians call it Carnevale) last year to photograph the festivities for Traveler‘s Jan/Feb feature story. Our photo editor Krista Rossow asked Dave to tell us more about how he was able to capture the magic, and here’s what he had to say.

Krista Rossow: What did you find the most challenging about photographing in Venice, a city that has been photographed more than a million times before, especially during Carnevale? How do you keep your coverage fresh and distinctive?

Guests at a dinner ball in the Hotel Danieli

KR: What is your favorite piece of equipment or accessory that you’ll never be caught without while on assignment?

Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar. Check back in the morning for our daily roundup.

Photo: Dan Shugar/My Shot

Want to see one of your photos featured on our website or Intelligent Travel blog? Make it happen by uploading your favorite travel pics (don’t forget to add a caption!) to ngm.com/yourshot. Tag all your submissions #travelshot – then look for your photos in one of our My Shot galleries or on our blog.

* What’s #FriFotos, you ask? It’s a weekly themed Twitter chat founded by @EpsteinTravels where travelers share their favorite pics. Search #FriFotos on Twitter to see the latest submissions or tweet one of your own!

Photo: Zhi Wang/My Shot

• One size does not fit all when it comes to hot air balloons. Pirates, birds, and giant birthday cakes are only a few of the balloons featured at these festivals. [LA Times]

• Renting an RV can be an economical and adventurous way to explore — but it’s wise to learn from other people’s mistakes before you take off. [Gadling]

Got Radar? Follow us on Twitter @NatGeoTraveler and tag your favorite travel stories from the web #ngtradar. Check back in the morning for our daily roundup.

Photo: Jeremie Noel/My Shot

Is there a better way to get to know a place than by sampling the local cuisine? Not in Mexico. Follow the flavor of Andrew’s travels by browsing 10 of his most popular Twitter photos in the gallery above.

Don’t miss a minute of the journey: Explore Mexico with Andrew in real time by following him on Twitter, Facebook, and his blog.

What’s your favorite thing about Mexico? Tell us in the comments section below.