I remember travelling around Israel a couple of decades ago, I had a really tight budget as I was trying to extend my stay as long as I could, I discovered quite quickly that the cheapest and tastiest food available was the simple Falafel I was travelling with a friend at the time, and we made quite a game out of searching for the perfect one shekel falafel (which we found within the old city of Jerusalem eventually). Falafel can be considered a localised form of fast food, and ever since this revelation, I have always tried to locate similar types of food in every country I visit. Food like the falafel is cheap, nutritious, and quick to prepare, and can form the basis of a staple diet. For real budget travellers, this kind of food can reduce travel costs considerably. It seems every country or nation has some form of food that the local population treat as a form of fast food. During my time in Portugal I discovered the incredible things that can be done with the humble sardine, very tasty and cheap.

Currently I am residing in Thailand, and I am really spoiled for choice here, so much so that it is quite difficult to highlight a single food to think of as the local fast food. If I had to choose, I think it would have to be Kwai Tiew (noodle soup), which is available everywhere from street stalls and small Thai kitchens. It comes in a variety types, and can contain chicken, pork or simply vegetables. The dish is served straight from a cooking vat and you then add chili, sugar and vinegar to your own taste. The greatest challenge is eating the soup with chopsticks in your right hand and a spoon in your left, quite difficult until you get used to it, It is a cheap and tasty dish, excellent for breakfast or lunch.

I am going to be tracking down local dishes such as Falafel and Kwai Tiew for as many countries I can over the next few weeks, and I will present my findings here. If you have travelled to a country, and have already identified the local style of fast food, please leave a comment below, and I will research the food you recommend and post a blog article about it.

Now and then I find a place to stay that actually feels like a home. One such place is the Asha Guesthouse in Bangkok. In fact, I like it so much that I have stayed there every time I have visited Bangkok since I found it. So what is so special about the Asha Guesthouse? Well it’s no single thing, instead it is a combination of features which make this such a cool place to stay.

As a place to stay for the budget traveller, the price is surely pleasing. A basic fan room costs only 350 Baht per person per night, an air conditioned room is only 100 Baht more, at 450 Baht per person per night. This is an excellent price for Bangkok.

The facilities here are first rate, a small swimming pool takes up part of the restaurant area, open from early morning until late at night. The restaurant serves a mixture of western dishes and tasty Thai food. Prices for food and drink here are also quite reasonable, especially if you stick to the Thai food.

There are laundry machines that can be used for free, just bring your own detergent, and the TV room has a large selection of DVDs which are also free to watch. There is even a free gym, outfitted with a variety of equipment. Access to such a large selection of free amenities make this place incredibly good value.

The rooms are clean, although all have a shared bathroom, they could do with a coat of paint but that’s not to say they are dirty, just a little run down. The bathrooms are cleaned several times a day and are kept spotless. Every room has a balcony of it’s own, very useful for smokers as there is a no smoking policy in place within the rooms. Security is good, as each door is fitted with brackets for visitors to use their own padlock, along with the standard room lock.

What really makes the Asha Guesthouse a special place to stay when visiting Bangkok, especially for budget travellers and backpackers, is the huge amount of advice the staff and owners hold in their heads about Bangkok and Thailand in general. You can throw your guidebook away when you stay here, you wont need it.

So, to sum up, the Asha Guesthouse is a great budget travel choice if you are visiting Bangkok. It is in the neighbourhood of Saphon Kwai, and is only a few minutes walk from the closes Skytrain station, making access to all of the attractions of Bangkok quick, cheap and easy.