Last week I received an email from that sociable Canadian couple known as the Traveling Canucks informing me that they had nominated me to participate in the “My 7 Links” project. This project, started by Katie over at Tripbase, offers a way for travel bloggers to share some of their content that might have otherwise become lost in the archives over time while also helping spread the word about other travel bloggers they follow.

Below, you’ll find seven ‘questions’ and seven blog posts that answer those questions, and at the end, I’ll nominate five other travel bloggers to do the same on their own websites.

Bariloche, Argentina

MY 7 LINKS

1. Most Beautiful Post
The Food Stall On The Street Corner

This post highlights a 78-year old man I met last year who had dedicated the later stage of his life to serving one particular street food item in Playa del Carmen, Mexico. Sadly, when I returned to Mexico this past April, I couldn’t find him anywhere. And I’m now left to wonder what might have happened to this kind, smiling man I used to talk to several nights per week on the corner of 30th and 104th Streets.

2. Most Popular Post
The Day US Customs Found A Bullet In My Pocket

Even a year after I wrote this post, new comments still arrive every single day, making this the most-visited post on WanderingEarl.com by far. Interestingly enough, the message of this post is often missed. I have no problem with US Customs officers questioning me whenever I return to the US, but I do believe that these officers should at least be somewhat knowledgeable about the regions of the world they are interrogating me about.

3. Most Controversial Post
When Tourism Goes Terribly Wrong

Whether you agree with this one or not, the discussion that has so far taken place in the comments is both interesting and worthy of a read. Tourism comes in many forms and the form I discovered in one corner of Bali really disturbed me. See for yourself whether or not my observations make much sense.

4. Most Helpful Post
How I Can Afford My Life Of Travel

As the goal of this website is to prove that anybody can live a life of travel if they truly want to, this post seems to have helped prove that point more than any other. And the comments that readers have left so far have given me a few other ideas for posts that I hope will be as equally useful.

5. Post Whose Success Surprised Me
Do You Shave Your Underarms Too?

I certainly wasn’t expecting this post to become popular at all. I was merely curious as to whether or not I was the only male out there who shaves his armpits on a regular basis.

6. Post I Feel Didn’t Get The Attention It Deserved
The Currency Of Pad Thai

While this post was written way back in October of 2009, it just isn’t read that often at all. It was an attempt for me to explain how I use that typical Thai dish of Pad Thai to ensure that every dollar I spend is spent wisely. If you think that you don’t have enough money to travel, you might want to have a read, especially before you pull out your wallet and purchase anything today.

7. Post I Am Most Proud Of
A Toast To My Kelty Redwing 2900 Backpack

Back in August of 2009, I wrote this post and then clicked the “Publish” button on my computer screen. And with that simple click, WanderingEarl.com came into existence. I could not be more proud of anything else I’ve written as, without this post, I simply would never have had the chance to interact with, meet or have as an audience, any of you extraordinary readers.

Petra, Jordan

Now here are the 5 Bloggers I’ve nominated in order to keep the project going (Hint: They are all blogs that I follow regularly!):

James from NomadicNotes.com
Jason from DigiDrift.com
Mark from Migrationology.com
Dave from WhatsDaveDoing.com
Juno from RunawayJuno.com

I hope you’ll enjoy their posts in this series and as always, thank you for reading!