I consider myself a traveler than a tourist, more interested in culture and locals than sightseeing. I can never hang out by the pool lying whole day doing nothing. I seek the beaten tracks and less populated areas, virgin beaches and hard to reach villages. I hike, take buses, rent a bike or a small car to go around. I buy food from the market, eat in the park sitting on a bench watching life unfold or in a small roadside cafe soaking the atmosphere and listening to people. I rather be part of a local celebration, a fiesta than sampling the nightlife in discotheque drinking myself to oblivion. There are two quotes I’ve read that stay with me wherever I go:
“Please be a traveler, not a tourist. Try new things, meet new people, and look beyond what’s right in front of you. Those are the keys to understanding this amazing world we live in.”
“The joy of life comes from our encounters with new experiences, and hence there is no greater joy than to have an endlessly changing horizon, for each day to have a new and different sun.”
The next time you travel, try to venture on the road less taken. I guarantee you, you’re in for a hell of a different adventure. Just keep an open mind and let life surprise you. We can’t plan the course of things anyway. Just enjoy the ride, including the less glamorous side of it.
MY OWN PRIVATE IDAHO 
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