overrated

Do you know that cliché of sitting on a beach, eventually in the shadow of a palm tree, with a Piña Colada in hand, and looking at the sea?

It's seriously overrated.

I mean, I've tried it, and it's nice ... for five minutes. Then, you get bored out of your skull; even if you have another Piña Colada.

Instead, I want to see nature.
I want to see the world from the edge of mountain cliffs, in that way that makes your breathing stop for a few seconds.

The best vacation for me is not a hotel, nor a beach. I mean, sure, staying in a nice hotel is nice, as is the access to the beach once in a while, but those do not a vacation make ... so to speak.

I want to travel; I want to see people and see into their hearts (to use somewhat bigger words), see what makes them special (I will forever remember being served with tea, in Turkey, in the middle of nowhere, as I had stopped for gas for example).

I want to see grand things, but not the monuments. Monuments are not grand and I'm not sure I care much for monuments. I mean ... I saw the pyramids, and they were OK, but that doesn't mean I will go with a checklist of "items to see" on my next trip - my vacation being a time for myself, not for my checklist.

I really don't need to see the ego trip of every architect who said at some point "I want this to be the biggest thing in the world, because I have a really small ... " - well who cares, anyway?

I'd rather see a waterfall in the middle of the forest, than a monastery for example.

I'd rather see people working the field than doing a "traditional dance" because "the tourists came and they have money".

I'd rather find a monastery (be it Christian or otherwise) "by accident" and spend two hours there to rest and see the people inside, then make a list of monasteries and worship my "checklist of places to reach".

... and finally, I'd rather get on a beach on a Saturday evening and relax, than "Let's go to the beach" every X days, and stay with a Piña Colada in hand, and live the cliché just because I've seen one-too-many commercials.