The trip was turning into a disaster: we got lost at every turn, the food made us barf, the sites were disappointingly normal and the boisterous flow of life that had seemed so appealing when we first started teasing out the details of what a mutually enjoyable vacation would look like, all of a sudden reminded us of the very place we were trying to escape.

Today's excursion hit the last patience nerve left.

"I have to leave this place. I want my life back", I thought to myself on the bus ride back to the hell hole that sounded...