When I was on a climbing trip in Bolivia a few years ago, I found an old newspaper comic strip pasted on a wall in a La Paz bar.
In the comic, one guy says to another: "Why do mountain climbers rope themselves together"
The second guy answers: "To keep the sane ones from escaping"
"When you travel, if you avoid the people, reject the food, ignore the customs, and fear the religion..... you might as well stay home" James A. Michener