The One Less Traveled By Telling stories about trips to destinations you won't find in travel guides.

You can flatten dough for empanadas anywhere around the world. You just need the ingredients and you're set. You can also admire nature's wonders anywhere. You just need to look around you and you'll find something that catches your eye. However, are these the same everywhere? My answer is: No.

On March 9, 2014, I found myself in Buenos Aires - not the Argentinian one. How did I end up there? Well, by plane to San Jose and then by bus to Buenos Aires. That is the technical answer. But if I delve into it further, I can tell you that a passion led me to Buenos Aires, Costa Rica - A passion for the unknown.

If you Google "Buenos Aires," you will come across websites about Argentina's capital. You would have to search for "Buenos Aires, Costa Rica" to find information about the Costa Rican canton. This area is not home to a UNESCO World Heritage Site nor one of the Seven Wonders of the World, but it is home to picturesque townhouses and breathtaking natural sites. It is one of those places that you need to visit to capture its essence. The scarce information found online does not do it justice.

It does not have a sophisticated public transportation system and I find that a blessing - as a tourist. It forces you to stroll around the town, which allows you to immerse with the locals. Thankfully, I did not activate roaming on my cellphone, so I walked looking around me instead of down at a screen.

I remember walking once to the town's center as I looked at the colored houses I was passing by. Red, purple, blue, yellow, pink houses complemented their green surroundings and decorated the gray asphalt of the road I was treading on. I noticed that locals waved at me from their porches. Whether or not they identified me as a tourist, they extended their warm wishes through smiles and waves as I obstructed their view of the passing cars.

I also remember our travel group making empanadas with a local family. Imagine fourteen foreigners in a tiny kitchen, flattening dough and filling semi-circles with cheese and frijoles. This cultural interaction transcended language barriers, highlighting the power of nonverbal communication.

This trip made me realize that exploring the world doesn't entail checking off a list of the top 100 places to see. Exploring the world means getting to know cultures and broadening one's worldview. This is possible, believe it or not, through visiting remote places that often do not make it to the best-selling travel guides.