As far as "quiet" vacations go, I really love them. If you want to do the quiet/mind clearing type thing but don't want to deal with something like a formal/scheduled buddhist or yoga retreat type deal just go somewhere that you don't speak the primary language. Ideally you would do it that type of trip solo. You are kinda forced to be on your own but you can still function like a normal human being.
Chemda, if you're considering doing this, Quebec City would probably be the easiest place from NYC. It's a beautiful city too... so much that it doesn't seem like it belongs in North America.
I left a job I wasn't too crazy about last summer and immediately got on a plane headed for semi-rural Guatemala. I spent the entire month of July there. I don't speak a word of Spanish and even if it did I would have still run into problems because a lot of the locals speak some crazy indigenous Mayan language. Being on my own with no idea how to do something as simple as asking for a glass of water or the bathroom completely changed the way my mind worked. I couldn't do anything but be on my own. It's definitely one of my fav vacations.
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