Archive for December, 2011

Year 2011 in review

December 29, 2011 | 4 Comments

This year I travelled to two new countries: Mexico and Ecuador. Besides that, I got a full time job, a house and things like that.

Taking time off for travelling will certainly become increasingly difficult, but I will make it happen anyway since travelling is the best way to spend money, don’t you agree?...
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Independence Square: Ecuador’s centre of power

December 25, 2011 | 3 Comments

The Spanish started constructing a new district in Quito and as with typical colonial urban design, a city plaza was built at it’s centre in the 16th century. In my opinion, this is a very appropriate place to start touring old Quito. This plaza was among the first sites to be constructed and has some of Quito’s most important buildings around it. Therefore I chose it as the zero coordinate fo...
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Photo Friday 02.17: Tourists take over a pyramid

December 23, 2011 | 5 Comments

Pyramid of the Sun (Pirámide del Sol) the third largest pyramid in the world is located at Teotihuacan, an hour north of Mexico city. The view of the surrounding ruins is quite spectacular; I can only imagine how the place would have looked during its golden age. The top of the pyramid was believed to house a temple but now it only has tourists thirsty for water and for pictures...
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A tourist guide to public transport in Quito

December 19, 2011 | 7 Comments

Since I am completely committed to sustainable modes of public transit as opposed to taxis or cars, I was delighted to find that most, if not all, principal sights of tourist importance in Quito can be accessed by public transport. For a mere $0.25, one can navigate a vast network of efficient public transit system to get to different parts of Quito. It might seem slow, crowded and chaotic, but wh...
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Photo Friday 02.16: Kabbalah aashram

December 16, 2011 | 1 Comment

...the interesting part was that this person had spent three years in India, studying Hinduism (perhaps that explained the aashram-like appearance of his house), where while sleeping one night, he heard a divine revelation that ordered him back to Israel… or something of that sort...
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Cotacachi, Ecuador’s leather capital

December 10, 2011 | 9 Comments

This always happens to me when I am travelling. I go to a place determined to buy some local goods that the town is famous for, but I am terrible at determining what’s good and what’s bad or what should be a respectful price. I knew I wanted to buy some leather goods from this village called Cotacachi, and so I spent two days hanging out here with the hope of uncovering the secret. At the end ...
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Photo Friday 02.15: Bullock cart and a stack of hay

December 9, 2011 | 2 Comments

It was peak winter in Dombivli, my hometown on the outskirts of Mumbai, India. It was a particularly cold winter, I remember vividly, with temperatures falling to 7ºC at night. In Mumbai, this was unheard of and people were falling sick because nobody is prepared for such weather. I had to wear a sweater, haha...
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Photo Friday 02.14: Niagara on the lake

December 2, 2011 | 4 Comments

Niagara on the lake, a little town on the southern shores of Lake Ontario, close to Niagara Falls, is very colourful. Besides the fact that it’s fall (I visited this place earlier this year) and nature is at its colorful best, it’s the variety of stores and brightly painted storefronts that are making the town cheerful. I see a little girl, a toddler really, picking up a red maple leaf from th...
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About me

priyank profile image
Hello, I am Priyank. Welcome to my blog.

This blog is an outcome of my interests in understanding culture, rationalism and sustainability from the perspective of a traveller. I feel that we are all companions, on an endless and unpredictable journey, and I try to live with the philosophy of making each day happy and fruitful.

I love narrating travel stories, describing various things I did, places I saw, people I met and some funny situations I ended up in; illustrated by numerous pictures and/or sketches.

I grew up mostly in post-socialist India, moved to Canada after 25 years and traveled to a bunch of countries since then. As a result, nothing excites me more than seeing how remarkably similar we all are, despite our inherent cultural differences.

Thank you for visiting and I hope you feel inspired to come back soon! You could stay updated via email alerts, RSS reader, twitter and facebook.

PS: If you are curious for more, head over to the about-me page on my personal blog.

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Recent posts...

Photo Friday 03.13: Memorial Chorten

Memorial Chhorten May 18, 2012

Thimphu's memorial chorten, built in 1974 to honour the 3rd King of Bhutan, Jigme Dorji Wangchuck, is a prominent landmark in the city with its golden
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