Hiking through Andean hills

April 14, 2012 | 10 Comments

From Canada to Turkey and onwards to motherland India, I have been anxiously looking forward to this travel expedition. Travelling is the best way to spend money, isn’t it?...
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April 13, 2012 | No Comments yet

From cute little stalagmites along the path (I was so tempted to crush them) and gigantic ones about ten times my size, to thin stalactites that hung precariously over my head and mammoth ones that seemed like pillars supporting the mountain above, the caves were full of fascinating calcium carbonate structures...
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April 10, 2012 | No Comments yet

There are numerous hiking trails around Baños with towering mountains in any direction you look. Tungurahua volcano is generally climbable but since 1999, the volcano has sprung back to life, and it's not safe anymore. Last major eruption was in 2006 when the town had to be evacuated and it took months to cleanup the volcanic ash dumped into the valley. Still, it’s possible to hike to the top of the southern mountain and catch glimpse of mama Tungurahua. She looks very beautiful...
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April 7, 2012 | No Comments yet

I had never been close to a volcano before and the only imagination I had was based on shows on the Discovery channel. We parked our jeep at the end of a dirt trail from which arrows pointed to a viewpoint at approximately 4,000m (13,123 ft). View of the surroundings was majestic. Barren lands for as long as my eyes could see and low hanging clouds everywhere...
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April 6, 2012 | No Comments yet

Acre or Akko as it is locally known, is a UNESCO world heritage city that played a significant role in shaping histories of several cultures: Israelites, Greeks, Romans, Crusaders, Arabs and the Bahá'í. The historic old city has a big Turkish market (souk) with many interesting stores including the ones selling made in China tourist knick-knacks...
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April 3, 2012 | 2 Comments

Emergency! If the volcano erupts, run for your life and see you at the shelter. Such signs are posted all over the town. Locals don’t think seem to care about it but as a visitor I found it difficult to grapple with living in this constant threat of a volcanic eruption....
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March 31, 2012 | No Comments yet

Dear diary

Incident 3: I purchased a overpriced t-shirt because, lets admit, I was smelling of sweat and dust. Forget negotiation, I paid whatever the guy quoted, which was about $10, definitely not cheap in Ecuador. I'm from India; if I don't negotiate, it means I am not thinking...
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March 30, 2012 | 1 Comment

Almost like travelling in a time machine (which I hope becomes a reality sometime soon), but not quite, it is possible to experience sights and smells from two entirely different time periods in Quito. Quito’s old town, a UNESCO world heritage site, was built in the 16th century over a destroyed Inca capital. The area to the north of the historic centre, known as “La Mariscal”, is a late 20th century construct, with plenty of entertainment avenues such as bars, restaurants, discos and associated tourist attractions...
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