Rakhee Ghelani

Month: February 2014

  • My First Solo Trip : Malaysia

    My First Solo Trip : Malaysia

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    I am asked a lot about where I went for my first solo adventure. For me it was back in 1998, and I visited the region of Sabah in Malaysia. To be honest I had never even heard of Sabah before I chose to go there.  It was a spur of the moment decision, I…

  • A Step Back in Time: Yangon

    A Step Back in Time: Yangon

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    Yangon is the capital of Myanmar. Whilst it is a bustling city, it kind of looks and feels a bit like it is 40 years behind the times. It’s hard to put a finger on it exactly. Perhaps it’s the concrete buildings, the lack of internet and phone access or just the way everything is…

  • The Clayton’s Asia: Laos

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    Laos to me is Asia without really being Asia. It doesn’t have the high-tech feel of places like Singapore or Hong Kong, and isn’t an explosion of sights, taste and sound like Thailand or even Vietnam. To me it’s the Clayton’s Asia, or the Asia you have when you don’t have Asia (quoting a very…

  • Paradise Found: Inle Lake

    Paradise Found: Inle Lake

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    Just the mention of Inle Lake makes anyone who has been there sigh as they drift off dreamily remembering this region of Burma. It really is a paradise. What makes Inle Lake so lovely is that it’s relatively untouched. I fear in only a short while it will become just another tourist region, and all…

  • The Road to Mandalay : Burma

    The Road to Mandalay : Burma

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    I took the bus from Bagan to Mandalay, but rather than going on the brand new freeway, we took the scenic route through central Myanmar. While it may have cost me a couple of hours of my life, the journey gave me the time to really appreciate what it’s like to travel in Burma. We…

  • Dubai the City of Glamour: United Arab Emirates

    Dubai the City of Glamour: United Arab Emirates

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    After a little hiatus, I am getting back into writing about a different location a week I have visited. This week it’s the United Arab Emirates, and more specifically Dubai. Dubai has a special place in my heart, I spent about 6 months there on a rotating fly in fly out arrangement about ten years…

  • Slum Tourism: Dharavi

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    Slum tourism drums up all sorts of bad connotations. For this reason I avoided doing the tour of Dharavi, the biggest slum in Mumbai for a long time. Finally, after a little convincing by a friend I decided to see it for myself. I now think everyone, Mumbaikars born and bred and tourists alike should…