Rakhee Ghelani, Author at Rakhee Ghelani

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…

Review: Chinese New Year at San Qi

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Chinese New Year has always been one of my favourite times of year. For many years I worked closely with the Chinese community, and spent many an evening enjoying some fantastic Chinese delicacies both in Australia and in China. So when I was asked to try out the CNY menu at San Qi restaurant (at…

Myanmar Travel : What the Guidebook’s Don’t Tell You

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Before travelling to Burma, I dutifully read through my guidebook to ensure I was prepared and listened to my travel agent (I rarely use an agent to book my travel, but I was working so much before I left I didn’t have time to plan my trip so I used an agent to book hotels…

Literature Festivals and Havelis: Jaipur

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I finally made it to the Jaipur Literature Festival this year. It is apparently the largest free outdoor Lit Fest in the world, and certainly the largest one in India. I wasn’t sure what to expect, some people told me that it was an elitist event that wasn’t really for the average person. So was…

Bagan: A Temple Junkie’s Paradise

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Bagan in Myanmar would have to be one of the most incredible places I have ever visited in the world. I don’t think I can actually do it justice in words or photos either. The ancient city of Bagan originally had about 4,000 pagodas and temples dotted around its countryside. While not all of these…

Life in a Refugee Camp: Thailand

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I was fortunate enough to spend New Year’s Eve and Day visiting two refugee camps on the Thai / Burma border (Burma is officially known as Myanmar now). A friend that I have been visiting in Thailand works on the border and offered me the opportunity to visit the camps and experience Karen New Year.…

Farewell 2013

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Another year comes to an end, so here is a quick post about my highlights of 2013 and what my plans are for next year. Highlight of 2013: Visiting Australia and spending time with my family and friends. Saying goodbye to my 30’s was also a highlight, the decade has been a mixed bag of the…

I Have Been a Bad Bad Blogger

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I have been a bad bad blogger! Yes I am well aware, that it has been over a month since I last posted, and my goal of posting a new location a week has gone out the window recently. I can explain though. Quite simply I had to earn some money! I have a couple…

Life in a Gilded Cage: Kenya

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I have visited Kenya several times in my life, it is the birth place of my mother and some where I still have family. My most recent visit to Kenya was to attend a wedding reception for my sister in 2008. That will be the last time I ever visit Kenya, something that is only…

Review: Copa Bar in Juhu

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I don’t often do reviews, although I do eat out a lot (anyone who has seen my Instagram feed knows that), but I was invited to try out a new bar in Juhu this week. I don’t often visit Juhu, not because I don’t like it, but because I am a little bit lazy to…

Petra Jordan

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Whilst the ancient city of Petra is not one of the original 7 wonders of the world, it was included in the illustrious list of the New 7Wonders of the World and for good reason. This ancient city is one of the most spectacular places I have ever seen. My time in Jordan was only…

Exploring Sicily : Italy

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What is there not to love about Italy? From the delicious food, beautiful ancient architecture and fabulous style. All the cities in Italy have a different take on each of these, which makes travelling across the country such a treat for all the senses. Over the years, I have visited many parts of this fabulous…

Becoming a Writer: Bali

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The island of Bali in Indonesia is one those places that every Australian ends up visiting eventually. For me, that time came when I made a rather last minute and decadent decision to treat myself to a weekend away. I had had a rather rough time, and just needed to escape, so I took two…

Hamams and Cheese in Hungary

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I spent a few days in the gorgeous city of Budapest many moons ago, when travelling to Eastern Europe was still considered to be a bit exotic. Like many who have visited Budapest, I recall the beauty of the Danube and the magical atmosphere of the town. But what I remember the most, are what…

The Day India Nearly Broke My Spirit

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I finally had that day where India nearly broke my spirit. It’s the end of monsoon, which means the air is thick with moisture and oh so very hot. Not the kind of weather where you want to be shuffled around from one government department to another, made to wait around cramped offices or having…

My 5 Favourite Things to Do in Hong Kong

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I spent many months in Hong Kong several years ago when I was working with Foster’s. Sometimes I would go there for just one meeting, at other times I would stay for a month. Over the years I got to know Hong Kong well, and it is a city that I have always loved. It…

Back to Reality

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It has now been about a month since I returned to India, after a rather long visit to Australia. When I got on the flight to Mumbai I was feeling really excited about coming back home. It even surprised me when I started calling Mumbai home, but for now, that is exactly what it is…

Monkeying Around in Gibraltar

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Gibraltar is one of those odd little principalities that I visited more out of curiousity than anything else. It is a British Territory located in the Iberian Peninsula bordered by the south of Spain. It has quirky appeal, with British Pubs, driving on the left side of the road and of course the huge rock…

Things to Do In Germany

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Whilst I have visited Germany briefly, this is one country that is still remains on my bucket list, as there is so many places in Germany that I am yet to see. My only trip to Germany was a very brief one just after university. I was backpacking across Europe on this rather restrictive bus…

Author: Rakhee Ghelani