Rakhee Ghelani

Category: Uncategorized

  • Chasing a white Christmas

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    It’s been a VERY long time since I last blogged. That’s not because I haven’t travelled – I have – but life and work have simply taken over my time. About two years ago I started a new business called Legal Writers and it’s really taken off. This has been fantastic but in between managing…

  • Cuba: The good and the bad of medical care

    Cuba: The good and the bad of medical care

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    Surprisingly, Cuba has one of the best health care systems in the developing (and developed) world. It has the third highest doctor patient ratio, high life expectancy and low infant mortality. This due to government funded health care that focuses on education and prevention rather than cure. They’ve achieved admirable results. But… there is a big but…

  • Nagaland: The last frontier

    Nagaland: The last frontier

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    Two boys no older than ten wander the dusty roadside, semi-automatic rifles slung casually across their backs. Hearing the vehicle, they meander off-road into the thick verdant forest that’s lush but eerily silent.  I ask my driver where all the animals are and he responds drily, “These Nagas eat everything.” Characterised by headhunters and a…

  • Re-visiting Goa after 15 Years

    Re-visiting Goa after 15 Years

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    I’ve lived in Bombay for nearly 4 years, yet had never found a reason to visit the neighbouring beachside state of Goa. My last trip to Goa was nearly 15 years ago when I was seeking some time on a banana lounge after a great but rather hectic trip that included trekking through the Everest…

  • White Night Melbourne 2016

    White Night Melbourne 2016

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    White Night is the Melbourne edition of an all night event, where the arts (in all its forms) takes over the CBD for 12 hours. While Paris was the first city to instigate its own White Night, my home town has made it its own. The first Melbourne White Night was in 2013, so I’ve never had…

  • Things I’ve Learned From Back Pain

    Things I’ve Learned From Back Pain

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    It’s been ages since I blogged and I have my reasons I promise. Most recently I’ve spent the majority of the past couple of months flat on my back…. literally. I thought debilitating back pain was just exaggerated or something old people got. That is until it happened to me and I was flung straight into…

  • Things To Do In Istanbul

    Things To Do In Istanbul

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    Following my fabulous sailing trip down the Turquoise Coast I managed to squeeze in a day and half in Istanbul. The last time I was in this fabulous city was over 5 years ago, and even though I’d seen most of the major sights I just felt the need to do some of them again. It’s…

  • Getting Beach Ready

    Getting Beach Ready

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    Before heading off on my rather last-minute sailing jaunt in Turkey I had to deal with the big issue of how to get myself a bikini body or at the very least beach ready in less than two weeks. Experience has taught me that no matter how many grapefruits I ate I was never going…

  • Sailing The Turquoise Coast in Turkey

    Sailing The Turquoise Coast in Turkey

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    It usually doesn’t take much to convince me to travel somewhere, but I don’t think I’ve said yes to an overseas trip quicker than I did a few weeks ago when I was invited to Turkey. Some close friends of mine from Australia are doing a six month trip around the world and they decided…

  • Exploring Bhubaneshwar: Dhauligiri and Ashoka’s Edict

    Exploring Bhubaneshwar: Dhauligiri and Ashoka’s Edict

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    I’ve been very bad at keeping my blog updated this year, busy working, travelling and collecting new stories. But I’m keeping a record of all the incredible things I’ve seen, eaten and done so that I can keep sharing them. Visiting Dhauligiri near Bhubaneshwar is one of those experiences, I visited there a couple of…

  • Exploring Bhubaneswar : Khandagiri & Udayagiri

    Exploring Bhubaneswar : Khandagiri & Udayagiri

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    I’ve been spending some time in Bhubaneshwar lately, and while I’ve been here before, the extra time has allowed me to explore the city in more depth. This week I visited the famed Jain cave temples of Khandagiri and Udayagiri. While these sites are beautiful , what really stood out for me was the appalling…

  • Naga Vilages: Near Mokokchung

    Naga Vilages: Near Mokokchung

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    Visiting Nagaland had always been on my India bucket list. I’d heard too many stories of head-hunters, mystery and remote villages, something I had to see for myself. What I found when I finally visited Nagaland however was very different. It didn’t meet the expectations I had, but surpassed so many others that I didn’t…

  • Restaurant Review: Indian Accent, Delhi

    Restaurant Review: Indian Accent, Delhi

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    Indian Accent has been called the “best Indian restaurant in India”. It’s a big title to hold, so of course I had to try it out for myself. It’s a fusion restaurant, and I’d been told by foodies I respect that it was superior to one of my favourite restaurants in Mumbai, Masala Library, which…

  • A Piece of Chinese History Comes to India

    A Piece of Chinese History Comes to India

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    The Indian arts scene is one that can really surprise you with the unexpected, a case in point is the recent production of The Peony Pavillion that was performed in Mumbai and Delhi recently. The Peony Pavillion is a Kunqu Opera, one of the oldest and most refined styles of traditional Chinese theatre, that has…

  • Day Trips from Antigua : Pacay & Chichicastenango

    Day Trips from Antigua : Pacay & Chichicastenango

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    While I loved spending time wandering the cobblestoned laneways of Antigua, it’s also a good base to do some day trips. I had only limited time, so unfortunately didn’t make it to the popular heights of Lake Atitlan, but I did manage to climb an active volcano and visit the largest market in Guatemala. These…

  • Exploring Antigua Guatemala

    Exploring Antigua Guatemala

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    Antigua Guatemala, not to be confused with Antigua and Barbuda (in the West Indies), is a charming colonial town about an hour from the capital, Guatemala City. I’d decided to skip the big city altogether, but caught a little glimpse when I arrived by bus from Flores at about 6am in morning and was glad…

  • The Backpacking Mojo

    The Backpacking Mojo

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    Sometimes when I’m sitting in front a computer for days on end I almost forget that feeling I get when I travel. The freedom, the challenge, the fear, the fascination, the sheer exhilaration. Sometimes I feel it all at the same time. Even when I’ve embarked on my next adventure, backpacking solo through undiscovered terrains,…

  • A Taste of Mexico: Valladolid

    A Taste of Mexico: Valladolid

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    My first taste of Mexico was in the small town of Valladolid. There’s nothing special about the town itself, except that it’s a charming Mexican town, but I chose it for it’s strategic position about half an hour away from Chichen Itza, the latest hotspot on the tourist track. I’d been travelling for about 18…

  • Exploring Old London Town

    Exploring Old London Town

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    Old London town has to be one of my favourite cities in the world. I’ve been there so many times now, it feels like a second (or perhaps now third) home. I’ve always a had a lot of family there, and have a bedroom in one of my cousin’s homes, which always makes it such…

  • India Travel Advice Part 2

    India Travel Advice Part 2

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    Following on from my last post providing India travel advice for women, I thought it would be worthwhile to provide a few more tips that I’ve found handy while travelling across India. These ones are relevant regardless of gender: Eating in India One of the most common questions I am asked about India is about…