Rakhee Ghelani

Category: Uncategorized

  • India Travel Advice For Women

    India Travel Advice For Women

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    As promised in this post, I’m writing a few posts with my advice on travelling to India. The advice is based on my experience, and that of other travellers whom I know and trust. There is a lot of bad and sugar coated advice out there, designed to please tourism boards and PR / Marketing…

  • Peace, Love & Mung Beans: Should You Believe that Travel Blog About India

    Peace, Love & Mung Beans: Should You Believe that Travel Blog About India

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    I’m pretty sure this post isn’t going to win me some friends in the travel blogging space, but something happened yesterday that just infuriated me so much I felt the need to write about it. I put a photo on my personal (private) FB page and one of my “friends” (although not now as I’ve…

  • Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai: The Lalbagh Walk

    Ganesh Chaturthi in Mumbai: The Lalbagh Walk

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    Ganpati or Ganesh Chaturthi would have to be one of the biggest festivals in Mumbai. The festival is in honour of Lord Ganesha, who is the remover of obstacles. A Ganesh statue is traditionally installed in the home, or in the neighbourhood in many cases, and people worship it for 10 days. The statue is…

  • Eating Out in Japan : A Gourmand’s Delight

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    I couldn’t possibly visit Japan and not write about it’s amazing cuisine. So much more than sushi and teriyaki, Japanese food has so many styles and flavours that it was impossible to try everything I wanted to in only ten days. Here’s a round up of what I did try, what surprised me and what…

  • Why #IndiaNeedsFeminism

    Why #IndiaNeedsFeminism

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    This week I participated in a campaign by BuzzFeed where people explained why they felt feminism was relevant to India. Now anyone who’s read my blog for a while knows that I believe feminism has a long way to go here. So when I saw a call-out for people willing to participate in this campaign…

  • Japan : Handy Hints and Travel Tips

    Japan : Handy Hints and Travel Tips

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    Visiting Japan had always been a dream of mine. I had imagined beautiful temples, sleek design and extraordinary food. I certainly wasn’t disappointed with what I found in Japan, but there were quite a few things that I didn’t expect. Here’s some of the things that surprised, some observations and some tips that others may…

  • Nagomi Visit : Eating Local in Tokyo

    Nagomi Visit : Eating Local in Tokyo

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    It’s no secret that I love food. I particularly like trying out local delicacies when I travel, which isn’t always easy when you’re in a new city only for a few days. Eating local in Tokyo was particularly challenging because of my language constraints. Aside from hello and goodbye, I didn’t know any Japanese and…

  • The Ancient Capital of Japan : Kyoto

    The Ancient Capital of Japan : Kyoto

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    Kyoto is the ancient capital of Japan. With picturesque temples, old cobble-stoned streets and the occasional kimono-clad Geisha wandering down the street, it’s a postcard view of Japan. The temples are certainly a highlight of the city, along with the haunting bamboo grove in Arashiyama and the peaceful public parks. They need no words, the…

  • Bright Lights Big City : Tokyo

    Bright Lights Big City : Tokyo

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    I had always imagined Tokyo as a huge city of towering buildings and flashing neon signs. Something like this: But now that I’ve seen Tokyo I would describe it as green, peaceful and almost European. I spent a few days just wandering through different parts of the city, and was just amazed at how calm,…

  • The Toilets of Japan

    The Toilets of Japan

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    I know, I know, toilet humour really is the lowest common denominator. But this post isn’t about toilet humour I promise, but rather it’s about toilet etiquette in Japan. You see the Japanese are incredibly clean people, and their obsession with ensuring everything is pristine starts with themselves and in particular their toilets. From my…

  • Flying High : Paragliding Near Mumbai

    Flying High : Paragliding Near Mumbai

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    I will let you into one of my not so favourite secrets. As I get older I am becoming more and more scared of heights. I don’t have an issue going up, but when I have to look down or try to walk down a steep incline, I become paralysed with fear. Only a few…

  • Hello Summer, Bring on The Mangoes

    Hello Summer, Bring on The Mangoes

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    Summer is finally here! While the temperature is close to diabolical and the humidity means Mumbai currently resembles a pressure cooker, I still love summer for one reason. Mangoes. It’s mango season and they are just spectacular. The sweet orange flesh has inspired me this year to create a salsa that I have with almost…

  • Dating the Indian Woman

    Dating the Indian Woman

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    A few regular readers have asked me recently why I haven’t written much about dating or Indian men lately. Truth be told, there really isn’t much to tell. I haven’t dated for a long time, and am actually quite happy that way. I do still have some interesting experiences trying to understand men here, but…

  • Happy Anniversary to Me : 2 Years Living in Bombay

    Happy Anniversary to Me : 2 Years Living in Bombay

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    This week I celebrated two years of living in Bombay. To be honest, I never really believed that I would stay here that long, but now Bombay does feel like home. I have close friends here, established networks and am eking out an existence here. In many ways I am comfortable here in Mumbai, but…

  • Exploring Gujarat : Champaner

    Exploring Gujarat : Champaner

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    I’ve been to Baroda (or Vadodara) more times then I can remember as it is where some of my family lives, but I’m embarassed to say I’ve never visited the nearby UNESCO World Heritage Site of Champaner until now.  I did a fly by visit of Baroda last weekend and thanks to my own stupidity…

  • The Big Fat Indian Wedding : Shaadi Time

    The Big Fat Indian Wedding : Shaadi Time

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    This is the fourth and final part of The Big Fat Wedding, you can find the rest here: Introduction Pre-Wedding Rituals The Engagement It was a rather rude alarm that woke me up early in the morning to have my saree draped the morning after the Sangeet. It was a little hard to believe that…

  • The Big Fat Indian Wedding : The Engagement

    The Big Fat Indian Wedding : The Engagement

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    This is the third part of The Big Fat Wedding, you can find the rest here: Introduction Pre-Wedding Rituals Shaadi Time Bright and early on a Tuesday morning the Engagement ceremonies began. The timing of these are generally dictated by astrology, which explains the 7.30am start. The first ceremony is Vratham. This is where Carl…

  • Big Fat Indian Wedding : Pre-Wedding Rituals

    Big Fat Indian Wedding : Pre-Wedding Rituals

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    This is the second part of The Big Fat Wedding, you can find the rest here: Introduction The Engagement Shaadi Time Like every wedding there are pre-wedding rituals that must be adhered to before the real business of joining two families starts, and this grand wedding was no different. In a more western tradition, this…

  • 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…