Travel Archives - Rakhee Ghelani

Is it too late to save Majuli Island?

—

by

Majuli Island, in the remote North East Indian state of Assam, is the largest river island in the world. It is rapidly being lost to the savage effects of climate change. Surrounded by the mighty Brahmaputra River, scientists predict that Majuli Island will be entirely reclaimed by the river within 20 years, and along with…

Meghalaya: Root bridges and climacophobia

—

by

Meghalaya is a wonder. In the western corner of North East India it’s rolling hills are silent, a welcome contrast to the busy dustbowl that is Guwahati (in Assam) where most visitors begin their journey. Even the small town of Shillong has lost the romantic aura of a hillside town, now packed with merchants who…

Nagaland: The last frontier

—

by

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…

White Night Melbourne 2016

—

by

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 To Do In Istanbul

—

by

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…

Sailing The Turquoise Coast in Turkey

—

by

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

—

by

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

—

by

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

—

by

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…

Nagaland: Sign of the Times

—

by

One of the things I found pleasantly surprising about Nagaland was the openness in which they seemed to at least acknowledge social issues. In a country where a lot of things are left unsaid, the public signs found all over Nagaland addressed some hard hitting topics head on. By far, my favorite sign was this…

Discovering New Places To Visit in Bombay: Mazagaon and Khotachiwadi

—

by

I seem to spend so much of my time these days either at home working or going to the same places to meet friends, that I’d almost forgotten about the joy of discovering new places to visit in Mumbai. So one surprisingly sunny monsoon afternoon a friend and I decided to do just that. We…

New York City: My Favourites

—

by

New York is considered to be one of the greatest cities on earth, and for good reason. I was fortunate to spend 4 weeks in the Big Apple recently, which gave me plenty of time to explore, visit different neighbourhoods and enjoy some of the best food one earth! Here’s a round-up of the best…

Day Trips from Antigua : Pacay & Chichicastenango

—

by

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

—

by

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…

Chilling out in Flores, Guatemala

—

by

For most tourists, Flores is a launching pad to visit Tikal, the extraordinary Mayan ruins located deep within the jungle. While Tikal was my main reason for visiting Flores, for me it was also a great place to just chill out and really relax. After a rather tiring 32 hour journey, I was happy to…

Tikal: The Jewel of the Maya

—

by

It’s 4.30am and pitch black. I stumble to find the torch app on my phone, but finally manage to shed some light onto the path ahead of me. Before me is a jungle. The path is muddy and slippery, my slide stopped only by the thick tree roots that snake their way across the ground.…

The Backpacking Mojo

—

by

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,…

Exploring Mayan Ruins in Mexico: Ek Balam and Tulum

—

by

Aside from Chichen Itza there are so many other Mayan ruins in Mexico, unfortunately limited time meant that I had to pick only a couple to see. The two I chose are not necessarily the most impressive, I’m told Palenque and Coba are definitely worth a visit, but they were both a little different. Rather…

One of the 7 Wonders of the World : Chichen Itza

—

by

Chichen Itza was virtually unheard of on the mainstream tourist trail before 2007, when it was named as one of the 7 wonders of the world based on an online poll. The poll gave it status alongside India’s Taj Mahal, The Great Wall of China, Machu Picchu in Peru, Petra in Jordan, Italy’s Colosseum and…

A Taste of Mexico: Valladolid

—

by

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…

Tag: Travel