Author Archives: melanietaj@gmail.com

Travel to Rishikesh

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I have taken many train rides during my time in India. Some are exciting while other make me want to pull my teeth out! However, traveling from Jaisalmer to Rishikesh was the most entertaining train experience I have had to date. … Continue reading

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An Indian Love Affair

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Three months and 19 days in India and I feel like I have barely scratched the surface. With the expense of sounding corny, I do not have the words to express how much I have fallen in love with this … Continue reading

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Birthdays, Sandcastles and Camels

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Ilona and I met about a month into my trip back in Vietnam. We were saying at the same guest house in Hanoi and we bonded over which company to use for our Halong Bay trip which we went on … Continue reading

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Wedding Time ( Part 3)

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Amy and I were told to arrive at the wedding between 7:00 and 8:00 PM. We had also heard that Indian weddings really don’t get started until about 10:00 anyway but we arrived at 8:00. We had asked Govind what type … Continue reading

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Wedding Morning (Part 2)

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Amy and I really wanted to wear sarees to the wedding. I looked into renting them but it did not seem possible. I also thought about purchasing one, but everything was so last minute that we didn’t have time. We … Continue reading

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Pre-Wedding Fun! (Part 1)

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When I had previously been to Agra, I became friends with Govinda and Dimple Gupta and their two boys. The family had diligently been preparing for and planning their niece’s wedding. Over 1500 people had been invited and the event was … Continue reading

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Travel Soulmate

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I have been friends with Amy since we were about 5 years old. Amy and I have always wanted to travel together but we were never able to make it happen. I was beyond thrilled when she told me that … Continue reading

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City of Joy

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I loved Kolkata (Calcutta). The people were friendly, the food was great and life seemed pretty easy. However, I think my favorite thing I did was spend time at the Rabindra Sarovar park. There were all types of free activities … Continue reading

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Root Institute

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While in Bodhgaya, I spent time at the Root Institute, a Buddhist meditation and teaching center. I had read in my new Lonely Planet guide (which is digital and amazing!) that the center had 6:00 am meditation classes every morning. … Continue reading

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Bodhgaya

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I love not having any plans or much of a timetable while traveling because I end up in the most incredible places. I was recently in Bodhgaya, the place where Prince Siddhartha sat under the Bodhi tree, attained enlightenment and … Continue reading

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