Amphawa Floating Market, Samut Songkhram, Thailand

Amphawa Floating Market

Samut Songkhram, Thailand

Also see: FAM tour of Thailand

According to Wikipedia a floating market is a market where goods are sold from boats. Originating in times and places where water transport played an important role in daily life, most floating markets operating today mainly serve as tourist attractions, and are chiefly found in Thailand, Indonesia, Vietnam, Sri Lanka, Bangladesh and India.

Amphawa Floating Market along the Amphawa Canal, Samut Songkhram, Thailand

No visit to Thailand is complete without a visit to the floating markets. Thailand is literally dotted with floating markets. Bangkok alone host at least 5 floating markets in its vicinity and definitely Damnoen Saduak heads the list.

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Puri, Beyond Temple and Beaches

A FAM (Familiarization) tour of Sterling Resort Puri

See also: Sterling Resort Puri FAM

A morning stroll on the beach followed by a visit to the Jaganath Temple. Then a dip in the sea followed by a spontaneous lunch of mach bhat (fish and rice). An afternoon nap followed by a visit to the local market for bargaining and shopping. The finally the day ends with another meal of fish and rice.

Participants of FAM Tour of Puri along with the management and staff of Sterling Resort Puri

This is a typical day for a Bengali tourist in Puri. But Puri has something much more to offer than temple and beaches. Sterling Resort Puri offers an different experience of the age old pilgrimage.

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque, Adi Saptagram

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque

Adi Saptagram, Hooghly District

Adi Saptagram (literally meaning ancient seven villages) is a station on the Howrah – Burdwan Main Line and is the located just beyond Bandel. According to legend the seven sons of the King of Kannuj left their royal life and travelled all the way to Tribeni in Bengal.

Sayed Jamaluddin Mosque, Adi Saptagram

At Tribeni the river Bhagirati, a distributary  of Ganga, distributes into three parts the central is Bhagarati (often refereed to as Ganga). The one on the west is Saraswati and one on the east us Jamuna.

Tughlaqabad Fort, the third city of Delhi

Tughlaqabad Fort

The third city of Delhi

Tughlakabad is the most uncompromisingly militaristic ruin in Delhi, perhaps in all India. Ring after ring of rough – hewn stone walls thunder their way across the open plain on the deserted south – eastern edge of the city.

City of Djinns, William Dalrymple

Panoramic views of the bastions of Tughlaqabad Fort, delhi

The citadel of Tughlaqabad stretches over 6.5 km in circumference, the enormous structure complete with battlements and bastions dominate a stretch of the Mehrauli – Badarpur Road.

Temples of Para, Purulia

Temples of Para

Purulia

See also: Wiki Explores Purulia

Para is a small village in Purulia District located about 30 km north east of the district head quarters Purulia Town. Para lies on the route to Banda Deul, one of the most preserved ancient temple of Purulia District.

Brick Temple (front) and Stone Temple of Para, Purulia

According to historical records Para probably served as the capital of Panchakot kings and probably before that it was the capital of the Manrajas. Today only three dilapidated temples are the only traces of Para’s royal lineage.

Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat

Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat, Bangkok

A canal boat service in Bamgkok, Thailand

Also see: FAM tour of Thailand

Just watch your step when boarding and disembarking as they don’t stop at the pier for long. Pay the fare to the fearless helmet-wearing ticket collectors who clamber around on the outside of the boat, ducking at bridges, as it barrels down the canal.

Khlong Saen Saep Express Boat, Bangkok

This is Khalong Saen Saep Express Boat service. Mostly used by locals to commute to work, the service is cheap and you get to see the “backside” of the neighbourhoods, so to speak. Also, It is immune to Bangkok’s notorious traffic jams.

Raghurajpur, Heritage Village near Puri, Odisha

Raghurajpur

Heritage Village near Puri, Odisha

Every house in the village is a studio, which doubles up as a museum, and every villager is an artist, this is the Ragurajpur, the heritage village, located just 15km away from the popular tourist destination of Puri, in Odisha.

An artist in Raghurajpur displays a patachitra of triad deities of Puri – Jagannath, Balaram and Subhadra, Raghurajpur, Odisha

Situated amid coconut groves the village of Raghurajpur has two streets lined with about 100 + identical houses, whose outer walls are covered with the most intricate frescoes and murals.