May 2015

Location: In the outskirts of Jaisalmer, 42 Km from the main city.

Sam sand dunes are becoming the major attraction in Jaisalmer. This is the closest place from where you can loose yourself in 'the Great Thar Desert'.

Sam has a truly magnificent stretch of sweeping dunes, with sparse or no vegetation. The best way to get here, of course, is on camelback.

The Jaisalmer Fort is one of the largest fortifications in the world in the state of Rajasthan. It is a World Heritage Site. It was built in 1156 AD by the Rajput ruler Rawal Jaisal, from whom it derives its name.

Its massive yellow sandstone walls are a tawny lion colour during the day, fading to honey-gold as the sun sets, thereby camouflaging the fort in the yellow desert.

The fort has numerous eateries, including Italian, French, and Indian cuisines. It offers a unique shopping experience to its visitors. The narrow bazaar lanes are lined up with shops on both sides, offering a wide range of items including irresistibly beautiful handicraft items. Puppets and joothies are other popular items. You can also shop for a host of other items, which include textile, camel leather items, woven jackets, wooden boxes and ornaments.

A number of traditional Rajasthani handicrafts are available in Jaisalmer Fort . Jaisalmer is famous for embroidery, Rajasthani mirror work, rugs, blankets, antiques and old stonework.

It is also the only ‘Living Fort’ in the country. The fort is host to over 1000 families whose forefathers have been settled there by the Kings (Maharawals of the Bhati clan of Rajputs) some eight centuries ago and continue to live in the ancestral houses on the original streets and Paras.

A Bhaang Shop is near the gate of Jaisalmer fort, where Bhaang is available in the form of biscuits and milk mixed variety. The biscuits cost about 80 rupees. The milk bottle costs about rupees 360.

Chandipur, also known as Chandipur-on-sea, is a small sea resort in Baleswar District, Odisha, India. The resort is on the Bay of Bengal and is approximately 16 kilometers from the Baleswar Railway Station.

With the sea water receding approximately 5 kms during low tide and advancing to the shore during high tide every day, the Chandipur Beach offers a truly unique and captivating sight.

Watching the sea vanish right in front of your eyes and then observing its return is a very rare site. And to add more to this hide and seek of water, the Casuarina trees and creeper sand dunes seem to be swaying on a melodious musical note.

The beach is also in close proximity to certain other places of tourist interest namely Remuna, Panchalingeswar, Aradi and Chandaneswar. Considering its uniqueness, the beach supports a varied range of biodiversity. It's not rare to thus find a horseshoe crab or red crab crawling beside you.

While it's still not very well known among tourists who flock to its cousin beaches of Puri, or the temple destination of Konark, local tourists often visit Chandipur.

When the tide is in, locals trawl for small fish along the coast along the Budhabalanga river. The serene and peaceful landscape of Chandipur captivates the visitor.

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