Jodphur, the Blue City

Jodphur, the blue city, has made me fall in love with India.

The blue city is much bluer than the pink city was pink, everywhere I turn in the old city of Jodphur I see a blue (more periwinkle really) building.

It is the typical city...noisy, busy and people everywhere. Yet, something here has been different.  Some might say that it is because I have gotten used to the culture, and that might be partially true, but the fact is I find this city and the people here charming.

Our first day we just checked into our guest house, which is a family home with several rooms.  They are still doing renovations, so to get down to the internet cafe portion of the guest house is like going through a maze of unfinished rooms. Each time we have come down we have taken a different route, and yesterday I got lost trying to get back to the room.  Even with the renovations the place is perfect for the city, a great location and a lovely family.

After checking in we took the afternoon to venture out and see the old city.  With the maze of little streets I was quickly turned around, but thanks to Andrew’s homing pigeon instincts we found the clock tower and Sadar Market. As with most outdoor markets this was a chaotic mix of fruits, vegetables, clothing and junk.  If you want you can buy your underwear from one cart and at the next your potatoes for dinner, gotta love it!

It is to be noted that I love markets, not shopping as most of you know it isn’t my thing, but I love watching the people.  Markets are always a great way to get a feel for a culture, and I love a chance to watch people in a community interact.  After about 30 minutes walking through the market though, we were a little tired of all the offers and touts, so we decided it was time to find a place for a late lunch.

With a suggestion from the LP Guide we climbed up five flights of stairs to the rooftop restaurant Jharokha at the Hotel Haveli.  Instantly, we knew this was going to be a place we would like...away from the street noise, a great view of the fort, and a lovely setting all around...but the deal was sealed with my first taste of the cheese naan… I knew it was to be our restaurant for our stay in Jodphur.

Day two in Jodphur had us up early to head back to the Hotel Haveli for a traditional Rajasthan breakfast (so we were told) of samosas, aloo parathas, and curd with honey. With our tummies full we began the hike up to the majestic Mehrangarh Fort.

Now, I want to say I enjoyed the Amber Fort in Delhi, thought the Agra Fort was amazing, and was impressed by the Amber Fort in Jaipur...but the Mehrangarh Fort in Jodphur is above and beyond the others in my opinion.

The fort is still run by the Maharaja of Jodphur Gai Singh II. Several years ago he decided to open it up to the public and has put great effort into restoring the original fort and cleaning up the area.  The audio tour was excellent, great historic detail without being too verbose, plus it included commentary from the Maharaja and others involved with the conservation efforts.

We spent a few hours exploring the fort area and the historic gardens, Chokelao Bagh, that are currently being restored.  I was pretty excited to see my first ever banana tree with a bloom and bananas growing. Yes, I am easily amused…

After a spectacular morning we headed back down to the old city for Andrew to find the much talked about lassi that is served at one of the stores in the market area.  We find the place and go in...before we even sit down two lassis are plopped in front of us. It reminded me of the Seinfeld episode with the soup Nazi...be sure to read Andrew’s version of this as I’m sure it is humorous.

In the afternoon I talked Andrew into going out to visit the palace. It wasn’t high on his list of things to do, but I thought it sounded spectacular.  Well, let’s count this as my one disappointment in Jodphur. Though it is amazing from a distance, we were only able to see a small portion of the structure since it is still a home and now a hotel as well. I guess you have to be willing to pay the $1000+US a night rates if you want to get a real view of the place.

Oh well, we decided to drown our sorrows over the palace experience with some wonderful dishes at the Hotel Haveli and watch the sunset on the fort.  Two cheese naans, one garlic naan, shahi paneer, mutter mushroom, and pot of tea later and the disastrous trip to the palace is forgotten. In fact we were in such good spirits after the meal, I was even able to convince Andrew that we were up to a night walk through the market. Of course after eating all that food, we both needed it.

This morning it was another hike up to the fort on route to the Jaswant Thada, the Taj of the west as some here call it.  It is a memorial that was built to Maharaja Jaswant Singh II in 1899 by one of his wives.  It is a beautiful marble structure that sits atop a hill and is surrounded by trees and a lovely lawn.  The early morning sun made for amazing photos.

On the walk back down into the old city Andrew had his first run in with livestock, quite a humorous event, but I will let you read his first hand accounts in his Jodphur posting.

The rest of today is set aside for just enjoying the city.  Of course a hearty lunch is in order and then a light dinner...we might have eaten a little too much last night.  Early tomorrow (February 3) we catch the train for our last stop Jaisalmer which is supposed to be an amazing city in the sand.

For more on our visit to Jodphur, read Andrew’s The Blue City...it is amusing.

Posted on February 02, 2009 at 1:52 AM

Comments

 

Kara Kate!
I was just roaming through the internet and found this site!! I am so excited to find out about your trip.  I’ll just have to experience these travels through you - my most adventurous cousin!
Continue in fun and safety.
Love you - you’re in my prayers!!

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thanks you very mach

By Astroloji">Astroloji on 04/13 at 03:04 AM

 
 

I heard about Jodphur many times but I didn’t got chance to visit it. After reading your article i feel like roaming in Jodphur!!1

By Tableware">Tableware on 09/01 at 03:57 AM

 
 

Hey this is absolutely nice information. I was searching for something agnate like this. Thanks for this advantageous information.
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