An action packed day today that started with a tuk-tuk ride to the Jaswant Thada, a monument built by Maharaja Sardar Singh of Jodhpur State in 1899 in memory of his father, Maharaja Jaswant Singh II and serves as the cremation ground for the royal Rajput family of Marwar. It is built of marble which become translucent when the sun shines on it, creating quite a spectacular effect when inside. Locally, the monument is sometimes referred to as the mini Taj Mahal. The grounds offer great views if Jodhpur below.
From here we tuk-tuked a little further up the escarpment to the 15th century Mehrangarh Fort, which looms very large over the city 120 metres below. Kerry had decided to not risk aggravating her Achilles on the steep walk up to the top of the fort so she waited below at the bottom of the fort walls in a little cafe with Anant. She preferred to save her legs for the other activities planned for the day. The rest of the party took to elevator up to the fort proper and with our guide proceeded to wander around the fort museum for an hour and a half or so. There were some interesting artifacts on display along lots of typically “eastern” architectural features in the doors and windows. I like that mystical, Aladdin-esque style. Through the obligatory gift shop I went to exit the museum, even stopping to buy Kerry a little golden, material elephant which will get a showing on the Christmas tree each year. I never buy thing in gift shops so this was a rare event worth mentioning. Down the steep, cobbled road I went, through a couple of big gates until I reached the coffee shop where Kerry sat.
After all of “Brown’s cows” came wandering in we continued with our guide further down the cobble-stoned road, through yet more gates until we reached the famous “Blue City”. This is a quirky feature of Jodhpur which the travel guides make more of a song and dance about than is really justified. It’s nothing much more than a part of the old town located at the base of the for walls where many (but by no means, all) of the buildings are painted in a shade of blue. The guide didn’t explain why this was so. Up and down the very narrow lanes we wandered for 20 minutes until we came to a little square which was a hive of activity. As has often been the case so far in northern India, the lane-ways carry plenty of pedestrian traffic and plenty of motorcycle traffic. One needs to have one’s ears constantly listening for approaching motorcycles, even in the smallest of carriage-ways. The lane-ways, in little culverts that run both alongside and across each lane, also carry the waste from the houses they adjoin, if you get my drift. You sort of get used to it, I suppose. Just don’t step in one accidentally!
At the little square we took a frantic fifteen minutes tuk-tuk ride down tho the main market square when an ornate clock-tower stands. This is sort of the main reference point for all things in the old-town. Here we all had a Lassi, a curd/yohgurt drink for which Jodhpur is famous (but Lassi’s are available all over India) before venturing out the market gate to the “new” city. Found an ATM, as the cash was running dangerously low, and then grabbed a samosa at a very busy samosa shop. The vegetable and spice filled pastry was very good and hit the spot. We just stood on the street and munched away, just as the local were doing. Eating “street food” can be a risky business in India for foreigners but we were assured by Anant that this was a good one. From here we walked twenty minutes through the chaotic traffic to our rendezvous point for the next part of the day.
Two little open-top, open-walled jeeps turned up and we scrambled in for a visit to a couple of villages forty minutes out of Jodhpur. We had little flat cushioned seats to sit on arranged down either side the jeep’s rear tray and a roll-bar of sorts to grab on to when winding our way through the traffic. Our comrades in the second vehicle didn’t get the upgraded model with the roll-bar. Out of town we went, stopping for the occasional cow on what is probably the major road into Jodhpur. Just off the main drag we pulled into a little place where pottery is made in the traditional way. The chap had this massive, horizontal stone wheel which pivoted on a fulcrum made of I don’t know what which he got rapidly spinning using just a wooden pole inserted into a hole in the stone wheel and turning the wheel until it flattened out at the correct velocity. Done right, the stone wheel will keep spinning for up to an hour. He effortlessly churned out a couple of items and Anna tried her hand as well. We bought an incense stick holder for just 4 bucks to support the business.
Deeper into the bush we went in search of some wildlife. The jeep drivers took us down some sandy, dusty tracks where we found some Blue Bull grazing on the shrubs and some antelope lounging in the shade of the trees. Next we visited an elderly gentleman in his straw and dirt floor hut who proceeded to demonstrate for us the traditional opium tea making and drinking ceremony. I we weren’t the first group for whom he’d demonstrated on that day. Finally, a stop at a place where traditional rugs are made on an ancient loom rounded out or visit to the Bishnoi villages. A necessary detour in the way back forced us to drive through some other villages. The kids playing all smiled and waved as these white foreigners trundled through their home streets. As kids do, they all raced off down the road behind the jeeps trying to catch another glimpse of us.
Back to the highway we went and back into the traffic of Jodhpur, watching the blood-red sunset as we went. Ten minutes from home our jeep was flagged down by another motorist pointing at a rear tyre. Our driver pulled over to discover a quickly deflating tyre. Our second vehicle came along and we all managed to squeeze in their, minus Anna and Anant who took a tuk-tuk. After a beer to wash the dust from the throat we went to a nice, quiet pizzeria just next door for dinner. The wood-fired pizza made a nice change to the India cuisine which had been par for the course for almost four weeks now.
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