We woke up early, just before 5am, one stop before the Jodhpur station. Groggily jumping onto the train platform we wandered over to an auto stand, too tired to bargain and with no conception of how far away the hostel actually was, we accepted the Rs 300 fee, which we later ended up regretting, realizing we had been ripped off. Luckily when we arrived, the hostel had three beds available and we were able to check in early. We tiptoed into the room, three Indian guys still fast asleep in their bunks. Despite the AC whirring away, the room was hot, the heat sticking to every surface. Once we finally managed to fall asleep we were out and didn’t wake up until 11am, the burden of the overnight trains finally sinking in.
After officially checking in, we caught a local bus outside towards the city center. We were happy to have the chance to ride the bus as it allowed us a more intimate picture of what the city and its people. Despite no one speaking English, most went out of their way to help us. Plus, the bus was only 10Rs! After we hopped off, a small van packed full of people, mostly women and children, was willing to take us to our final destination, the Jodhpur fort, but we politely declined, realizing just how difficult it would be to make everyone squish even tighter to accommodate us. But we regretted missing out on what surely would have been an interesting experience. Instead, we found an auto driver who agreed to take us up to the fort for 90Rs.
The fort was perched on top of a hill, overlooking the whole city and had giant tall red walls. This fort is one of the largest in India and is quite well preserved with a museum inside, housing an incredible collection of arts, weaponry, dresses, textiles, etc. from the Mughal period. Despite the frustration of paying a 600Rs entry fee, the museum and fort were really quite beautiful. The best part was overlooking the “blue city” below. Hundreds, if not thousands, of boxy buildings, many coated in this brilliant blue color, sprawled out in all directions.
The temperature started to climb and at this point was over 110 degrees. The heat, dusty setting, style of buildings, it seemed very middle eastern and brought images of Morocco to mind. If it weren’t for the grueling sun, I could have stood looking over the city all day. It was crazy just how different Jaipur and Jodhpur were and how different they were from anything we had seen or experienced in the south. The women seemed to wear even brighter colors here and they draped the ends of their saris over their heads in a beautiful look. The settings seem much more Middle Eastern and Muslim influenced. Instead of temples everywhere there were forts, palaces, and mausoleums. Driving through tiny back allies and streets, we caught a glimpse of everyday life.
I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunity to do this trip to see and learn so much more about India and to have so many wonderful new experiences. Being completely on our own planning the whole thing or leaving things to chance, taking the opportunities as they come was another amazing opportunity.
Following the fort we visited the Jaswant Thada, an intricately crafted cenotaph (empty commemorative tomb) built in 1899 in honor of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The white marble and whimsical domes were breathtaking and the beautiful teal doors and shutters continuously caught my eyes. The place was peaceful and quiet. The front lawn and garden were exquisitely maintained and manicured and it was another beautiful overlook of the city.
An auto dropped us off at the clock tower, the center of the bustling old city, once we had finished wandering the palace. Sadhar Market, next to the tower, is a traditional village bazaar, not catering to tourists like some of the others we had seen, but rather to the actual people of Jodhpur. Vendors sold all types of vegetables, clothing, bangles, anklets, spices, Bollywood CDs, handicrafts, etc. No one hassled us to come see their shops.
We found a covered rooftop restaurant to escape the heat and ordered some mango lassis as we relaxed for a few hours, reading and journaling, before we grabbed dinner nearby. We sat outside in a nice little garden. Abby and I shared a vegetable jalfrezi, which was one of the best I’ve tasted. It was very spicy but the vegetables to gravy ratio was on point (soo important!). After dinner, though it wasn’t particularly late, we headed back to the hostel to read and pass time in our not so AC, AC room.
After officially checking in, we caught a local bus outside towards the city center. We were happy to have the chance to ride the bus as it allowed us a more intimate picture of what the city and its people. Despite no one speaking English, most went out of their way to help us. Plus, the bus was only 10Rs! After we hopped off, a small van packed full of people, mostly women and children, was willing to take us to our final destination, the Jodhpur fort, but we politely declined, realizing just how difficult it would be to make everyone squish even tighter to accommodate us. But we regretted missing out on what surely would have been an interesting experience. Instead, we found an auto driver who agreed to take us up to the fort for 90Rs.
The fort was perched on top of a hill, overlooking the whole city and had giant tall red walls. This fort is one of the largest in India and is quite well preserved with a museum inside, housing an incredible collection of arts, weaponry, dresses, textiles, etc. from the Mughal period. Despite the frustration of paying a 600Rs entry fee, the museum and fort were really quite beautiful. The best part was overlooking the “blue city” below. Hundreds, if not thousands, of boxy buildings, many coated in this brilliant blue color, sprawled out in all directions.
The temperature started to climb and at this point was over 110 degrees. The heat, dusty setting, style of buildings, it seemed very middle eastern and brought images of Morocco to mind. If it weren’t for the grueling sun, I could have stood looking over the city all day. It was crazy just how different Jaipur and Jodhpur were and how different they were from anything we had seen or experienced in the south. The women seemed to wear even brighter colors here and they draped the ends of their saris over their heads in a beautiful look. The settings seem much more Middle Eastern and Muslim influenced. Instead of temples everywhere there were forts, palaces, and mausoleums. Driving through tiny back allies and streets, we caught a glimpse of everyday life.
I can’t express how grateful I am for the opportunity to do this trip to see and learn so much more about India and to have so many wonderful new experiences. Being completely on our own planning the whole thing or leaving things to chance, taking the opportunities as they come was another amazing opportunity.
Following the fort we visited the Jaswant Thada, an intricately crafted cenotaph (empty commemorative tomb) built in 1899 in honor of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The white marble and whimsical domes were breathtaking and the beautiful teal doors and shutters continuously caught my eyes. The place was peaceful and quiet. The front lawn and garden were exquisitely maintained and manicured and it was another beautiful overlook of the city.
An auto dropped us off at the clock tower, the center of the bustling old city, once we had finished wandering the palace. Sadhar Market, next to the tower, is a traditional village bazaar, not catering to tourists like some of the others we had seen, but rather to the actual people of Jodhpur. Vendors sold all types of vegetables, clothing, bangles, anklets, spices, Bollywood CDs, handicrafts, etc. No one hassled us to come see their shops.
We found a covered rooftop restaurant to escape the heat and ordered some mango lassis as we relaxed for a few hours, reading and journaling, before we grabbed dinner nearby. We sat outside in a nice little garden. Abby and I shared a vegetable jalfrezi, which was one of the best I’ve tasted. It was very spicy but the vegetables to gravy ratio was on point (soo important!). After dinner, though it wasn’t particularly late, we headed back to the hostel to read and pass time in our not so AC, AC room.