Our train from Jaipur to Jodhpur was cancelled because of the oil refinery fire near the route. So, we ended up taking our bus to Jodhpur instead. It was an eight hour ride, which reminded us of why we wanted to take the train in the first place. When we pulled in to Jodhpur, it was obvious even at 2 AM that we had lucked into a great place. The nice hotel was a foreshadowing of the fantastic tomb and fort combination we were to see the next morning. The hotel buildings were new, done in sandstone, with courtyards separating the several buildings in the complex. Each courtyard had a peaceful nook to hide in and drink tea, and the swimming pool was set into the patio almost perfectly level with the pool deck, as if the pool were part of the patio. The rooms were grand, the bathrooms included a walk-in closet, and there was a broadband connection in each room. The hotel was built by the royal family on a disused polo grounds. Polo is big here. One member of the local ruling family from 100 years ago led the India Polo team to several international victories, all along wearing a style of pants that bears the city's name.
The next morning we visited the tomb and fort complex. The tomb was build by the widow of the deceased king. The tomb itself was decent sized, but the real attraction was the setting. The tomb was at the top of an outcropping perhaps 1,000 feet above the Blue City. In one direction you could see the most massive fort in India, with walls 100 feet high and looking as if it had been carved right out of the stone it rests on. In the other direction, you could see the whole city filling in the valleys between outcroppings, and you could see that certain neighborhoods have been painted Periwinkle Blue.
It was impossible to tell where rock ended and the fort began. The wall extended straight up out of the stone, and only about half way up did you begin to see signs of living space behind the walls, mostly windows and terraces that extend out over the walls. There were no arrow slits or other trivial defenses, only pockmarks left by Jaipurian cannonballs. At one point the ramp into the castle split in two, with the main road leading back down to the city, and the a hairpin left turn that would be hard to notice at ramming speed leading further to the castle.
Jodhpur fort had the best knickknack shops we have seen so far. I found nice playing cards and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita written in English on one side and Sanskrit on the other. A couple others bought cards or miniature paintings.
We walked down from the fort through the old town to our bus. The Jodhpur old town was busy and crowded, but not that bug. Our local guide (Sanjay was still with the Jaipur group) did take us to a local rug merchant, where we listened to a 20 minute sales pitch,the only hard sell we have received on the tour so far. We had lunch then scooted to the airport, where we rode Kingfisher Airlines (probably owned by the same group that makes Kingfisher beer, but hopefully not fueled by Kingfisher). On the aiplane we met the six of us that had stayed the extra day in Jaipur and were taking the same flight to Udaipur (through Jodhpur) as we were. Both local airports were nice, clean and peaceful, not at all like Delhi airport or any of the train stations we have passed through.
The next morning we visited the tomb and fort complex. The tomb was build by the widow of the deceased king. The tomb itself was decent sized, but the real attraction was the setting. The tomb was at the top of an outcropping perhaps 1,000 feet above the Blue City. In one direction you could see the most massive fort in India, with walls 100 feet high and looking as if it had been carved right out of the stone it rests on. In the other direction, you could see the whole city filling in the valleys between outcroppings, and you could see that certain neighborhoods have been painted Periwinkle Blue.
It was impossible to tell where rock ended and the fort began. The wall extended straight up out of the stone, and only about half way up did you begin to see signs of living space behind the walls, mostly windows and terraces that extend out over the walls. There were no arrow slits or other trivial defenses, only pockmarks left by Jaipurian cannonballs. At one point the ramp into the castle split in two, with the main road leading back down to the city, and the a hairpin left turn that would be hard to notice at ramming speed leading further to the castle.
Jodhpur fort had the best knickknack shops we have seen so far. I found nice playing cards and a copy of the Bhagavad Gita written in English on one side and Sanskrit on the other. A couple others bought cards or miniature paintings.
We walked down from the fort through the old town to our bus. The Jodhpur old town was busy and crowded, but not that bug. Our local guide (Sanjay was still with the Jaipur group) did take us to a local rug merchant, where we listened to a 20 minute sales pitch,the only hard sell we have received on the tour so far. We had lunch then scooted to the airport, where we rode Kingfisher Airlines (probably owned by the same group that makes Kingfisher beer, but hopefully not fueled by Kingfisher). On the aiplane we met the six of us that had stayed the extra day in Jaipur and were taking the same flight to Udaipur (through Jodhpur) as we were. Both local airports were nice, clean and peaceful, not at all like Delhi airport or any of the train stations we have passed through.
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