Jodhpur
India
It took us almost 5 hours on a local bus to reach Jodhpur, the second largest city in Rajasthan, and the intensity hit us as soon as we alighted. Our tuk-tuk driver twisted in and out of the maddening traffic, somehow not hitting anyone or anything with his daredevil manoeuvres. The old town, where we were staying, was slightly less chaotic, but it didn't stop the motorbikes blaring their horns as they sped through the narrow, dusty streets. We found ourselves in a rabbit warren of alleyways that seemed impossible to navigate both with and without a map - it was a wonder that we ever ended up where we intended. The enormous 15th-century Mehrangarh Fort loomed over the downtrodden city, visible almost everywhere we went. The rest of the city matched the fort’s ancient appearance. It didn't feel like much had been modernised here in the last few hundred years.
Our first port of call was Jaswant Thada, a marble mausoleum and former cremation site for the Marwar royal family (former rulers of the Jodhpur region). Built in 1899, it is nicknamed the Mini Taj due to its opulence and craftsmanship. The marble exterior glowed in the mid-afternoon sun, while the imposing Mehrangarh Fort sat in the shadows behind it. Around the grounds were cenotaphs, portraits of former rulers and manicured gardens, each well maintained to honour the history of the site. Overall it was a small but stunningly beautiful monument.
The main attraction in Jodhpur is, of course, Mehrangarh Fort. However, unlike Jaisalmer's, this was not a living fort (in fact, it is still owned by the Jodhpur royal family). This meant there were hardly any souvenir stores, no street food and a distinct lack of vendors calling out to us. Perched on a vertical rock high above the city, it is a miracle that the structure was built at all, let alone survive all these years. It was a long, steep walk up to the entrance, where I discovered that almost everyone else had driven to the top of the hill. Once inside, we followed the tall, red sandstone walls around the expansive site, which contained a handful of buildings in a mishmash of architectural styles. Other than a small temple and a few cannons, there wasn't much to see around the sprawling grounds. Unfortunately it was a hazy day, so the views over the city weren't mind-blowing, but it was the first time we had seen the sea of blue buildings that give Jodhpur the moniker 'the blue city'.
Most of the sights (and the people) were located inside the fort’s museum, where we followed a one-way route through the multi-level complex. Featuring palaces, artwork, weapons, furniture and textiles, it was packed full of exhibits, along with tourists taking photos of every single detail. Because the site was so crowded, it was difficult to appreciate any of it. The fort was the most expensive tourist attraction we had visited in India so far. I'm not sure it was worth it.
Down the road from the fort was the Rao Jodha Desert Rock Park (Rao Jodha being the Rajput ruler who founded Jodhpur in 1459 and built the fort). Inside were a handful of informative, short trails that were more of an educational stroll rather than a hiking experience. The park was established to restore native vegetation, although most of the signs highlighted the different types of rocks in the area. From here there were decent views of the fort, but otherwise there wasn't much to hold my attention.
Just north of Jodhpur is Mandore Gardens, a site housing a 6th-century fort and the royal burial ground of the Marwar family. Mandore was originally the capital of the region until it was moved to Jodhpur in 1459. For us, the main attraction of the gardens were the cenotaphs, built out of sandstone and all slightly different to each other. Set in leafy surroundings with almost no traffic noise, the scene reminded us of the smaller temples around Angkor Wat in Cambodia. Another highlight of the gardens was the population of Hanuman langurs (black-faced monkeys) with their incredibly long, thin tails and dark faces. I was happily taking photos of them until one decided to bare his teeth at me in a menacing manner. That was the end of photographing the monkeys.
Our spare moments in Jodhpur were spent wandering around the old town on the hunt for the blue buildings that Jodhpur is famous for. Originally the Brahmins (priests) painted their houses blue to signify their high status in society. Later, others thought the indigo paint provided cooling properties to their dwellings while also deterring termites. Although many of the buildings have now been painted over, there are still pockets where the hue survives. Flocks of tourists had the same idea as us, so it was easy to follow the crowds to the most prominent areas.
On our meanderings around town, we passed by the central clock tower, the hectic Sardar street market and two stepwells (only one was open). Street food wasn't as common here as in other cities, which meant we had to eat at a restaurant most of the time. It seemed that 95% of the restaurants were on the rooftop of 4-storey buildings, each one advertising unobstructed views of the fort. Unfortunately, the menus were also upstairs - if the food didn't appeal, it meant trekking all the way back down the stairs to then climb up another building in search of a meal.
Everywhere we went, the friendly local kids would say, 'Hello, what is your name, what is your country?' before asking for a selfie. Danny was happily drawn into a game of street cricket with 3 youngsters, until the ball landed in a drain with a questionable liquid running down it. Danny refused to touch the ball again.
