Buses and Jodhpur

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So first the bus ride. Everyone drives crazily in all of Southeast Asia so I'm kind of used to it by now, but this bus ride was one of the most crazy ones! We were going ridiculously fast which was fine except our driver didn't slow down going around corners so we thought the bus was going to topple over! And one time he had to avoid a cow and we literally went partially off the road. Luckily he was able to get it back under control. Some of the other people in my group were really scared and just wanted to get off. But there aren't that many accidents and Intrepid wouldn't put us on these buses if they weren't relatively safe.

Today we had all day in Jodhpur. Leanne, Lianne, Lucy, Ana, and I went to the Mehrangarh Fort and Jaswant Thada. The fort was amazing! It's up on top of a hill and looks down on the city. There was an audio tour so we actually understood what we were seeing! We got a lot of information about the fort and the history of Rajasthan. The old city of Jodhpur (Brahmpuri) consists of mostly turquoise/blue houses. Supposedly it helps keep mosquitoes away. And it looks really cool! Jaswant Thada is a tomb built for one of the emperors and was really neat architecturally, just like everything here is. After lunch at a little tiny restaurant we walked through the market and then all of us except Ana went to the Umaid Bhawan Palace. It is the newest palace in the world, built only in the 1930's when the royal family moved out of the fort. Now it is half royal residences and half hotel. Tourists can only go into the museum. However, we asked the guard if we could go in to ask about prices and he said yes! I was actually surprised; I didn't think he would let us in since we aren't staying there. I guess the fact that we were 4 young white females probably helped... Once we got to reception they gave us a price sheet. Almost $1000 for the most basic room! I guess it is a palace... We asked if we could use the bathroom and they let us! So we got to walk through a little bit of the hotel. It was pretty magnificent! Very elegant looking and definitely fancy! We were impressed.

Jodhpur is more of a big city than Jaisalmer was. A lot busier! I preferred Jaisalmer, but I like exploring lots of new places! We're staying at the Haveli Guesthouse. It is alright but we don't have a window! I like windows! And of course no air-conditioning, but I expected that. There's another rooftop restaurant as well but the people here aren't very nice; they seem angry all the time. And the food isn't as good. And they charge 12.5% government tax that none of the other restaurants in Jodhpur charge. Lame... The view of the fort is nice though. Our Jaisalmer hotel was really nice! The people were very accommodating and friendly, especially at the restaurant, and the food was excellent! The views from the rooms and from the rooftop were really nice as well!

Now we're going to dinner and then tomorrow we have another bus ride! Supposedly 9 hours but it could be less. Should be fun...

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Photos

Mehrangarh Fort
Jodhpur

Audience Chamber
Mehrangarh Fort

Jaswant Thada
View from the fort