Blogs from Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, Asia
A Tale of Two Cities; The Pink and the Blue
Published: April 22nd 2012Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jodhpur
April 22nd 2012
Rajasthan; India’s desert state. It’s everything one might expect from a desert, especially at this time of year in the searing pre-monsoon heat which makes the land arid and void of colour. Nonetheless, Rajasthan is the most colourful state of all India, for the people paint the landscape here. Our train passed though many small settlements where the women and men alike appeared from a distance as many-coloured, iridescent marbles, reflecting light and drawing the interest of our foreign eyes. The saris and turbans are subject to careful colour coding relating to age, marital status, caste, mood and even season. Upon closer appraisal the married women wear florescent pink scarves, tucked at the waistband and hanging over their faces as a veil to protect from harshness of the Indian sun. Beneath the cloak is a crimson ... read more
March 25th 2012
Sunday 25 March 2012. Our guide, Britham, was waiting in reception. He was a very cool looking dude with dark glasses about M's age. Our first stop was the Meherangarh Fort. This massive fort dominates Jodhpur's skyline and stands on a rocky outcrop above the city. Mr Barun drove us through the Nagauri Gate and dropped us at the car park. This was as far as we could go by car so we walked the rest of the way up the steep hill to the Jai Pol entrance which is the first of the fort's seven defensive gates. The walk up to the gate was boarded on both sides by tall stepped walls. Britham informed us that this was where the elephants stood in order to be easily mounted by their passengers - a kind of ... read more
Udaipur to Jodhpur & Sheth Anandji Kalyanji Jain Temple
Published: March 31st 2012Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jodhpur
March 24th 2012
Saturday 24 March 2012. We were collected from our hotel by Brave Loins and Mr Barun for the drive to our next overnight stop, Jodhpur. This was our first exposure to prolonged driving on the Indian roads. We left Udaipur and joined the toll road out of the city. The toll booth was a little primitive to say the least - no traffic light controls and electric barriers here. Labour is so cheap it is more economical to do it manually. One guy sits in the hut and takes the money. Then he signals to the boy who then drags the barrier (which is like sign on four wheels with STOP emblazoned on it in 50cm high letters) out of the way to let us pass. We only stayed on this "good" road until we left ... read more
JODHPUR- Die geheimnisvolle Stadt aus dem Horoskop
Published: March 14th 2012Asia » India » Rajasthan » Jodhpur
March 14th 2012
Vor ungefähr 15 Jahren habe ich in meinem Horoskop in einer dämlichen Frauenzeitschrift gelesen, dass die Stadt, die angeblich am besten zu Personen mit meinem Sternzeichen passt, JODPHUR heisst. Ich hatte damals keinen blassen Schimmer wo diese exotisch klingende Stadt liegen könnte, aber bei der Planung unserer Reise habe ich mich komischerweise an diese persönliche Prophezeiung erinnert. Jetzt sind wir also in Jodphur, mal schauen was diese Stadt den Skorpionen und Nicht-Skorpionen dieser Welt so zu bieten hat. Zuallererst Hitze, einen prima Wechselkurs für den Euro und ein nettes Haveli- Hotel mit Swimmingpool direkt am Fuße des riesigen Forts, das auf einem 120 m hohen Hügel über der Stadt thront. Als dann noch das vorzügliche Mittagessen auf der Dachterrasse unseres Haveli mit "Fort-View" serviert wird, kam Jodphur meiner Vorstellung vom Himmel schon recht nah, vorallem ... read more
March 12th 2012
by Polona Jodhpur As I am writing this, Jan and I have been back from our travelling for almost a month. It is funny how all of this, the whole trip seems to be ages and ages away. We are about to return to London and I even start working tomorrow! Unheard of! We do owe you a brief summary of our last week though, I know, long overdue. So here it goes... After the Colour festival and after spending longer in Pushkar than intended (I was a bit ill) our next destination was Jodhpur. The only reason we went there is to see the fort the city is so known for. We took a very, very early bus to take us to Jodhpur, but we regretted it soon - the road was really bumpy and ... read more
March 11th 2012
Rajastan masodik legnagyobb varosa, kek hazakkal, eroddel es az oratorony kornyeken egy olyan piacbazarral ami 500 evvel ezelott is ugyanilyen lehetett. Leszamitva a kaoszt meg tovabb fokozo motorizalt jarmuveket, gondolom annak idejen megoldottak tevekkel meg bivalyokkal. Mar a kaoszfokozast. A Govind hotel jo valasztas volt, tiszta, jo hangulatu szobak es egy zuppa etterem a tetoteraszon.... read more
March 10th 2012
10.00 Hours Thursday 08 March It’s HOLI. So were do we start. There are all kinds of preparations already done as I come down stairs. Loads of food and sweets. Lots of colored power everywhere. And then it just kicks off with people throwing the powder everywhere and I mine everywhere. All over any one that moves no matter if in the house or out. Oh and there’s a lot of water thrown about to make the colour stick I did cover myself in oil before hand to try to ease the clear up job. There is an awful lot of alcohol – Beer, Whiskey and Rum to mention a few. You have to drink it the Indian way I am told, that’s from the bottle that someone else holds. Anyway we did a not so ... read more
March 10th 2012
09.00 Hours Friday 09 March After the madness of yesterday it's a late breakfast and see what we can do about getting to Udiapur. I always knew that this leg had to be done by bus as there is no train south to Udiapur. I speak to boss in the Durag Niwas and he tells that there is a bus at 14.00 hours and he will look into it. He returns to tell me they are all full , everyone returning home after Holi. He will call and see if there are any cancellations. i sit and wait and drink chai. He comes back at 13.20 and says he got me a sleeper (during the day?) but who cares we are on the bus. Off I go after saying goodbye to my fellow Holi revellers. I ... read more
March 9th 2012
08.00 Wednesday 07 March After a late night to bed it's up early to check the guesthouse over. I made a good choice following on from the great arrival welcome last night, I have a big room with double bed a sheet and blanket. Doors on to a verandah and a table and some chairs. Also a large attached bathroom with plenty of hot water. I am given the usual soap , 2 big towels and toilet paper. Down to breakfast of cornflakes , eggs on toast and chai. The guesthouse is 30 minutes walk to the centre of the town (The Clock Tower). I make my way over the railway footbridge and dismiss the rick drivers on the other side and carry on walking towards town. I walk through the markets to the far side ... read more
March 7th 2012
08.00 Wednesday 07 March , 2012 Planning, Forward thinking, Horizon scanning all go into the mix when you plan a journey. Unfortunately none of the above is aces in my pack. Jaisalmer to Jodhpur is 220 miles and most of it is through the desert, so what happens when a train speeds through the desert. Yep DUST and not just any old dust SANDY DUST. Sleeper class is not AC, and on the back of that is not a sealed carriage. It has an outer grill and an inner window – none of which are tight. In fact the draught is like a dyson exhaust. We have all been on the beach on holiday somewhere and someone has walked passed half pissed and kicked sand in the air and your sandwiches and you got covered. Well ... read more
