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Published: December 12th 2007
After nearly a month of being in India, I decided it was time to do some traveling and I convinced my friend Homyar to join me. Rajasthan is one of the northern states known for its beautiful havelis (palaces) and its fierce warrior class of people, the Rajputs. Rajasthan is also known as the most colorful state - everywhere you look women are dressed in vibrant, brightly colored saris, men proudly walk the streets in colorful turbans, even the fruits and vegetables add a splash of color to this barren landscape. Half of Rajasthan is in the Thar Desert, which stretches into Pakistan, and it’s common to see camels and elephants walking along the streets. Camel carts are used to carry heavy loads. No matter how many times I saw it, it was always a thrill to see a camel or an elephant gracefully strutting by. One time, as we were driving by, an elephant walking along the road picked up a man walking next to him with his trunk! The man was yelling for the elephant to put him down - it was quite a sight! 😊
The first stop in our tour of Rajasthan was the small town
of Jodhpur. We stayed in a beautiful haveli (palace) that had been in the family for 7 generations. As we entered the haveli, a woman dressed in a flowing pink sari greeted us with a wide smile. We were led up 4 flights of stairs to a room filled with beautiful Rajasthani paintings on the walls and lush orange fabrics draped across the windows. The rooftop restaurant had a fabulous view of the city and served excellent food 😊
The major sights of Jodhpur are the Meherangarh Fort and Umaid Bhavan, which is a palace still inhabited by the current Maharajah of Jodhpur. The arduous climb to Meherangarh Fort was the perfect excuse to explore the city. We walked through small winding alleyways full of smiling children who waved hello to anyone who looked like a foreigner. Along the way, frequent spots gave way to beautiful aerial views of the city. Jodhpur is known as the blue city - Brahmin households were painted blue to differentiate them from the others.
Walking along the streets, we spotted all types of animals trotting along - donkeys, cows, horses, warthogs, goats, camels, and an occassional elephant!:D The array of goods in
the market was almost overwhelming - from socks to bangles to firecrackers, everything you can think of was available. Not to mention the food - freshly-squeezed juices, lassi, samosas, cachoris, mithai, peta, pani puri, and the famous omelette man. A board outside his shop boasts that he goes through an astounding 1,000 eggs a day!
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g-)
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breathtaking structure
Hi Jen, Glad to see your blog updated. I love some of those old buildings...those stairs are amazing. g-)