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Published: December 24th 2007
Jodphur
Day 8 & 9 of Rajasthan Tour
A 5 hour drive past countless open mines and hills where they are chipping away at the rock to make bricks for building, we arrived in Jodphur, population 800,000. Quite clean really, Lonely Plant says it is full of rubbish and open sewers but we are yet to see this, I mean there is always rubbish somewhere in every town in India, but here its not everywhere.
We have thoroughly enjoyed the food in India so far and have been eating mainly vegetarian. At tourist restaurants you can buy a kingfisher, like NZ$3.00 for a large bottle but nothing else. I have had some Indian Rum at one local restaurant but it tasted horrible. We are not keen on trying their ice cream, as it is not served with cream, hot chocolate sauce or chocolates. Other desserts are not enticing, e.g. rice pudding. They have heaps of sweet shops but they are like cookie dough and too many flies hanging around for my liking. Carl enjoys the odd Mars bar although once opened the chocolate is many patches of pale brown - but apparently tastes good.
It is illegal
to kill and eat any animal except chickens and goats, this is why there are so many cows roaming the streets. Our driver calls them the ‘Road Boss’, they walk out in front of traffic, walk the alleyways alongside the people, rest outside shops, they have no grass and only feed on cardboard, they are undernourished and some are skin and bone. Dogs are the same but they bark all night. It just seems so unnatural to us for a cow to be in this type of environment, but yet in India so natural now. They kill and eat the goats which, of all animals, are the ones that eat anything and I would have thought could reduce their rubbish problem. We have passed sheep and deer running wild our in the desert, not sure what they eat. We found out that whilst we were ordering mutton which we thought was sheep, but no its goat, although it tastes exactly the same.
This place seems more prosperous than others we have visited in Rajasthan. Maybe it is due to many mines just out of town, but there are some quite grand houses around, grand as in 2 story brick
with iron gates and balconies. There are still the poor people living around the town on vacant dusty lots, they come and knock on your car window when you are stopped at lights, wanting money. Its sad, they live under rags held up by sticks and the clothes on their backs. People light fires everywhere on the streets to keep warm. You are driving past and children are at the side of the road outside their houses around little fires with their blankets and shawls wrapped around them keeping out the cold. Or in a square with shops all around and men are squatted down around a small fire at the side of the road with blankets around them drinking Masala Tea.
Sights Visited the Clock Tower where the central local market is, but we got hassled too much…….”come into my shop”, “come into my shop” “come into my shop”…. So ventured further down the street and hid in a rarity, a department store. It is very small but multi storied and being local has fixed prices. Same old system, write you a docket, you take it to a cashier and pay, he stamps it then you go
to the pickup counter to exchange your docket for your goods which the sales assistant has just run 5 floors down to drop off (right behind you) Its like the sights - purchase printed cardboard ticket only to have it ripped in half 30 seconds later by someone else, why not just pay at the door and let you in.
We spent the morning at Mehrangarh Fort, now we have seen lots of forts so far but this was the best. The painted rooms were amazing, but the best thing was they had an Audio guide - yes no tip! Normally with an Indian guide you come out with limited knowledge of the place you just visited due to our understanding of the Hindu language. The only things you normally pickup is this is the courtyard, this is a reception room, and these are the weapons…the rest is lost. Before 1947 Rajasthan had 25 kings and the history here goes back hundreds of years, so it’s like hundreds of kings, it’s all too confusing. Most common words spoken to us by an Indian guide so far is MIND YOUR HEAD as we step under another 5 foot doorway. Anyway
Drink Stop
Carl and driver stopping for Masala ChaiI recommend the fort, it is more expensive than most sights, like 500 rupees (NZ$16) for 2 but it’s worth it and there are no hidden costs.
It is amazing how much design detail they put into everything, the handles of their weapons, their shields had gems and were engraved, their paintings. Even now we have visited a few painters and they paint like in dots, such detail, we saw one painting where the tree was made up of 17000 dots and it was only 3 x 4 inches approx. .
This was definitely a highlight - on the drive out of Jodphur we stopped at a village in the Bishnoi region, where they do not kill any animals or chop down trees they actually protect them. We visited a family and their house, normal brick covered in dried cow dung, thatched roof, inside a rail which the clothes were slung over, stretchers pulled out to sleep (see photos), wheat stored in large container, small inside fire, thatched verandah under which a bigger fire for cooking, stone bench, and nothing else. An open doorway to a back room which is covered in hay, where they care for their
Bishnoi Family
Their house, at night they pull out the beds and sleep animals. So we sat down, had some tea, drunk some opium water, chewed some opium gum - as you do! No smoking it, no getting high, they use it to warm themselves, medicinal purposes, they believe if they have it day and night it makes them strong and they have no health problems - that’s the men that is. I was waiting for the hit but it never came.
In Vietnam hotels they give you toiletries daily, like comb, toothbrushes, sewing kits, etc, and I had kept the toothbrushes for India in case we needed to brush the crap out of our toe nails, and combs, well no idea why I kept those. There was a boy at this house who wanted pens, as they do, but I had none left, so I pulled out a comb and gave it to him, next appeared his sister, and I gave her another comb. They asked for one for their 2 year old brother…non left….I know…a toothbrush. So I went to the car, open the boot and my god what the hell …who are all these kids ….where did they come from! I had like 10 kids around me who had
been out the back getting ready for school, I could not see faces just arms, hands and fingers. As I pulled out my toothbrushes and combs, they were grabbing and snatching and screaming …me….me….me. Oh, it was not just the kids either, the mother and grandmother joined in as well! No idea what we are going to do if we stand in the middle of a warm mound of cow dung in our sandals now.
Next stop….pen shop.
Accommodation Review We are staying in Newtons Manor, a guest house, around the corner from the hotels. Guest houses are not our scene but it’s OK and got to meet people around the dinner table and listen to their travel tales and get tips. Bedroom is big enough, bathroom cleanish, sat TV, fridge, free internet (but no ability for skype or uploads). Has a bath that I would even have a bath in, but don’t. But the winner is the bed it is only queen but it’s SOFT! Took the NZ$42 room as it was lighter than the cheaper one at NZ$34. It’s quiet in the morning with some dogs barking occasionally and a very distant temple. We have
found we are not spending our limit of NZ$100 per day, the food is just so cheap, even with tipping, guides and entrance fees. That will be the lack of alcohol! So we can spend more on accommodation.
They have 2 set meals, 1 vegetable and 1 chicken but would not recommend eating here, nothing to rave about.
Newtons Manor Driver Update Driver recommended the hotel, they had rooms within our budget and clean. No guides required here. We believe we have a good driver, he has not done anything to make us suspicious or feel he is pressuring us, he is excellent.
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mona perdue
non-member comment
Newtons Manor
We stayed in Newtons Manor at the recommendation of our driver and found it just fine for the price. I was wary of the electrical wires about the room and the outlets, but found in subsequent trips to India, this is pretty normal for such places.