Last Stop in India

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We arrived in Jodhpur after a very enjoyable train journey. We got a tuk tuk with no difficulties and were greeted by a lovely man and his family at the guesthouse we were staying at for the next 2 nights.

After a long lie, we decided to walk to Mehrangahr Fort. Our guesthouse was situated in the old town famously called 'The Blue City'. The buildings are painted a lovely colour of blue, however the reason is disputed among Indians so we aren't really sure why. The streets are narrow and lead you past open doorways where you can peak into family homes.

Mehrangahr Fort runs an audio tour which we paused a lot to sit and enjoy drinks in the cafe because it was pretty tough walking around in the desert heat, these breaks often came with more posing for photos with the locals who have caught on to the western selfie revolution. We also relaxed in the botanic gardens inside the fort, which is definitely the crown jewel in the heart of the blue city.

The history of the fort is very similar to that of the other Rajasthani kingdoms where the Maharaja still lives or owns the fort to this day but holds no political power. The highlight of the tour was posing as the maharaja and one of his brides for the cool price of 50 rupees (50p), while being stared at by around 30 Indians.

The next day we went on a tour of some of the local villages. We were able to try out some pottery, and met local people who make rugs and other textiles to sell at markets or government shops. We were also shown an opium ceremony at a Bishnoi village.

Bishnoi families are eco friendly Hindu families who live in separate villages and are known for their love of nature and animals. The village we visited was a farm that harvests once a year. The opium ceremony is apparently legal for Bishnoi families. They mix opium with sugar and water and then strain it through animal skin several times until it's ready to drink. We were initially told this is only carried out on special occasions, however we were later informed that it is a useful painkiller and helps with the long hours on the farm. So we left a little puzzled,

In the afternoon we explored the market then that evening we did the zip line tour around Mehrangahr Fort. A large group of Indian men (who were initially turned away as the places were all full) caused a scene to get on the tour before we could start. This can be quite common in India, where money pretty much gets you what you want. Eventually we put our harnesses on and headed off. As both of us have zip wired before we were pretty confident and were able to appreciate the stunning views of the fort and the city.

That night we had a relaxed evening on a rooftop restaurant right below the fort to celebrate the news that Marc achieved distinction for his masters in renewable energy engineering.

What a great way to end our adventure in India. We jumped on a train for the12 hour journey back up to Delhi where we quickly ran into the tourism office to pick up a package from a friend in Kerala before catching our flight. (The package was an article about Jeremy Corbyn in the Hindu Times- pretty interesting!).

Now here we come Sri Lanka!

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