Jee Ri Haveli Jodhpur

... paint their house blue if they choose. Looking down from the mountain the effect is quite beautiful, and you can see all of life played out on the rooftops of the city. Men and women drying huge saris just dyed, children flying kites and playing, meals being prepared and eaten, work being done, and the occasional spot of relaxation. You also hear the sounds of the city floating up, children laughing, music, drums and prayers.

The shrine is lovely, and the ...

... never come up.

We hiked from our guest house, up to the fortress Meherangarh, via the same route that the Maharajah would have. He, of course, would have been riding his Elephant and not slepping a rucksack like I was. The photos below will take you up, into the fort, in a sequence, through the multiple layers of defense and through the various gates once used to protect the King and Kingdom. At one point near the final gate we passed the hand ...

... alleyways, we pulled up in front of the hotel. A big burly man came out and said to Yaarit 'Oh, you must be the Israeli girl'. He said it in a way that did not sit well with me nor Yaarit. We got the feeling that he did not like Israeli people. We drag our bags into the hotel and ask to see our room because we just want to put our bags down and settle in. He tells us to sit down. We reluctantly agree, after ordering a water and a pepsi. He immediately tries to get us to ...

... much better with a spring in our step. Jodphur, what we have seen of it, is a city that seems to go on forever. It's streets are similar to most other cities in India. The people are different though, the woman being more approachable while the men seem a little more laid back too. I particularly like the colorful turbans that they wear here. My favorite was an illuminus yellow number which an old guy was sporting! The women ...

... Half Blood Prince (we had been craving Harry Potter for a while but had to date found nowhere which sold the 6th book weirdly). Our evening was spent in a restaurant with Jamil and his rather odd friend and before long we realised that we might actually be on a double date with the boys drinking from a hidden vodka bottle under the table!!!Not quite the evening we had planned so we made a hasty retreat feigning tiredness at about quater to ten. The following day ...

... as the person who was supposed to leave the room is sick and cannot go. He promised to upgrade us the day after. The roof terrace has an unbelievable view on the Meherangargh fort.

We have noticed that body gas is nothing to be ashamed of in India. A guide burping loudly when explaining the story of the Maharajah or the grandma owning the guest-house letting one rip as I am writing this post .It seems totally normal.I should try it, just for the craic.

... an apt name as most houses in the old city are shades of blue. This is particularly noticeable on the north side of the town. It is also known as the "Sun City" as it is literally on the edge of the Thar desert and it is very hot almost every day of the year. We headed up to the Mehrangarh Fort after breakfast. This was absolutely brilliant and one of the highlights of Rajastan for us. This massive fort is the same colour as the hill ...

... Crammmed rooms. The staff sleeps on the floor in the back of the building. And get this, the pharmacy is an open-air, garage style store separate and next door to the hospital. Here is the shocker--They roll maria into the operating room. The doctor and anesthesiologist go into the room and I wait outside. I start to relax, all I can do has been done.....let it go. Not. A woman in traditional Indain garments walks out and hands me a slip with about ...

... equipped with several knee-length blouses and a head-scarf, so we shall see if this helps me to blend in with the locals and avoid the many stares. I am not hopeful, being at least 6" taller than all Indian men and almost a foot taller than the women. Oh well! My current best tactic for getting locals onside is to watch the Bollywood version of MTV, learn some of the songs (with matching dance moves) and then show them off - this has won me several friends ...

... to my merciless chai-touting - "just come in! for one second! i'll make you chai!" i shout down the stairs, where she's in her own apartment, trying to get ready for work. she usually delays it for as long as she can, then eventually trucks up the stairs with a sigh, smiling as she kicks off her shoes and enters, responding to my tenacious offers with the typical indian response, "well, only if you're already making some..." so many things to love about india. so many things. it's shocking.