Bombay Hotel Jodhpur

We planned to visit the clock tower area of Jodhpur which has a market for the locals. We managed to reach the place by an autorickshaw. This place is really crowded, but you will get the essence of Jodhpuri culture in the numerous sweet shops around the area. We walked down the lanes through the narrow streets of the village at the foot of the Meherangarh fort. Here ...

... in the marble. <br><br>Afterwards we went to visit a pretty white marble cenotaph nearby, a memorial to a maharajah. Taking off shoes was obligatory so we hurridly scurried up the marble staircase and into the building, as the stone was excruciatingly hot from the sun. There we sat for a while taking respite from the heat. <br><br>The next sight to see was the sandstone palace over on the other side of the city. This was designed by the ...

... daughter, who was somewhat smaller than Judith. As Judith protested they put the blouse over her head, and pulling and pushing and laughing, finally pulled her arms into the sleeves. At one point the three of them as well as the observers are doubled over with laughter. Next came the skirt. Instead of stepping into it they pulled it over Judith's head.....at one point her arms were pinned inside the skirt, which was crammed ...

... temples including the largest Hindu temple in Udaipur as well as the temple patronised by the current royal family. Interestingly there are no Mosques in the town because the Mughals did not manage to conquer it. She also had a brief stop at the Fatehsagar (Victory) Lake, where she visited the Saheliyon Ki Bari which has lovely gardens and fountains which operate by gravity from the main lake above. Our afternoon was mainly ...

... so its easy to get lost. The roads are full of people, cows, rickshaws, motorbikes, carts, dogs potholes you name it its there, oh and me and jess are the two bewildered people in the middle of all the chaos attempting to stay alive. Our first day we went up to the fort which was beautiful, (got an audio guide as it was free, so touristy). The fort apparently also used to be painted blue but its all worn off which is a shame really as i imagine that would have been ...

... people who lived their, but the whole thing felt quite fake and not friendly. Jess and I played with the kids a bit, but they weren't very pleasant as children go, and they kept asking us for pens, sweets, money. Then one of the women invited us in for tea, which was nice enough until she asked us for money after. I was plenty ready to go when we did. We rode until about 3 in the afternoon, when it was getting ridiculously hot. Then we ...

... up to tour the fort. I met up with three other travelers, an Aussie, a Swede, and a Brit. Quite a varied group! The fort was really amazing, the best tourist atraction I've seen so far. It was really well preserved and presented and had a great audio guide. If you are ever anywhere near Jodhpur it is definitely worth the visit. Then the four of us stopped by a temple on the way back to the city, then went to the market and got some lunch. It was good to have some ...

... in Yangoon yesterday, I have sun poisoning. I decide not to go on the all day jeep safari today, hoping that one day of staying out of the sun will make it disappear, and I won't be handicapped by it any more. Have only had it once before, after being on a catamaran on the bay in Acapulco. As I recall, only staying out of the sun makes it go away. And, as I recall, one is increasingly susceptible to it as one experiences it. Had plenty of ...

... to drive here. A busy city with 1million people. The fort is the biggest and the best we have seen. The Maharajah did live very well and their customs and traditions were also interesting. We found out that Liz Hurley and Arun were holding their Indian wedding ceremony here tomorrow - wow, now that's a special place to get married. Anyway we are off to Udiapur, Pushkar, Jaipur and Agar over the next week.

... christmas carols. Then we went directly to stay in a village in an old heritage hotel. There are a few places like this, former homes of the local royalty who have now turned their big houses into hotels. The place was great, in a village called Chandelao, really, just like a mauritanian village, mud walls, mud patios, lots of sweeping in the morning. The kids are a little more aggressive though, actually ...