Jodhpur, the Blue City

Trip Start Dec 26, 2008
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Trip End Feb 06, 2009


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Flag of India  , Rajasthan,
Saturday, January 17, 2009

Even though we've only done it once, I've got used to showing up at new places, picking a random guest house from the Bible (aka the Lonely Planet) and getting a rickshaw driver to take us there.  Our arrival in Jodhpur was no different, and we found ourselves in the Haveli guest house, right in the heart of the Old Town, at 11.30 last night with a room that is costing us 800 rupees.  Ted was hoping to have got something cheaper, but it's in a really old building, with a view of the fort so we couldn't complain.

Breakfast on the roof top restaurant set us up for the day, which found us heading to Meharangah Fort.  Even from the outside it looks pretty impressive, hanging on the edge of a cliff and dominating the town below.  My ankle has been feeling much better, so we decided to walk up there - it was a fairly steep climb, but make it we did and headed in.  Right at the entrance, we bumped into a couple of girls who we'd first seen in Agra, when they were on the back of a rickshaw and when we were walking back to our hotel. We got chatting with them and it turns out they are Canadian - from Saskatchewan!!!  Monica has been living in Nepal for the last year and her sister, Jaclyn, has been volunteering there for the last three months. They are travelling around India at the end of their time away, before heading back to Canada.  We ended up hanging out with them most of the day. 

It was them time for a little shopping, so the four of us headed down to the bazaar.  I've gotten used the bargaining now - it's practically second nature - and so I managed to pick up a few good deals.  There were stalls and stalls of bangles on display, and the colours, again, were phenomenal!  We actually learned on the fort tour that colour plays a very important role in Rajesthani life - more so than in other parts of India - with different colours meaning different things, such as class and events.  I was pleased to finally understand why everything  is so much more colourful!

A hard days shopping required a chai and water stop, and after that we said our farewells to the girls, with promises to meet up for drinks in Udaipur, our next stop.

And so Ted & I have headed back for some r&r before our 7.30 bus in the morning, another adventure which I am greatly looking forward to (having both agreed that the sleeper bus may be pushing the experience a bit too far!)

Do I ever want this to end?????
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