Living like royalty in Jodhpur
Trip Start
Dec 05, 2004
1
8
25
Trip End
Jan 17, 2005
Jodhpur,
India
Wednesday, December 15, 2004
Our destination for the afternoon was yet another fort - Meherangarh Fort - the Maharajah no longer lives here, he lives in another palace which we visited the next day for tea
Have I met my man? Umaid Bavhan Palace
! High on a rock (125m up) this sandstone fort was added to by many rulers between the 17th and 19th century. Kipling described it as "the creation of angels, fairies and giants". We took a guided audio tour around this ornate palace, with intricate latticed windows, elaborately carved panels and porches. The views of Jodhpur were spectacular - known as the 'Blue City' because of the predominance of blue painted houses (originally only painted by the Brahamin caste but now a feature of the city). Of course, Jodhpur is known for the riding trousers originally designed here, but I have to say I didn't see any of these for sale in the bustling market below the fort. We paused for a while for lassis and fresh juice in the chaos of the market - all the usual smells and sounds and madness - quite a lot of beggars here. Apparently though there is a 'begging' mafia in India which decides who can beg and what their patch is.Actually a few of the things that I've observed over the last few weeks were present in the hustle and bustle of the market. Men in India often walk along holding hands or with their arms around each other - initially we imagined that there was maybe a gay scene in the areas we were visiting, but in fact it turns out that men being affectionate with each other in public is a sign of friendship. Women and men being affectionate in public is frowned on in more conservative and rural areas
Living the high life -tea on the terrace
. Whole families are often seen piling onto one motorbike (of which there a thousands) with little toddlers perched on the front and mum perched side saddle in sari on the back and maybe one or more children too! Also children as young as 5 (sometimes younger) wander around by themselves in traffic congested or filthy streets. The younger ones play fearlessly near the open sewers and the horned cows, pigs and goats, their mothers sometimes are in the street too washing clothes on a rock by the door or the wells or preparing vegetables on the pavement outside for the evening meal. You never see a pushchair in India and some of the younger children carry around the babies down the street, not a nappy in sight on any of the babies - the street is just fine! The babies have black kohl drawn around their eyes so that the evil spirits don't take them - as they only take beautiful babies. Saying all this, washing your body is very important for Hindus and regardless of your 'social' situation, you wash twice a day and of course visit the temple (women often do the 5am sitting or visit whenever they can).Michelle and I left the others and explored the non-touristy market, before braving a big main high street (pavements rarely exist in these cities) and dodging the oncoming traffic crossing the street - the trick is to just walk and not change speed and pretty much everything and everyone manages to swerve around you
Opulent interior of Fort
. We have become somewhat professional at it, along with mastering the technique of using the smelly Indian toilets (not so easy in a Salwar Kameez), if we can find one! We had dinner in a 'real' Indian restaurant, not a tourist in sight. It had been recommended to us and we sat alongside lovely (non-hassly) Indian families whilst I had a very spicy thali (no cutlery available here!) and Michelle had a South Indian dosa (a huge crispy pancake type thing rolled over with potato madras inside and a shambar sauce). It was lovely!The next day, we took it easy, reading in the garden mostly and catching up on emails. In the afternoon, we lived it up like maharajah's and went to the current living quarters of the royal family of Jodhpur at the Umaid Bavhan Palace. Most of this beautiful palace is now a luxury hotel. Perched on a hill (at the bottom of the hill was a tented slum), it commands lovely views over manicured gardens of the the Fort in the distance. Walking through the high domed entrance hall, we felt like imposters (although we'd dressed up for the occaision!). Sipping expensive drinks, afternoon tea and later dinner (I had fish and chips - why not!), we sat on the marble verandah attended by smart turbaned waiters. It was a fabulous escape from the over sensory stimulation of India. The tranquility as the sun set, without the fumes, the dogs barking, the wailing from the temples, the constant beeping of horns - total tranquility - it felt like being on holiday! The other 5 star guests seemed unaware of the India we had been seeing - one couple on a 6 month honeymoon around the world were only staying in the absolute best hotels and sent out for whatever they needed (Cadbury's fruit and nut) - so it is possible to see India in a completely different light. The upmarket India. We were actually quite sad to leave the hotel!
