Jodhpur

  Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India
Sunday, January 25, 2009

We got up this morning to look for a place to have breakfast. We pass by the clock tower and its market getting ready for the day. We cannot find the place and end up in another one which is actually quite good.

Smoking opium

We then visit Meherangbargh fort (did you notice by now that bargh means fort?). The Jodphur maharaja lives there. There are many great things to see there. For example, the main wooden gates had huge iron spikes. They were used so that the elephants would not manage to get through the door.
You could also see an exhibition of palaquins. One of them was used many years ago for a visit to the UK. Everyone wanted to see the queen but she was hiding in her palaquin going from the limo to the hotel, ect etc. One paparazzi managed to get a picture of her ankle and it was in the newspaper. The issue had to be recalled so that it would not reach India. Big diplomacy mistake here!! The palaces were very nice with coulourful windows. It looked great when the sun was shining in. One palace had Xmas balls handing from the ceiling to reflect the sun.

Blue City

One km away was Jaswant Thada temple. Marble so pure it was nearly see through. Beautiful cenotaphs with a view on the fort. After that, we drove to Mandamore gardens, where there are remains hindus temples. You could see the great domes all engraved. Many Indian families come here to have picncs and get away from the madness of the city. A group of teenage local boys, all dressed really westernly with mask sunglasses asked us to go for a picture with them. They really looked like a boysband wannabe, posing and giving it loads. It was hilarious. We met a group of men along the way a few minutes later to be in the picture again.

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Everyone is saying hello when you pass by. Sometimes it is to catch you arrention to sell you something, sometimes just to say hi and where are you from (actually it is more: "which country"?) When it is a group of teenagers, they would say hello then the big mouth of the group would say something to the others in hindi and everybody cracks up laughing. We must look funny to them.

Indian boysband - les nouvo G squad

We ended the day passing by Unaid Bhawan Palace. It is a beautiful house, part museaum part hotel. We stroll in the bazaars near our guest house only to discover all the shops for the sarees. Women trying on multicolored textiles, it is amazing.

Shopping in Chanel