Jodhpur

 Today our bus ride took us to the second largest in Rajasthan, Jodhpur. Known as the blue city for the neighborhood with blue painted houses, we would find both extreme tranquility and chaos all in the same day.

We stayed at The Ajit Bhahwan Palace Hotel.  The original part of the hotel was the Palace that served the Maharaja until the new larger palace (purportedly the largest in the world) was built.  The uncle then took the parlance and added on hotel facilities and it is now one of the nicest hotels in the city.

After lunch and checking into the room, we took the bus as close as we could go to the city center and then transferred to tuk tuks to venture into the heart of the action.  The open are moarket was selling everything from leather goods, to produce.  As with other places we have visited, dogs and cows roamed the streets along with a massive amounts of people.  We made our way through to less crowded streets to explore.  

We returned to our hotel for dinner.  We had time afterwards to work on photos for our critique the next day.

The next morning we arose early for a sunrise  shoot at a spot where the deceased Maharaja’s were cremated.  A short walk took us to a vantage point overlooking the city and also The Mehrangarh Fort.  This was perhaps the most peaceful moment we have had the entire trip, perched on a rock overlooking the still sleepy city.  

Our second critique was after our brunch ( we all agreed that the volume of food had been overwhelming, so we would skip lunch today.  India has provided us with so many excellent photography opportunities that we all had a wonderful variety of photos to show.

We had time for a short rest before heading back out.  Our first stop was at the above mentioned fort.  This fort is one of the best preserved forts in the country.  It’s managed by a national trust and has displays depicting life of the maharajas.  Many floors had been added over the centuries so an elevator had been added to allow quick access to the top.  The views were incredible and we could see the blue section of the city from this vantage point.  

The bus made a short journey to drop us closeish to the blue neighborhood.  Honestly, the narrow passages were lined with trash and feces from the roaming animals.  The people were friendly however, and we did have a chance for some good portraits.  Apparently covid had taken its toll on the beauty of the neighborhood which meant the visit was less than satisfactory for many.  We were invited in to a home to see how the people lived which was quite interesting.  The woman was an English teacher with relatives living in California.  The facilities were basic but enough for a decent life.  

Our return in the tuk tuks through narrow streets, avoiding people, motorcycles, and larger delivery trucks gave us a feel of the real India.  While chaotic, I never felt at risk for my life.  These people are problem solvers, moving motorcycles as necessary to get by.  We all made it safely back to our bus for our return to the hotel.

It seems on these trips that at some point we all crave pizza.  I guess it’s the comfort food of the traveler.  The hotel made an excellent mushroom pesto pizza which I split with a friend and also a simple pasta that we also split.

With the opportunity to turn in at 9 p.m., I finally had an extended rest which was much needed.

Tomorrow: Narlai