This is Jodhpur, Rajasthan. The Blue City. The Sun City. Gateway to the Thar Desert. And just look at that thing looming above us! A gigantic fort dominating the skyline of the entire city. Holy moly, it’s like I’m in a fantasy novel. It’s genuinely breathtaking. Mehrangarh Fort — “The Sun Fort” I’m a bit gobsmacked a human-made structure like this exists. Visiting Mehrangarh Fort was definitely one of the highlights of my trip to India so far. It is a colossal, impregnable 500-year-old fortress of the Maharajas of Mewar. A brutal and imposing exterior with opulent royal chambers within. Pigeons and small green parrots flit in and around this desert titan. And it completely overpowers the skyline of Jodhpur's old, blue city. Rudyard Kipling, after visiting the fort, famously described it as “the work of angels, fairies and giants”. He’s absolutely right. Royal treasures from the Mehrangarh Fort museum collection The Sun Fort also probably has the best audio tour I’ve done in India. The tour was fascinating throughout, with a modest but carefully curated royal museum collection. The best “exhibit” was the sleepy old man with a hookah kit who let us sniff a tin of opium powder (still a favourite of rural Rajasthan despite its illegality). “Good for digestion, good for sleep, good for sex,” he told us. Blue, soothing Jodhpur Some chill, blue views of Jodhpur, Rajasthan. Forget about Chefchaouen in Morocco! Here’s an alternative travel destination for your azure-cerulean-sky-blue-Instagram fix. Jodhpur has a lot going for it (the food in the main market area is cheap and great) but it’s also one of the grungiest places I’ve been to so far in India. The trash problem seems worse. The stray dogs seem meaner. The scooters are a little more aggressive. Many streets are redolent of fecal matter and burnt rubbish, and open defecation (a perennial public health challenge in India) is more visible here than elsewhere. I’m not bothered very much by this kind of stuff anymore, but keep it in mind if you’re planning a visit! Additional Jodhpur highlights (1) The epic Toorji Ka Jhalra (Toorji’s Step Well) where the tourists come to take photos and the locals come to smoke ganja. Indian stepwells are the best. (2) Jaswant Thada, the marble cenotaph and cremation grounds of the Jodhpur royal family. Dubbed the “Taj Mahal of Rajasthan” and you can see why. (3) The bustling Sardar Market, which has excellent fruit juice, desserts, samosas, and a very, very good omelette shop. (4) The Mandore Gardens, located on the city outskirts. The former ancient capital of the Jodhpur State, the gardens contain the stunningly sculpted cenotaphs of various dead and forgotten maharajas. It was also completely free to enter when I visited — a rarity for such a peaceful, well-preserved heritage site in India. An addendum... Black cowboy hats seem to be all the rage for Indian male tourists in their own country. There are 'English Wine Shops' and 'German Bakeries'. Packets of instant noodles populate the shelves in little hole-in-wall convenience stores. Every shop seems to have the same bland Arial font for their storefront retail signs. As I walk past bored shopkeepers, they call out to me and try to guess my nationality. "Konichiwa!'" they say, "Ni hao!" Some even think I'm Nepali or from the North-eastern states of India based on my tanned backpacker's complexion. As my bus rumbles along the highway at night, I see Rajasthani men huddled around the fire with bottles, the only sources of light in the pitch-dark countryside. What stories are they telling each other on this cold desert night?
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AuthorMing is an economist, traveller, and creative writer from Melbourne, Australia. He’s a nebulous collection of particles on the lookout for a good corner to sit with a book and a cup of coffee. Archives
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