Journey Across Southern India

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Saturday, 8 December 2018 - Arrived at Jodhpur Airport, and drove into the city to the chic Raas Hotel, a former palace. After lunch, took an afternoon stroll through the Blue City with our guide Vikram, exploring winding streets, historic homes, and vibrant markets including Sardar Market. Observed local life, artisans, and the colorful streets leading up to the palace reservoir, ending the day with dinner at the hotel and views of Mehrangarh Fort.

india2018 — Virginia Ann in the open air restaurant just after checking in.

india2018 — The hotel was a palace turned into a hotel. Some rooms were older and others were constructed in the last 20 years. We were in a new room.

india2018 — This is a view from the fort - our hotel is the big building with the blue top - our room was on the top floor on the right.

india2018 — Virginia Ann enjoys some time before dinner on our balcony.

You can see the fort looking over the city from the porch

india2018 — The hotel dining room lit up with torches. On the top floor is an open-air bar. Great food.

india2018 — After a delicious lunch, we take an afternoon stroll with Vikram through up the streets of the beautiful Blue City toward the reservoir of the Fort.

The city is known for the color of the homes - blue is everywhere.

india2018 — One benefit of having great guides is their knowledge of the history, culture and people of the area.

While the caste system is no longer practiced, the order of where people live is as it was long ago in relation to the Royals. Homes are right up to the palace wall. The Brahmins live the closest, then the Warriors, the Craftsmen and Merchants, then the Farmers.

india2018 — We wandered through the city streets and at every turn were pretty buildings - and doors.

Here is a bench and a window

india2018 — Old door framed in columns

india2018 — Blue with green portals

india2018 — One cannot help but be curious about the people living behind these doors. What is a day in their life like?

india2018 — Grand entrance

india2018 — Blue perch

india2018 — I stopped so many times Virginia Ann and Vikram have to pause to allow me to catch up

There are simply so many pretty pictures in the city

india2018 — We walked up to the reservoir for the palace (fort). The wall in the background surrounds the entire palace/fort.

india2018 — Curious how this door works - still pretty if not practical.

india2018 — Virginia Ann posing in front of a blue home.

india2018 — Tut Tuts, mopeds are everywhere.
Up and down the streets we wandered

india2018 — Interesting abstract of a city wall

india2018 — Layers of color to the front door

india2018 — Quite a load - this young man was moving smartly along the blue streets

india2018 — Typical home

india2018 — We saw signs over several doors designating the house as the home of the Soni Family, who were goldsmiths for the Royal Family. Their trade is now a memory, today, they hold other positions such as attorney, judge and dentist.

As we walk back down the hill through the winding streets, we see cows walking up the hill. Their owners let them out at the beginning of the day to eat, wander and explore and then they head back up the hill towards home at the end of the day.

india2018 — Interesting grill over this entrance - red and yellow

india2018 — Everything looks old even if the painting looks current

india2018 — Dust and blue house paint.

india2018 — A home on our walk - not a palace - a normal balcony on a home.

india2018 — Beautiful glass door to a home

india2018 — We happened along a bangle maker - his store was wall-to-wall bangles. We watched him make a bracelet out of resin.

india2018 — Ghanta Ghar, also known as the clock tower of Rajasthan, is in the city center.

It was built by Maharaja Sardar Singh (1880-1911) from whom the market takes its name.

india2018 — The Sardar Market - we spent the late afternoon walking around the market - one of us taking pictures and one off us is shopping.

india2018 — A cloth vendor showing samples to a group of women.

india2018 — At the bottom of the hill, we end up in the Sardar Market, which was abuzz with commerce. There are street merchants selling fabrics, trim, jewelry and produce. In some cases, there are lines of shoppers waiting their turn. They would rather buy from the merchant they like best rather than go to another merchant nearby.

The Produce Market was bustling as shoppers come every day to buy fresh produce because refrigeration is limited if not available at all.

india2018 — Colorful items for sale on the edge of the market

india2018 — Shopping for bangles

india2018 — The colorful farmer's market

india2018 — Colorful produce and colorful dress

india2018 — I wasn't really in the market for a rug but listening to the shop owner explain the art of weaving and how the village people make these pieces of art by hand was simply intriguing.

india2018 — The Clock Tower is colorfully lit up at night with the busy market still in full swing

india2018 — Bamboo for sale and the blue office behind the bamboo

india2018 — As we settled into the hotel and had a great dinner - this is the view from our room.

The Mehrangarh Fort towers over the city - this part is the palace living quarters. We will visit the fort and palace tomorrow.

Jodhpur has already become one of my most favorite India cities.

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