Jodhpur the blue city
Trip Start
Nov 01, 2005
1
26
27
Trip End
Apr 30, 2006
Jodhpur, India
Sunday, February 12, 2006
The fort has a huge entrance with a steep road running through which turns abrubtly through 45 degrees, apparently to prevent battering elephants from getting a good run up to smash down the huge spiked gate. This turns again and opens onto a large courtyard overlooking a chattri and a line of ramparts jutting into the wash of blue homes far below.
The audio guide for the fort was really good and the museum has to be the most informative I've seen in so far in India. This makes it very popular with large groups of tourists, so it is not as atmospheric as some of the other abandoned forts and palaces in Rajasthan.
In the course of a conversation about how to get the best view of the city, I found myself agreeing to a ride on the back of a motorcycle to reach a temple on a hill. Despite the guest house managers careful driving, it was the second most scary thing I've ever done and spent most of it with my eyes closed so I couldn't see the oncoming traffic. So don't worry, I won't be doing it again! My leg was shaking so much that I thought we'd topple over and my efforts to point out the holes the road led him to turn completely around to see what I was saying. The views from the hill were striking, but for fear of another white knuckle ride I didn't mention that it was the view from the temple on the other hill that I'd wanted to see!
