We left Narlai with Vikram at about noon. The morning had been fascinating especially having done the village tour with Lolo. Vikram said the journey would take about 4 hrs but in fact took about 3 hrs. It was a mixture of rural & main roads & the closer we got to Jodhpur then the more exciting it became. There were more lorries on the road & the majority of the time we were on single carriageway. A dual carriageway is under construction which looks as if it should be ready within 12 months. In the meantime you have to cope with ever increasing volume of vehicles, everyone jockeying for position, cows, goats & bullocks to name but a few of the hazards. However, we made it in one piece & arrived safely at our hotel. It was obvious from the housing that Jodhpur is a more affluent city but it still has it’s fair share of motorbikes, tuk-tuks & animals not to mention people everywhere. Our hotel is in the middle of the old part of the city & we had to go through the local, very busy fruit & veg market to get to it. The hotel is called the Raas & is fabulous—a real oasis amongst the hubbub of Indian life. From our room we have a great view of the Fort, for which Jodhpur is famous. We settled in, had a late lunch & generally relaxed. The climate here is certainly cooler in the mornings & evenings but day time temperatures are pleasantly warm. We ate dinner outside with our own personal brazier of hot charcoal to accompany us. The other accompaniment was the broadcast from the local mosque—which cannot be ignored. We have been surprised by the number of Muslims in India & last night the Imam was in garrulous mode. I have no problem with anyone following a Faith but I do object to it being inflicted on others by very loud loudspeakers.
Monday morning saw us out & about by 9h30 with our Guide Kunal. He took us to various points around the city & we were surprised to find that there is a wall dating from 14th century. It no longer entirely surrounds the city but did in the beginning. It is vast & you could almost be forgiven for thinking you were in China, such is the scale of it. From there we went into the fort & were regaled with all the beautiful buildings, wall hangings, carpets, armour, carriages etc. After several hours in the Fort we began the walk down into the town seeing local life & commerce at very close quarters. I can honestly say that at no point did we feel unsafe or the need to watch our pockets etc. Everyone is very friendly & the local children like to practice their English & have their photos taken. We were with Kunal for about 5 hrs & enjoyed every minute of it.
I will post some hotel pictures but will have to do the others from my phone—when it has recharged!
