Jodpur known as ‘The Blue City’, due to nearly every building being painted different shades of blue, is vibrant and full of history. It was our last stop in Rajasthan so we didn’t have long to explore, but we definitely made the most of it!
Not too far from Jaisalmer, Jodhpur is in the Thar Desert, so don’t be surprised that the temperatures can reach new levels! We stayed at the Cosy Guest House which was right in the mix of it all and had two very friendly tortoises who lived in the roof top restaurant.
Getting there was an experience and a half, we opted for a local bus which was incredible. When you thought all the seats were full there would be locals sitting, squatting and standing in the aisle and when you thought there was literally nowhere else, you heard the tipper-tapper of footsteps on the roof. We would have loved to have seen it from the outside, but you weren’t getting off anywhere till the last stop!
On the day we arrived we headed straight to the Mehrangarh Fort. This majestic fort is located on the border of Jodhpur, towering over the city below. It creates an amazing skyline when looking towards the fort from the city, and visa-versa provides an amazing view of the sea of blue below.
The Mehrangarh Fort is one of the oldest and biggest in Rajasthan. Built by Indian ruler Rao Jodha around 1460 it has since been converted into a museum. In the museum you will find stunning paintings, weapons and some pretty impressive royal palanquins (or Sedan Chairs as they’re known to us Brits!).
As well as exploring the museum you can visit the Chokelao Gardens, these gardens are beautiful and a great place to sit and relax. Get an audio guide when your wandering around, it’s the only place we did and didn’t regret it!
After leaving the fort we headed over to the Ghanta Ghar in Sardar Market, however be careful of the local animals on the way! We came across a not very happy bull while walking down a side street which lead to us hiding in a door way for about five minutes before he decided to move on!
Once we finally arrived in Sardar Market it was buzzing, full of locals and vendors going about their daily business selling or buying spices, sweets, clothing and jewellery. In the middle of the market is Ghanta Ghar, known as the Clock Tower of Rajasthan, an old city landmark which towers over the market. You may have seen Big Ben, but you ain’t seen nothing until you’ve seen Ghanta Ghar!
The next morning, after stuffing our faces with delicious banana and Nutella pancakes (a firm favourite of ours while travelling Rajasthan!) we hopped on a sleeper bus to start out journey down to Goa, now that was an interesting experience! Find out more in our next post about our adventures in Goa…
Sister Sister Travels 