Day 5 of Rajasthan trip – Manvar Camp, Jodhpur

This morning I woke early and listened to breakfast being prepared, sat outside and watched the sunrise over the desert. A man with turban, barefoot, with child perched in front, came dashing in on a black horse. Not sure if he was late for work, adding to the desert effect or simply dropping in for coffee.

We wandered up for breakfast – kids enjoyed the hard boiled eggs and Claire was all over the oatmeal. Our luggage was collected via camel cart, and we rode out of Manvar Camp with our French friends, Sebastian and Cecile (from Nice) via jeep.

Back at Manvar hotel we met up w/ our driver and left for Jodhpur, a relatively short drive. As we traveled the area grew more populous; we passed through more villages and a hodge podge of activity in each. In Jodhpur we checked into the Shree Ram Int’l, greeted with red dots on the forehead for hospitality and small glasses of coke. The kids aren’t into the red dot thing, but they were all over the coke. (I wonder if they serve all guests coke or just us burger eating/coke drinking Americans?)

Our guide met us in the lobby and off we went to yet another fort -- Mehrangarh Fort, this one not a living museum.

Mehrangarh Fort is set high on a hill, a very tall, large sandstone structure. (It rises out of a 410 ft high rock). We took the elevator to the top, where we got an even better view of the blue city, so named for its many blue homes, painted for coolness -- the heat gets REALLY intense here – 120+ F.)

Founded by Rao Jodha in 1459 (and added to by later rulers), the fort has a wall around it as it was attacked so additional reinforcement was deemed necessary. Inside didn’t have the same mazelike feeling of the previous fort – some narrow passages but overall structure was more open. (FYI on fort construction: most have narrow passageways and low doorways for a couple reasons: defense -- the tight spaces make it harder for armies to infiltrate quickly, low doorways force men to bend so they’re better targets for having their heads cut off. The lower doorways also help minimize sand influx during sandstorms.

An art exhibit was set up in one section, nice variety of abstract and traditional-style paintings.

The fort’s meeting rooms stood out in my mind, rich in décor, containing pieces from various reigns – thrones, cushions, photos, etc. The men’s parliament room had a balcony area where women (family royalty) could sit and watch presiding, sending paper messages to the Madrajah via messengers when they wanted to share an opinion.

We saw two or three courtyards; the architecture surrounding them was gorgeous – mix of Islamic and Hindu. Apparently the miniature paintings we saw in the fort were also a mix of Islamic and Hindu technique (different colors, different ways of depicting faces, etc.). Swords and weaponry, elephant seats, seats to carry ladies by hand (palanquins (?), including one that was huge and opulent, requiring 12 men to shlep and other museum pieces. Portraits of leaders were done in profile, style of the times.

In one courtyard – Shringer Chowk – is the coronation throne of Jodhpur rulers. Every man after Rao Jodha was crowned in it. (The current king was crowned at 4 years old as his father was killed in a plane accident.)

In one room (the Miti Mahal or Hall of Private Audience) the ceiling is decorated w/ mirrors and golf leaf, crushed seashells were mixed w/ plaster to give the walls a lustrous shine. (Note: 1 of the rulers: Maharaja Takhat Singh – reigned from 1843-73 and had 30 queens and numerous concubines. Yipes.
On the way down the fort we saw holes where cannon balls had damaged the walls in an attack.

We were hit up by vendors as we exited, one who showed us tie-dye scarves, a little different than the colorful versions we create. Knots are tied, then a particle of fabric is popped off. He showed me how to tie the scarf on but I passed on purchasing. The next vendor showed his fabric stamping technique to the kids and stamped their hands w/ henna flowers, which made their day.

From the Fort we stopped at Jaswant Thada, the 19th century cenotaph of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. It's a marble memorial (e.g. Taj Mahal) and fine lattice carvings throughout. The Maharaja is renowned for his innovative irrigation systems, which helped bring water and prosperity to the land. The locals apparently still offer prayers and flowers at the shrine, and cenotaphs of subsequent rulers/family members are also located here.

After lunch we wandered through the market for a look at the clock tower, built in 1912. It serves as center of the market and city. We stopped at a little crowded cafe known for its lassis (a sweet milk-based concoction – kind of custardy/milk shake-y, which was very good).
Here’s wikipedia’s definition of said drink: Lassi is a popular and traditional Indian drink originating from the Punjab region. It is made by blending yogurt with water, salt, pepper, ice and spices until frothy. Traditional lassi is sometimes flavored with ground roasted cumin. Lassi is also available as sweet with sugar.
Next up was a stop at a tea and spice shop for a demonstration of both – got to sniff all kinds of stuff and try a special blend of tea traditional to Kasmir. It was lovely.
We wandered the market (Sardar Bazaar), and saw so much it was hard to absorb – fruits and vegetables that I did and did not recognizes, scales of all shapes and sizes, tons of jewelry, a dozen varieties of rice, piles and piles of dried fruit, linens, the list goes on and on. I just love wandering the market – not so much to buy but to check it all out.
Later, after dinner in our hotel courtyard, we were asked if we’d like to see a magic show – couldn’t say no to that. A turbaned gentleman in white brought out a big gym bag with magic supplies and set up in front of us (just us – nice private show). He made a coin turn to stone and vice versa, 2 coins drop from Jai’s pants and a flower appear before my eyes. The best act – the last – was when he made 3 chickens (?) appear – kids got to pet them and let them perch on their arms.