The Blue City

Last weekend I finally had the opportunity to explore Jodhpur. Not the tourist route I did on my last trip here in 2011, but exploring the backstreets, the hidden gems of the city (of course with help from a local). I tried my best to remember the route so I can return to the same chai stand and temple but in reality, we followed a maze of hectic, vibrant and far too similar streets that it would be near impossible. I'm so happy to be back in the India I remember - chaotic, vibrant, enchanting.

We began with a trip to the water reservoir, a popular destination for the locals trying to escape the afternoon heat. I was so envious of everyone splashing, swimming and climbing through the inflatable tubes. The scenery was surprisingly beautiful - the lake had historical walls surrounding it, and the Jodhpur Fort looming over it. From here, we walked through the old town; the buildings are ancient and have been passed through generations within the same family. The sense of community was immediately visible - as obvious 'intruders' were constantly asked who we were, where we from, and we saw many groups of men inside playing old games. The architecture revealed the past extravagances of the city disguised by the recent decay, with empty houses that are now the property of the government.

We were then given a dessert tour of the city. I heard that Indian desserts are notoriously sweet but wow! My personal highlight was gulab jamun, which I was surprised to hear later was a cheese-based desert. It looks like a dumpling and tastes like sticky toffee pudding but better. The stall we went to was apparently the best in the city, so I need to make a mental note of how to get back when I inevitably reach a brick wall with the curry.  We found an amazing chai stand too. Chai is Indian tea which is made of black pepper, sugar, water, milk, tea leaves, ginger, cardamom and to me is India. On trains, every 20 minutes you will inescapably hear "CHAI CHAI CHAI CHAI CHAI" and splash out 5 whole rupees (not even 6p) on this heavenly sweet'n'spicy drink.

We then visited a temple during a ceremony, which was another amazing Indian experience. The smell of incense and candles, the harrowing echo of clashing music - separate chants from all corners of the room - and the ringing of bells aroused all of my senses and I was truly mesmorised.


I was enchanted by my first Bollywood experience, I had jaw-ache from trying to stop myself smiling. We went to see a film called Raanjhana, which for me was exactly what I expected of a Bollywood film - Hindu vs. Muslim love story, singing and dancing. I understood the film quite easily despite it being in Hindi (apart from 'oh my god' and 'I love you') and no subtitles. My favourite experience was being part of such an enthusiastic audience. I am used to laughing in the cinema, and once or twice I have been in the cinema when people clapped. But throughout the film, the audience would erupt in hysteria and applause (I have heard about the booing too), it was a brilliant crowd.


The following afternoon we went to the fort gardens, which has a spectacular view of both the fort and the city, where I could properly appreciate how blue Jodhpur is. We climbed up to the wall and sat admiring the paranomic 360 degree views. The fort has been built into the rock, and the closer I looked the more I appreciated how amazing the architecture of the building.