1.16.2011

The Pink and Blue Cities

After leaving Agra we headed into the state of Rajasthan. Our first stop was Jaipur, known as the Pink City due to the pink color of the buildings in the city. We again enjoyed the plush accommodation of a Tident hotel thanks to our generous friend Lisa. Our hotel was directly across from the Jal Mahal, a fort that just seemed to float in the middle of Man Sagar Lake and at night even more so.

Floating Mahal

Surrounded By Dark

I had been told by friend of mine, Ravi, Rajasthan was the land of forts. And until we arrived I wasn't quite sure what to expect, but we saw first hand how stunning these forts are. The first fort we visited was the Amber Fort, about 10 km outside of Jaipur.

The Amber Fort

Fort Passage

Inside the Walls

We spent a few hours wondering through the various passageways and visiting the hundreds of different rooms. You could get lost if you weren't paying attention. After the Amber Fort we took our hired auto rickshaw to another fort.

Weathered Colors

Super Meter

We arrived at Nahargarh Fort, which while not as well preserved as the Amber Fort still provided excellent views of the city of Jaipur below.

Rooftops of Jaipur

Doors and Windows

Above Jaipur

From there we headed back down into the city and spent some time walking through the City Palace, which after seeing the ancient forts wasn't as exciting as we had hoped. We enjoyed our time in Jaipur, it had a much nicer feel to it than Agra, and we continued to enjoy the Trident's treadmill for our daily runs.

Chandra Mahal & The City Palace

The next stop on our Rajasthan tour was Jodhpur, which interestingly enough is the origin of the word jodhpurs, the riding pants. For our 3 days in Jodhpur we were staying right in the heart of the city in a surprisingly quiet former resident of a famous aristocratic.

Haveli Inn Pal

We really enjoyed walking the streets of Jodhpur. There was so much to see and so much going on each time you ventured out there was always something new.

Bicycle Built for Two

Nai Sarak

Modes of Transportation

Walking Through

Minutes from our doorstep was the Sardar Market, which you could find anything from spices to saris and plenty of fruits and jewelry in between.

Colorful Market

North Gate

Street Mechanic

Hot Dishes

Vegetable Isle

Tea Time

Sardar Market

Once out of the market we wandered through the narrow streets lined with colorful buildings. Of course none of the streets are labeled and some were barely wide enough for 2 people, but everyone was always friendly and would help point you in the right direction.

Neighborhood

Street Colors

We wandered all the way up to Mehrangarh Fort which sits high above the town with a very commanding presence.

Mehrangarh Fort

Mehrangarh Fort Walls

From the fort we had a great view of the aptly named Blue City.

The Blue City

The Blue City Pano

From Mehrangarh Fort we walked to Jaswant Thada, a beautiful marble tomb that also sits on a hill overlooking Jodhpur. The marble structures in India have been breathtaking. They are so intricate and the way light hits marble you just can't take your eyes of them.

Warm Marble

Inner Jaswant Thada

Jaswant Thada

On our way back down we ran into 3 kids just getting off school decked out in their school uniforms. As soon as they saw my camera they were so excited, cheering "photo, photo" so they let me snap a few shots and in return they just wanted to see their photos on the back of the camera.

Schools Out

School Gang

We rounded out our stay in Jodhpur with a relaxing evening on our hotel's rooftop terrace with a great view of the fort.

Mehrangarh Fort and the City

3 comments:

  1. Beautiful country..city so dense. How is food? What is time period of forts. Love the blog. Barbie

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  2. I have LOVED keeping up with your adventures. The pictures are breathtaking and both of your descriptions and tales are like keeping up with a novel. Safe travels!
    Lacey (Erin's friend...)

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  3. Barbie, Yes the cities are a mass of buildings with small paths and roads cutting through them. The forts range in age, but usually were from around 1400 to 1700.

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