Mehrangarh Fort Blues: Friday, November 27th!

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Hi Kids! Here is a two-part account of stay in Jodhpur. Fort first, market next!

Have to dash as we are off to the desert to ride camels! Cheers, Patrizzio! Jodhpur: Part II

Day 30, Field Report:  Friday, November 27^th:  Jodhpur!

Up at 7:00 am after enjoying a grand sleep as the duvet was the thinnest we’ve had so wasn’t baking to death all night, although Lady Dar wasn’t as happy, preferring to sleep in sauna-like conditions whenever possible! Didn’t have to meet our guide until 9:30 am so I had a chance to digitate for a bit before showering and heading down for breakfast, a gannet’s tasty helping of baked beans, grilled tomatoes and a delicious masala omelette.

Back to the room to ready ourselves for the day’s outing and then once more downstairs to find Ashok waiting for us. We drove into town where we collected our guide, Sandeep, a cool dude, if ever there was one, sporting a fine moustache, bejeweled and bejangled, wearing jodhpurs and a wide-brimmed hat, he looked quite a bit like a dashing Rajashtani version of Pancho Villa.

First order of the day was to stop at an HDFC ATM for cold cash. We had to cross over a very busy thoroughfare and I remarked, once safely across the divided street I remarked to my companions that the task of dodging the steady stream of cows, goats, motorbikes, cars and trucks was almost more dangerous than robbing a bank! Sandeep enjoyed the observation! Pockets bulging with wads of rupees we returned to the van and drove towards Mehrangarh Fort, one of the largest forts in India. Built around 1460 by Rao Jodha, the fort is situated 410 feet/125 m above the city and is enclosed by towering, rather imposing, to say the least, massively thick walls.

However, our first stop was at The Jaswant Thada, “a white marble memorial built by Sardar Singh in 1899 in memory of Maharaja Jaswant Singh II. The Jaswant Thada is the traditional cremation ground of Jodhpur rulers. The grounds also include exquisitely carved gazebos, a beautiful multi-tiered garden, and a small lake.” The morning was wonderfully cool, with a slight breeze so we were most comfortable as Sandeep introduced us to the history of the city, some of its customs and the story behind the royal mausoleum. He left us to explore the multi-terraced grounds surrounding the impressive structure as well as visiting the interior itself. At various points along the way. local musicians played traditoinal instruments, choosing the music to fit the time of day. Man inside the memorial itself was playing a flute-like instrument and the acoustics were spell-binding. Views of the Fort, higher up, from the smoothly paved patios, were magnificent so I was able to snap away to my heart’s content.

Back to the van to drive the short distance to the main entrance to the Fort itself. There are seven gates, two of which include “Jayapol, (meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Man Singh to commemorate his victories over Jaipur and Bikaner armies, and Fattehpol, (also meaning 'victory'), built by Maharaja Ajit Singh to mark the defeat of the Mughals.” An astonishingly impressive structure from a distance, simply mind-boggling up close. Risked putting a permanent crick in my neck trying to capture some of the towering ramparts. While the Fort itself is not as extensive a complex, as a whole, as Carcassonne, the sheer magnitude of the walls and ramparts here certainly rival Carcassonne. After entering the Fort we took an elevator to one of the upper floors to begin our tour. Sandeep carefully shepherded us through a never-ending series of galleries and rooms, explaining their use and significance as we moved from one floor to another, climbing higher all the while. 

At the top we were afforded wonderful views of much of Jodhpur, (aka The Blue City as many of the houses are painted blue.), as well as of the surrounding hills, where one could see the remains of the massive walls which once encircled and protected the city. Last stop before lunch was in the small but interesting museum/gallery which displayed such items as howdahs, palanquins, armour, and the like, as well as the “finest collection of paintings from the Marwar School. Court painting in Jodhpur developed greatly during 17th Century through the association of Marwar's Rulers with the Mughal Emperors. During the 18th and 19th centuries it evolved into a distinctive Rajasthani style, combining Mughal naturalism with local folk style and bold colours.”

Sandeep suggested the café in the Fort and we had a lovely lunch there. The Chicken Pakora which both Lynne and Cora Lee ordered was divine as I discovered. Lynne could barely eat but half of her portion and I was charged with consuming the rest. This I did with gusto as the chunks were delish, all washed down with fresh lime and soda, sweetened, to taste, with sugar water, if one so desired. I had a red bean/lentil dish which was very tasty and Jugos had a version of Chili Relleno, also scrumptious, according to him. Sandeep had chips and a club-house sandwich, with a Kingfisher!

After lunch he took us to an antique emporium, literally a huge warehouse filled with both antiques and modern replicas of antiques, acres and acres of them, filling the first floor. In the high-ceilinged basement, of similar size, we found room after room after room filed with cloth and fabric of all sorts. The owner, a young, svelte Jain, had his spiel down pat and, after seating us in our private compartment, showed us about ten samples of the sort of cloth they are known for here, from six-ply cotton duvets by the Kalbeliya and Bopa women, [“Although very different, both are called “gypsy” in the local languages. The lowest level in the Hindu caste system, they live without permanent homes and are seen as squatters and hustlers.  Moving from place to place, sleeping beneath the stars on the outskirts of towns, the Bopa and Kalbeliya share the bad reputation of gypsies the world over.” To date, we have seen many encampments, (We would call them little more than homeless shelters made from tarps, branches and cardboard, cooking on small open fires. This morning, many of their possessions were tied, in bags, to the lower branches of trees, along the roadside, not that far from our “luxury” hotel.), probably more in Rajasthan than elsewhere as I believe they are called “Queens of the desert.”], to the finest cashmere throws, coverings or shawls, in designs created for various international fashion houses such as Hermes, Donna Karan, Kenzo, and the like.  For such designers, our Jain entrepreneur “claimed” to have a number of “extras” from the various production runs done for these houses so he was able to pass them along at greatly reduced prices.

All in all the pieces were wonderfully attractive and, given the quality, very inexpensive. Cora Lee and I ended up purchasing two pieces, embroidered cotton, one king, one queen, to use as duvets, colours chosen to match the soon-to-be-repainted bedrooms at Burns Street! Cora Lee also picked up a cashmere throw for the couch in the Rumpus Room. Total bill was $320 plus a shipping cost of $60. Lynne and Peter bought one large cashmere throw and four shawls so we bundled everything together and are having package shipped to Emporium’s agent in Vancouver, as samples, (to avoid duty!), to be delivered to Naramata a few days after the Lighthalls arrive home. Wonder if this scam will work with Customs so stay tuned, especially since we are having two rugs delivered to our house around the same time!

Deals concluded, The Sisterhood insisted on looking at jewelry upstairs so more Power Shopping. Shortly thereafter, the Jain’s coffers even fuller, we waved goodbye and Sandeep took us to the old part of Jodhpur to visit the daily market. Bustling, noisy with the incessant honking and beeping of motorbikes and shouts of vendors, but not unpleasantly crowded as we wandered the streets in front of the myriad stalls and shops selling everything from vegetables and fruit, to household goods and cooking oil, dispensed in plastic bags, to cheap toys and costume jewelry. Also passed a row of shoemakers fabricating sandals out of used car tires next to women selling used clothing, piles and piles of it arrayed in front of them. Also walked past a much smaller version of the cloth market we’d seen in Bombay but didn’t wander through it. Tour of the market over, Sandeep called Ashok to collect us and we made our way back towards the hotel. Dropped Sandeep off close to where he lived. Thanked him for the extraordinarily interesting tour and waved goodbye after tipping him.

Back to the hotel by 5:00 pm to repair to the alcove outside our rooms for a much needed drink. Kingfisher for Jugos and Lady Dar while I finished of the last of my Fenny from Goa. Lynne opted for bottled water as we had been invited to a party, to be hosted by Ashok at 7:00 pm. After rehashing the events of the day we returned to our rooms to bathe and change. Did a bit of digitating before we went downstairs where Ashok collected us at the hotel entrance. He drove a short distance from the hotel to park by the roadside and we then proceeded to enjoy several snorts of Old Monk and Thums Up Cola. He provided everything and we were quite touched by his desire to do so. We spent a most interesting time chatting with him about his family, his arranged marriage, his children and how he came to be a driver for one of the companies that Luxe India sub-contracts to. He started out, as a five-year old, pumping air at his village garage and eventually became a BMW mechanic. Fascinating to manage to get to know, if only slightly, this lovely, gentle man.

Around 8:00 pm the rum was finished and we were feeling rather well-lubed so Ashok drove us to a restaurant that Janet had recommended: On The Rocks. Sandeep knew it as well so we were looking forward to the meal. The setting, outside in a lovely garden setting, was most pleasant but unfortunately, the meal was perhaps the worst we’d had to date. The coconut mutton stew was abominable, nothing but gristle and almost un-chewable, tough, stringy chunks of flesh. The potatoe dish, while somewhat tasty was stone cold. The chicken with spinach was the best of a bad lot, tasty enough but the rice was dry and cold so even the sauce lost much of its appeal. The cauliflower and peas were “Ok”, according to Lynne, but I must say that, overall, I was very disappointed in the quality of the food, given what delectable fare we’ve usually been served. Still, the 2015 Sula Sauvignon Blanc was crisp and flavourful so I drowned my sorrows in my cups.

Back home with Ashok. Once at the hotel we arranged to leave by 9:00 am as we had a long drive ahead that day.  Bade goodnight to one another and repaired to our rooms. Managed to read a few chapters of After the Crash before my head wanted tot crash into the pillow.