On to Jodhpur

(John) OK, my turn, I have finally got the computer. Sam has been feverishly blogging and Lesley has been skyping her folks. I can't complain though as I got the opportunity to watch the last 20 overs of the England v Netherlands world cricket game on the TV in the hotel lobby. I watched with a small contingent of Indians, all rooting for the Dutch team and a German who could care less and needed to be taught the game. It got quite exciting as England left it pretty late to clinch the win. In a few days England play India in Bangalore, I am hoping to get in front of a TV for that one. The Indian people love their cricket and expressing an interest in the game is a great ice breaker wherever we go.

We are in Jodhpur, home of baggy riding breeches and the much anticipated Mehrangarh Fort. We went to the fort today and it was all we expected and more. Even getting there from our hotel was fun as we walked directly through narrow streets and up a steep paved path to the entrance. We had no idea which way to go but at every turn local people just looked at us and said “fort this way” and pointed. I have no idea how Indian tourists find their way around. Maybe they have to ask.

Getting to Jodhpur turned out to be quite entertaining. I had gone to the railway station in the morning with Sam to buy the tickets. I was expecting it to be pretty quick but there was nobody selling unreserved tickets so I had to line up for reserved seats. I was in line for an hour and a half. I should know by now that having expectations in India is ridiculous. Everyday I think I have figured out how something works and I am confounded. For example that morning before we went for the tickets, Sam and I went for breakfast. We walked in to an empty restaurant and asked if they were serving and if it would be quick. We were assured that it would indeed be quick, but not in a way that gave me any confidence. We gave our order and sat down. Eight minutes went by and I said to Sam “I should have known better, we should never walk into an empty restaurant and expect fast service, we will be here for an hour.” As soon as I said it our food and chai arrived. Then today in Jodhpur we chose to have breakfast at the hotel because it would be quick. We waited for over an hour for our food to arrive. Some readers will get postcards as a result, because we had to do something. In Jaisalmer, after Sam and I had got our train tickets. We went for a snack at the German bakery, a place we had been to three times before. I ordered a coffee, didn't bother to check the price as I'd had coffee there three times before and each time paid 20 IR. It was the same milky sweet instant coffee that I'd had before. When I paid I was charged double, my change was 20 IR short. I questioned it and was told that it was different coffee today, real coffee not the cheap stuff. The guy just barefaced lied, all I could do was say “same coffee, different price” and accept the fact that I had just been ripped off. We had been pretty good customers there, even left tips, why he needed the extra 20 IR that day is beyond me, but as Lesley is constantly telling me “this is India, what do you expect?” I guess I'll never know.

But I am off topic. Our train ride from Jaisalmer to Jodhpur was quite pleasant. We began by having heaps of room so we stretched out and read books while we watched the desert slip by. Then as we pulled into various stations seats started to fill up until we were sharing our space with a Punjabi a Keralan and a Rajasthani. They all had varying degrees of command over English and were all keen to tell us about where they were from and find out about Canada and Winnipeg. They were fascinated by the Lonely Planet Guide and loved reading snippets and were greatly amused about what was written about where their respective regions. I think we entertained them as much as they did us. Lesley fished out a bunch of Manitoba and Canada pins she had with her and we passed then around. I think we did our bit for our Province and the Country that day. Our new friends did a great job on behalf of India too. The 5 hour train ride slipped by very quickly and we commented that riding the train in India is so much more fun than in the UK for example. It is always an opportunity for people to be social so talking to your neighbour is normal. All around us in the carriage were sounds of people just enjoying each others company.

Our train arrived quite late so we had arranged with our previous hotel for a driver from a hotel in Jodhpur to meet us at the train. He met us on the platform and drove us to our hotel which we expected to have to pay too much for but turned out to pretty reasonable once we negotiated a bit. The room was great. It had two bathrooms, one Western and one Indian style. The shower was hot and the Wi-Fi from the lobby reached the room. We had to move the following day as our negotiations included getting a less fancy room for the next night in return for an even lower rate. Our new room is potentially a bit noisier being nearer the street, no Wi-Fi and only one bathroom, but it is pretty big, has a mosaic tile floor, and funky decor. I actually prefer it.

Sam has written in some detail about the Fort so I won't be repetitive, but he told me that he had forgotten to mention the iron gate. So I will. The Fort is a marvel of defensive architecture the walls are as thick as a road and built to resist anything. The huge iron gates that are the final defence are at the end of a long steep uphill stretch of road lined by steep walls and are just around a sharp corner. This gives no chance for elephants to build up any speed as they have to brake to make the turn. Then they are met by massive iron gates with spikes. No wonder the Forts defences were never breached.

After the Fort we split up. Sam and I headed for the hotel and a nap via the battery man (see Sam's blog) and Lesley and Mhari, again inexplicably, decided to go shopping.

Today was a special day for us. We left Canada exactly six months ago. Going to the Fort will make it memorable. I have at this point slept in 56 different beds. My count is the lowest. Sam is leading with 63, followed by Lesley with 61 and Mhari is right at this moment asleep on her 58^th bed.

To celebrate we decided not to worry too much about how much our evening meal would cost, so, as it had good reviews, we wandered over to the Hotel Haveli for dinner. They had traditional Rajasthani singing and dancing to go with the traditional food. I don't think it was the best entertainment Rajasthan has to offer as I am convinced they just played the same song at varying tempos. Still, it didn't hurt to listen to and the food was good. Which, strangely, was what we expected.

Pics: Our unexpectedly nice and cheap hotel room in Jaisalmer; Lots of space on a train; As great a fort as we expected; Not what the elephants expected!

More pics: More of the Mehrangar Fort in Jodhpur; Our Jodhpur Hotel is in the middle of the picture; Rajasthani Women at the Fort; One Keralan, One Punjabi and One Rajasthani - Unexpected Great Company.