Rajasthan, Unexpected Home of Action Heroes (Jodhpur & Udaipur)

We eventually tore ourselves away from Jaipur, and although we were sorry to be leaving behind new friends, we were both ready for some more tranquil times after the whirlwind of big cities we’d just experienced. Delhi, Agra, and Jaipur make up the “Golden Triangle” circuit favored by western tourists who are looking to see a compact slice of India within a reasonable time frame. Because of this, they are plagued by touts, souvenir stalls, and expensive attractions, and we were keen to explore a little further afield after these first three places.

Our next two stops were, like most of Rajasthan, stunningly beautiful. Set in arid landscapes, and watched over by imposing Rajput fortresses, these cities are home to endless networks of narrow streets and crumbling, ancient buildings. Both busy hubs for the surrounding villages, Jodhpur and Udaipur offer lively markets and buzzing city centers, and a huge amount of material for exploring.

After our first successful foray into train travel, we stuck with the theme to get out to Jodhpur

Historical Jodhpur

Jodhpur is instantly recognizable in pictures – and much photographed – thanks to the sky blue paint applied liberally to every surface in the old town. Originally the color was a mark of status, reserved only for Brahmin households, but as with many trends this was eventually democratized, and today it provides a stunning visual effect set against the surrounding sandy hills.

Unlike many city nicknames, the “Blue City” is a perfectly accurate description of much of Jodhpur

The most famous sight in Jodhpur – as in many Rajasthan towns – is the fort. Built in 1460, shortly after the city was founded, the Mehrangarh Fort was the seat of power for the princely state of Marwar which, like Jaipur, survived in various permutations up until Indian independence. It also features in The Dark Knight Rises, so some of these pictures may look a bit familiar to you.

Approaching the main gate. Rajasthan is noteworthy in that the people still dress mostly in traditional garb

Part of the city’s charm is no doubt the ease of observation from Mehrangarh

Playing at sentry duty. The viewports aren’t particularly conducive to turban-wearing

The marks of cannon fire, courtesy of the attacking armies of Jaipur, are clearly visible 

How do you defend against a pissed off pachyderm? A sharp turn followed by a spiked gate to dissuade charges. It was noteworthy how much thought went into elephant-specific defenses in Indian forts

One of the more horrifying elements of India’s history is the practice of Sati, the ritual self-immolation of widows atop their deceased husbands’ funeral pyres. While the practice has since been stamped out, Mehrangarh had the handprints of royal wives who died this way

Part of the Jhanki Mahal (Glimpse Palace), with standard-issue viewing screens for the ladies of the house to observe visitors

The Phool Mahal (Flower Palace), the most decadent of the private audience halls

Inside the fort was an impressive collection of weapons, including a lovely sword that appeared to be made of Damascus Steel, known for its impressive strength and the dazzling pattern of whorls on the surface that are unique to each blade, the product of some metallurgical wizardry

Also shown were some palanquins of the royal household. Given the status of the streets and the sizzling temperatures, we have considerable respect for the carriers

We also made a stop off at the exquisite Jaswant Thada, which serves as a (still active!) cremation ground for the royal family of Marwar

Multiple cenotaphs are housed in the grounds

Into the Blue

After the fort, we enthusiastically wandered (power moseyed?) around the blue alleys of the city. Like any large city in India, there was an overwhelming amount to see everywhere, but in Jodhpur this was heightened with a lovely balance of being neither too touristy nor too industrial.

Unique historical buildings meet DIY power line work

A properly bustling place of commerce

Sojati Gate, splitting bustle from more bustle

The famous clock tower, one of the more recognizable landmarks of Jodhpur

An Ungulate Interlude

At this point we feel it necessary to provide the reader with an update on the goat situation since we’ve failed to convey an adequate impression of their prominence within cities. Goats are everywhere – talkative, interactive, and contemplative. They calmly view the casual wanderer while chewing on whatever goats chew on, and occasionally utter a pensive bleat as you pass. We’ll miss them.

What appears to be a fashion show

Inverted centaur, possibly a yoga position at this point

Jess’s future entry for the National Geographic photo contest

Throwing Caution to the Wind

After more than two weeks in India without any digestive issues, we took a chance to turn the adventure dial up in Jodhpur. We did a bit of a street food crawl and began to selectively ignore our safety indicators and break some of the key rules, fortunately to no ill effects (and a lot of tastiness).

Stage 1: Sticking with the familiar safety signals of tile floors and lysol

Stage 2: Actual street food, but (very) deep-fried, and coming from a reputable place

Stage 3: Banzai! Safety checklist out the window, including some uncooked vegetables rinsed in dubious liquid

We quickly learned that the key safety ingredient for a street food stalls is simply having enough patrons. Places that poison their customers are unlikely to get repeat visitors, and busyness also means that the food doesn’t sit out for ages, so go for the longest line that you see

We also took the chance in Jodhpur to engage in another cooking class. While we learned some amazing dishes in this one, Ethan’s onion-chopping overconfidence nearly brought the situation to ruin. An errantly-placed thumb during a slicing operation rapidly produced a gush of gore, and in order to not admit the issue to our instructor he was forced to hide the hand behind his back for much of the class until he could slink away to tend to himself.

Unfocused eyes due to hemoglobin depletion

The finished dinner (possibly with bloody onions visible)

Bus-t a Move

The journey onwards to Udaipur brought with it our first long-distance bus experience in India. Compared with our last lengthy bus ride, en route to Warsaw, this definitely took things up a notch in every way. We were treated to some exuberant horn-honking, at least 100 roadside trash fires, cows of every shape and size, and (since this is India) endless snacking opportunities. To top things off, when we reached Udaipur the police informed us that the main road was closed, leaving the bus driver to embark on a lengthy exploration of the city’s windier, less bus-friendly roads.

The typical view from the cockpit. Over the course of the journey there probably averaged about 5 tons of beef in front of the bus at any moment

Just a casual “waste disposal operation” at the bus station, nothing to see here folks

Among the Hordes in Udaipur

Udaipur is breathtakingly beautiful. Built around several large lakes, the city’s palaces, shaded rooftops, and carefully tended gardens scream romance. Unfortunately, it seems that most of India, and much of the rest of the world, has realized this, and the city has become a top destination for weddings and honeymoons (the fact that it featured in the James Bond movie Octopussy doesn’t hurt, either – in fact, nearly every bar / restaurant in the city shows the movie once per week). When we visited, still in the tail end of the Diwali holiday season, this meant sweaty crowds, queues, and high prices. We spent our first day oscillating between frustrated rage, as we faced yet another cramped attraction, and blissed-out wonder, as we discovered another impossibly pretty lookout point (G&Ts were a bonus).

The epic view from the top of our unassuming guest house (our host told us that the building had been in the family for generations)

Looking out towards Lake Pichola and the waterside City Palace

Lake Pichola is actually an artificial lake, created in the 14th century. It’s dotted with islands which house super exclusive hotels – transport in is arranged via camel and private boat

Milking our painfully expensive drinks – alcohol is hard to come by in Udaipur, and mostly requires heading to an upmarket hotel (although some restaurants will sneak you an off-menu beer if you ask nicely and promise to keep the bottle under the table the whole time)

We followed our well-tested Rajasthan strategy, and made a bee line for the most extravagant Rajput relic – in this case, the City Palace. Dating from around 100 years after the Mehrangarh Fort was built, this complex housed the rulers of Mewar, yet another princely state.

The Palace complex is vast, with multiple granite and marble buildings set in carefully landscaped grounds

One of the many elephant “howdahs” used by the royal family to gaze out in splendor upon their subjects

A relic of a curious tradition in Northwest India – and a possible explanation for the preponderance of ghee in the local food. Rulers were weighed publicly on their birthdays, and a corresponding amount of gold would be distributed as alms to the people

A view back across the city

Looking through the eyes of a 16th century princess

The Palace was seriously impressive, but all the more astounding was the effort our fellow visitors were prepared to go through to see it – and, more importantly, snap that perfect picture. We found ourselves outmatched in this arena, and quickly resolved to give up and go back to the rooftop G&Ts, but even getting out proved to be a struggle. We found ourselves wading through a tide of aggressive people, all with sharp elbows and an extremely high tolerance for being squashed.

Fighting for those Instagram likes 

No escape!!!

The Jagdish Temple, which sits alongside the City Palace, is over 350 years old and, unlike the rest of the complex, it was 100% worth visiting

The Temple is covered with ornate sculptures, including some excellent elephant fights

A testament to the increasingly all-encompassing selfie culture of India – we saw these signs everywhere. A glimpse into the future for the US / UK?

The Other Side of Udaipur

After day one, we decided to give up on the lakeside tourist bubble and explore the rest of the city on our own terms. We spent much of the next few days wandering the busy streets, exercising in the park, and eating at some far flung spots, and we had a thoroughly good time. We even enjoyed our very first sitar lesson, which we sadly did not get the chance to photograph – our teacher was stern but (thankfully) patient, and we learned lots, although we were nursing cramped legs and torn up fingers for some time afterwards.

Doing sprints in the park, we couldn’t help but attract some attention. Ethan faced a series of challengers, many in flip flops, who were keen to one-up the token American (and then immediately asked for selfies)

Thalis are widely served in Rajasthan – the best part is that according to tradition you’re obliged to eat your dessert first

Our favorite thali spot was also probably our favorite restaurant in all of India – an inconspicuous, no nonsense, no menu restaurant where the onslaught of delicious dishes kept coming until you physically left the premises. As repeat offenders, we learned that they vary the offerings considerably each day

Enjoying the sunset from our rooftop, along with a beer we trekked two miles to purchase (it was worth it)

The odd power cut added some excitement to our lives – and made us feel extremely handy, since we got to use our Clamplight flashlight to great effect

Desperately in need of some fresh air and exercise, we decided to hike out of the city to see some of the local villages. Among other things, they had truly excellent cows (which looked a little worse off for their Diwali excesses)

The bucolic Indian countryside

Back in Udaipur, the best (read: only) pizza Ethan had seen in some weeks. So very far from Naples

An ingenious Western toilet / Indian toilet combo that Ethan insisted on including. We were becoming gradual converts to the squat toilet at this point, since (once you’ve build up the requisite hip flexibility and balance) it doesn’t require you to touch anything, and it also subs for the occasional leg day if you can’t find a gym (and they’re rare in Rajasthan)

The Market

The main market in Udaipur sits right next to the tourist zone, but “bazarrely,” we found ourselves among very few tourists who took the opportunity to look around. It’s very precisely organized, with sections for clothing, jewelry, kitchenware, grains, fresh food, cooked food etc. There was even an entire corner dedicated to gigantic blocks of jaggery, the golden brown cane sugar popular throughout India.

Live pasta making – strands are immediately fried, a very un-Italian approach to preservation, but well-known to Momofuku Ando

One entire street was devoted to women weaving bamboo baskets

The endless row of vegetable sellers, who act as middlemen for farmers from the surrounding area – we could only recognize around half of the items on sale. Give it a try

Fresh cane sugar juice was widely sold in markets we visited – we were frequently reassured that since it’s natural, it’s great for your health, a thought process that we lamentably see a lot of back home

Among a mind boggling array of spices on sale, you can select your own chilies to be freshly ground while you wait