Dinner at Anuwat Mahal, a set on Flickr.
Reid arranged a special treat for us on our last night in Jodhpur. We went to the reputably second most luxurious restaurant in Jodhpur, which over looked the first - the Royal Palace, which had been converted into a luxury heritage hotel. Alas, it lived up to the reputation of every other restaurant in the world with a million dollar view and luxurious setting. The food just never lives up to the view.
Mandore Gardens, a set on Flickr.
Mandore is an ancient capitol in Rajhastan. The site of the old city is now a "Garden" although rundown and ill-kept. There didn't appear to be much of interest at the time we toured, but after reviewing these photos I see the site is suprisingly picturesque.
The most interesting thing about the visit were the beggar boys with violins running beside us playing Frere Jaques. Reid bribed them with food to leave us alone as we toured the Garden and I didn;t want to press pur reprieve by photographing them.
Jodhpur, a set on Flickr.
Jodphur was a rough stop for our tour. I mean the city is beautiful; you can see from the pictures why it is called the Blue City. But by now India was starting to win the war. Only 14 (out of 20) of us were fit enough to tour on the first morning. We had experienced the train ride from hell the previous evening, arriving after 11:00 on a 5 1/2 train ride with no working A/C.
But the hotel was beautiful and comfy - the most luxurious accommodations so far. And we had a couple of adventures when the bus stopped at a a post office and a clerk would only sell each person the exact number of stamps that corresponded to the number of number of post cards you had ready to mail. Carol left hers in our luggage so she was out of luck. And there was the now usual problem of finding a working ATM. Not to mention our bus driver pissing off the cops, getting a ticket and being made to head out of town.
Mehrangarh Fort, a set on Flickr.
Mehrangarh Fort was built in the 15th Century. Although it was interesting to wander the narrow gates and spacious courtyards, its main attractions now are the museum pieces and the unbelievable stone filigree work in the Women's Quarters.
The walls of the fort overlook the colorful blue buildings that have given Jodhpur the nickname of "The Blue City."
