Train to the Blue City of Jodhpur
Train to Jodhpur
We are up at 5:00am and off to the train station 
at 6:00am for a 7:00am train to Jodhpur. The train is not full so it’s easier to spread out. My tummy is a little off so I just have a banana and orange juice for breakfast.
This time the train washroom is surprisingly clean but I still have issues with squat toilets in a moving train and for some reason I can’t get into the western toilet. The door won’t open.
The washrooms have locks on the inside and outside so that the door doesn’t fly open when not in use. On our last overnight train ride, Paul got locked in and it took over fifteen minutes before anyone heard him pounding to get out. If that was me, I think I would have gone ballistic.
We arrive in Jodhpur at about 12:30pm and pile into three tuk tuks that take us to a lovely homestay called Jagat Villas. Our rooms are clean, attractive, comfortable and spacious. There is a sweet courtyard, lots of lounging areas, some pet dogs and an African Grey parrot so I am very happy.
We have a home cooked lunch served family style which is much lighter than what we get in restaurants. After a short rest, we head out to explore the city.
We stop at Jaswant Thada. This is a brilliant white
marble memorial known as the Taj Mahal of Marwar built in memory of Jodhpur’s Maharajah Jaswant Singhji II. There are smaller memorials for other family members on the site and one for a peacock that flew into the Maharaja’s funeral pyre. The memorial is built beside a
lake and overlooks the city. It is a short distance away from Jodhpur’s main attraction; Mehrangarh Fort.
at 6:00am for a 7:00am train to Jodhpur. The train is not full so it’s easier to spread out. My tummy is a little off so I just have a banana and orange juice for breakfast.This time the train washroom is surprisingly clean but I still have issues with squat toilets in a moving train and for some reason I can’t get into the western toilet. The door won’t open.
The washrooms have locks on the inside and outside so that the door doesn’t fly open when not in use. On our last overnight train ride, Paul got locked in and it took over fifteen minutes before anyone heard him pounding to get out. If that was me, I think I would have gone ballistic.
We arrive in Jodhpur at about 12:30pm and pile into three tuk tuks that take us to a lovely homestay called Jagat Villas. Our rooms are clean, attractive, comfortable and spacious. There is a sweet courtyard, lots of lounging areas, some pet dogs and an African Grey parrot so I am very happy.
We have a home cooked lunch served family style which is much lighter than what we get in restaurants. After a short rest, we head out to explore the city.
We stop at Jaswant Thada. This is a brilliant white
marble memorial known as the Taj Mahal of Marwar built in memory of Jodhpur’s Maharajah Jaswant Singhji II. There are smaller memorials for other family members on the site and one for a peacock that flew into the Maharaja’s funeral pyre. The memorial is built beside a lake and overlooks the city. It is a short distance away from Jodhpur’s main attraction; Mehrangarh Fort.Mehrangarh Fort
The fort sits high on a rock promontory looming over the city dotted below with the many blue houses that gives the city its nickname.
We get tickets which include an audio tour and spend 1.5 hours learning about the fort and the palace inside the walls. I’m glad I wore my runners because there is a lot of uphill (and downhill) walking with potential for slips.
Never defeated in battle, this UNESCO World Heritage 
Site fort is still used for ceremonial purposes but the current Maharajah resides in a much more luxurious home called Umaid Bhagwan Palace which is part royal apartments and part ultra-luxury hotel. With prices as high as $10,000 US per night for a suite. I don’t think we will be staying there anytime soon. We can see it in the distance.
Site fort is still used for ceremonial purposes but the current Maharajah resides in a much more luxurious home called Umaid Bhagwan Palace which is part royal apartments and part ultra-luxury hotel. With prices as high as $10,000 US per night for a suite. I don’t think we will be staying there anytime soon. We can see it in the distance.There are handprints in paint of a past Maharaja’s wives that were made as they left the fort gates for the last time before throwing themselves into his funeral pyre. Hmmm…don’t think I would have done that.
The inside rooms of the palace are quite opulent 
with rich colours, luxurious fabrics and stained glass; everything I imagined a Maharaja’s room to look like.
with rich colours, luxurious fabrics and stained glass; everything I imagined a Maharaja’s room to look like.Into the Blue City
We walk downhill from the fort into the centre of Jodhpur on an orientation walk with a local guide. We tour around Sardar Market, a typical Indian market with fruits and vegetables, textiles and a section to recycle everything and anything. Not so typical is the replica Big Ben Clock Tower standing tall in the centre 
of the market.
of the market.In the market we run into Amrit and his friends who we traveled with on the train to Jaisalmer. What a coincidence! They had traveled on the same morning train. Amrit shows us some of the group’s architecture sketches. After shaking hands and hugging we part ways a second time.
Dinner is at Indique, a rooftop restaurant with views of the fort illuminated for night. Then back to the home 
stay by tuk tuk.
stay by tuk tuk. Costs
*Jaswant Thada – 50Rs per person (0.90 CAD)
*Mehrangarh Fort- 600Rs per person including audio guide ($10.80 CAD)
*Mehrangarh Fort- 600Rs per person including audio guide ($10.80 CAD)