Jodhpur - the Blue City

Jodhpur's Clock Tower



Krissy, Cecelia, and Stephanie enjoying the special lassi



K & G at Umaid Bhawan Palace (construction began 1929); home of the maharaja



K & G at Meherangarh Fort (Majestic Fort); this fort has been around since at least 1806



View from the Fort to the Umaid Bhawan Palace; notice some of the blue houses that give Jodhpur its nickname (the baggy riding pants also took their name from this city)

Jodhpur is a mere 315 km away from Jaipur, but this was still a long and tiring journey. We arrived to a lush, peaceful oasis (our haveli, more on this later) and the girls set out for a special lassi, called makhania. This treat is so delicious. Lassi is basically made from yogurt, water and various flavors. Mango and banana are quite popular. But this makhania lassi is made from saffron, and it's got a good bit of tang to it too. That could just be the sourness from the yogurt, I'm not really sure. Anyway, it's a bit like a melted milkshake. Creamy, cool, and thick enough to need a spoon. The place that Lonely Planet recommends for this is a small place underneath the "clock tower" in town. It's bustling, but we managed to find the place, enjoy our lassis in the store, order two more for take away (for Geo and our driver) and return to the haveli in less than an hour.
The next day we set out to do some shopping, to see some palaces, and spend time at the fort. Our friends John and Kristin were in Jodhpur with us (they stayed at a really fancy place just outside of town) so we spent the day together. We made it up for the last fort tour just before sunset. This was really nice. We also got to have dinner up on the fort, which is amazing. It feels like a movie set. There weren't more than 8 tables either. The stars are amazing to see from the top. Watching the sun go down over the blue city wasn't bad either.
After spending two nights in the quaint city, we took off for Jaisalmer, which would be a long drive, so we tried to get an early start.