Jodhpur

amazing Rajastani architecture at Mehrangarh Fort

The street... watch out for motorcycles, scooters, cows, pedestrians, vegetable carts, and poop.

Mehrangarh Fort at night

Blue houses below the ramparts of the fort

colors of Rajastan

The Blue City!

Jodhpur… the Blue City; an ancient city once ruled from a high fort by Rajput kings and queens; also the namesake of those silly puffy pants worn by posh horseback riders, which were originally made here. The massive Merangarh fort towers over the city from its site on a sandstone peak. From the fort you can really see why they call it the Blue City … every neighborhood is speckled with houses and buildings painted in the same shade of milky, periwinkle blue that really stands out against the beige color of the surrounding desert scrubland. The city is criss-crossed with narrow, winding streets that are filled with bazaars of every category. Besides the overwhelmingly impressive fort, I loved the energy, hustle, bustle, and shopping delights brimming over the streets of Jodhpur. Don’t go to Rajastan without visiting the Blue City… despite the traffic congestion and pollution, Jodhpur was one of my favorite places yet! (Just don’t look too closely at the black stuff in your Kleenex when you blow your nose at the end of the day.)