We have been to Jodhpur, the "Blue" city.
Apart from the fact that it was still very hot -5 degrees Celcius above the normal temperature- we have had a fantastic time and I have become totally fascinated by the time of the Maharadja's who actually build these beautiful cities, palaces and forts!
Jodhpur is fairly well kept, so the usual dirt and chaos in the streets is tempered by the still beautiful facades, little streets and shops and the ever present Mehrangarh fort that towers over the city. Thanks to the excellent audio-guide in the fort we know also know why Jodhpur was painted blue: the blue -apart from being cooling in summer- acts as a shield against mosquitos!
From our hotel, Pal Haveli, we could see the fort when sitting on the roof terrace; its majestic dark presence (apparantly it is not lit during off-season) provided the perfect backdrop for a romantic evening dinner. Unfortunately our waiters proved to be very interested in our whereabouts and very eager to share their opinions in what must have been a Rajasthani dialect of english (quite impossible to understand), so I spend a considerable time mumbling polite "ok's" and then looking at T hoping he understood...but my Hinglish seems to be better than his, so no, he didn't.
Our hotel was only a few minutes walk from the famous bell-tower (sometimes called the little Big Ben) which is the centre of the bazaars with numerous sellers of colourful bangles, sweets, vegetables, pots and pans and spices, with the occasional cow loitering in between. The only disturbing thing, I found, was that here too they seem to drive with their thumb on the horn...the noise was overwhelming! So after a nice afternoon stroll we were glad to find an espresso-cafe where one could sit en enjoy the sights noisefree over a good cup of coffee.
We also found a beautiful little shop with perfume oils and incence, JMC Perfumers, only 3 minutes from our hotel. Prathiba, the enthousiastic granddaughter of the founder, picked the most perfect oil for us: "Opium" for T and "White Musk" for me. The oils are totally natural and blend in with the scent of one's skin, so they smell different on everbody. We were amazed at how accurate Prathiba's picks were, but she told us that growing up with smells makes one sensitive...well, obviously!
I wear it every day now and love the way I smell, so I soon will have to order more....how can I ever leave India, now I get perfume oil from Jodhpur, Coconut oil from Kerala, silks from all over the country and the most amazing assortiments of spices from Delhi's INA market?
