First of all, i am a big fan of Batman, especially, Christopher Nolan's Batman. But at first, i didn't go to Jodhpur just because the Dark Knight Rises has a scene taken there. I watched the DKR only after i had planned my India trip. After the DKR, i was super excited, that i was going to go there!
Back to Jodhpur. Since Jodhpur is basically the gateway into the Thar, the city is dry and dusty. Jodhpur is pretty well-known of its Mehrangarh Fort. It is the largest fort in Rajasthan and it dominates the city. It can almost be seen from everywhere in the city. In DKR, it is also the palace of the princess who Ra's al Ghul was in love with. The scene when Bruce Wayne climbed up the prison in the deep hole, the building at the background is the Mehrangarh Fort.
Jodhpur is sometimes called the Blue City because many houses in the old city are painted blue.
Mehrangarh Fort viewed from the guesthouse i stayed.
The main entrance to the biggest market in Jodhpur.
Clock tower, where the local market is. According to the owner of guesthouse,
he explained, there is a law now forbiding people to put up stalls too near to the tower,
to make way for the cars and tuk-tuks.
All these are edible, most eaten after the meal to refresh your mouth.
Bamboooooooossssssssss...
Mehrangarh Fort at night. Around 10pm, the light will be turned off.
Jaswant Thada.
Entering the fort...
Blue city viewed from the fort.
The fort is very well preserved. And the audio guide is also excellent,
available in many languages, the history of the fort is well explained.
The Blue City from another angle.
The second entrance to the fort. But nobody using that gate.
At first i wanted to go to the old city through this gate.
I reached the gate and saw many unfriendly indians taking nap just outside this gate.
Plus the guard of the gate told us pretty straight forward that this was the wrong way for us.
The situation was getting scary, i didn't dare to ask him why we couldn't get through the gate also,
and we paced quickly back to the original entrance.
We were standing beside a giant abandoned well (i guess). It is very deep, and scary, especially at night.
Recently i watched a movie called Darjeeling Limited. While watching, i immediately noticed that it was shot in Jodhpur. It is a vey nice movie, it is so relatable to me. I feel somehow connected to the movie. Not just because of the fact that i have been to India, but also the deeper meaning of the movie. I like the scenes when the suitcases are left at the end of the movie, and when they tore their return airtcikets and decided to go searching for their mom. Here is the movie trailer.
Udaipur is probably the second best city i visited in India besides Amritsar. But Udaipur has probably the best guesthouse ever in India, the Mewargarh Palace. My impression on the city : very humid, lakes everywhere and very clean markets. It is a little tranquil city, totally safe and nice to have a walk at night. It was my second stop during my trip to India, just after Mumbai. So you can imagine how i feel, when arriving at Udaipur from Mumbai, the total opposite of Udaipur.
Inside one of the rooms of Mewargarh Palace.
View of Udaipur from our guesthouse.
the kitchen, the dining room and also a place to hangout.
The Lake Palace at the centre of the lake.
Weird portrays.
Maharana Pratap and his famous horse, Chetak, probably more famous than his owner.
They both fought bravely and died together.
Guess what, this is actually a cemetery for the royalties. Each dome is a tomb.
At the local market. Spices!!!!!!
I am not sure what it is. I guess it is some sort of cane sugar or something.
They all line up so well, and the floor is so clean!!!
Goats chilling at the local morning market.
For all the street food i tasted in India, this stall sells the best street food.
Just like Eiffel Tower to Paris, Taj Mahal is basically the symbol of India, which also means it is heavily visited by tourists. Too many tourists that it loses its magnificence. I just wanted to leave as soon as possible once i stepped into the building. It is a mausoleum for a king and his beloved queen, but they wouldn't rest in peace because there are too many of disturbances. You can't imagine how noisy the interior of Taj Mahal is. It is where their tombs lie. Even there is a sign board saying silence please, many people just want to test echo effect inside the Taj Mahal by speaking loudly and shouting. Not to mention the flashlight of cameras, cameras are everywhere. As a reminder, it is also forbidden to take photo inside the main mausoleum.
One thing to praise about Taj Mahal is, the government is doing a good job protecting this particular heritage. For exemple, there are 3 main entrances, and every road around these entrances is pedestrians' area, means no cars is allowed. However, tuk-tuks are the exceptions.
So in the end, is it worth visiting? Yes, it is marvelous, but only from architectural point of view.
