Trip To Jodhpur – Day 1

This post has taken a long time coming. I had promised a few people to post about that trip as soon as I returned but unfortunately my professional commitments did not allow me to indulge my reflections of this amazing trip. So, apologies to all those who have waited. This has been a long time coming.

I had not been a on a vacation trip for a year now and my soul had been yearning for one for a long time now. My flatmates(Prem and Ajitesh) also had similar yearnings. We had been craving for trip for sometime. So when a very special friend invited us to Jodhpur, I readily agreed. I had not met her for sometime so there was that added motivation.

We had decided to leave from Old Delhi railway station by Mandor Express and we were at the railway station on time. We had to rush a bit so we did not get any opportunity to bite into some food stuff. We may  have been hungry but our spirits were high (mine especially ;)). The train left on time and the compartment was cold and full of daily passengers. There was one gentleman in particular who was delivering some good gyaan to everyone who cared to listen to him. He even questioned the background of a girl right down to her Gotra. Later we came to know her name was Neha Shekhawat and how! Only Prem could have pulled it off and he sure did it in style. I am very graciously discounting the inconvenience his antics caused to Ajitesh and me. But that is another story to be told another time.

Our journey was largely uneventful except for the spice added by Neha and we reached Jodhpur at about 7:45 am. I was expecting to see her eyes searching for me at the platform but luck was not on my side. Indian Railways are known for trains running behind schedule but as luck would have it mine arrived ahead of schedule. However, she was in touch with me over the phone and was guiding me on the phone so that we could find a decent hotel without paying too much for it. However, the autowallah that we had engaged had other plans. After taking us all around Jodhpur, he brought us to a hotel of his choice. We were about to check in when she asked me “Whom do you trust more? Me or the autowallah?” with pronounced annoyance in her voice. Shakespeare has said it before and I do not have the inclination to disagree-“Hell hath no fury like a woman scorned”. On hindsight she made perfect sense. The autowallah had taken us there as he would have got a good  commission from the hotel.

So heeding to her commandment we dived back into the auto and asked him to take us to a landmark where she would be coming to meet us. There was a tea stall where we supposed to wait for her and Prem and Ajitesh ordered some tea. While they sipped away the tea, I took a look at the morning newspaper-something I had not done in a long time. So much for a city slick lifestyle. After a few minutes she arrived there with her friend and I think my heart skipped a beat. She was looking gorgeous(like she always does) and her warm gaze and cheerful smile took me to heaven and back. Suddenly my spirits were high again :). It was like feeling the reassuring warmth of the sun on my back on a chilly winter morning.. With her in command, we found a hotel soon enough. From there she left for work with recommendations of what places we should visit.

We checked into Hotel Nasrani and got ready for the day within an hour. We were literally starving by now. The less said about the food served in the train the better it is. We located a Cafe Coffee Day outlet very close to the hotel and settled there for a quick breakfast. Soon we were in an auto going toward the Mehrangarh fort. Oh! and I forgot to mention that they call autos taxis in Jodhpur. The road to the ford is a narrow and winding lane and offers a good view of the blue city as one goes further up the incline. The Mehrangarh Fort is an imposing structure and the high steep walls around it are sure to leave the onlookers in awe. One we were through the formalities of buying the passes for ourselves and the little digicam we were carrying. We decided against hiring a guide and took it upon ourselves to discover the fort in our own way which btw involved trying to hear what other guides were trying to explain the guests they were escorting. One particular guide noticed what we were doing and he started whispering to his guests but we did not give up. It was good entertainment. We took a full round of the fort. It was beautiful at certain parts and solid and imposing at others. We got in a photography frenzy and photographs were clicked at every conceivable nook and corner. Some came out pretty good. We also visited the Devi Mata temple in a fort premises. At the fort exhibit store I brought a mirror in a pouch for her. Like always the first thing she said was, “It us too expensive dear.” A little past mid-day we were through with our exploration of the fort. The day had been good so far.I called her up and asked when she would be free to meet us. Unfortunately her professional commitments were keeping her tied and she recommended the Kaylana lake to us.

So without wasting further time, we hired a “taxi” for Kaylana lake. Soon we were on lakeside. It was huge water body with lots of weed growing around it. It used to supply water to the city of Jodhpur in the pre Indira Gandhi Canal times. However , as luck would have it the lake was closed for boating. We have no choice but to dig into a packet of Lays in order to while away time. We spotted an Air Force radar not far from where we were sitting. Amidst all the despondency, my phone started ringing. It was her and she was free now. We rushed back to the city. I couldn’t wait to be with her. We had not had lunch so the first thing we did after meeting her was to go for lunch. We decided to try a restaurant called Tamarind for lunch. The food and the ambiance was pretty good except that the waiter serving us seemed to be a little high :).

She was in-charge now. After a fulfilling lunch, we headed to a park situated on a hillock. I do not recollect the name but it was a pretty awesome view. After sunset the place afforded a superb view of the city. The entire city glittered like jewels below us. Since it was getting late, we soon came back to the town and this time we were headed to a park with musical fountains. The park brought out the child in most of us as there were swings and slides in one corner. And all this was happening in the background of the popular bollywood numbers being belted out by the musical fountain. After some frolicking and walking around the park, we went to a coffee shop near the park and had some coffee. From there we headed to National Handloom so that Prem could buy a “Jaipuri” Quilt. It was getting late and soon we were having dinner at Spicy Kitchen located near her home. It was nearly 10 now and time for her to head back. So with a heavy heart, i said Goodbye to her in hope of spending the whole of next day with her. And amongst the things I carried back to my hotel was her laptop – one of the purposes of the trip was to reinstall Windows on it!

It had been a  great start to the trip but the next day was even better. More on it in my next post. Its already 3pm and I have been typing away consistently for about 45 minutes now. Time to head back to my flat :). Yeah I am leaving early today!

Pictures are worth more than a thousand words – Take a look and enjoy!