Well good morning from yet another destination in India.
Today we are exploring Jodhpur (जोधपुर) and we're actually going to have two whole
days here.
So pretty pumped about that.
Yeah, it is called the Blue City and for very good reason.
We'll be showing you that shortly.
And yeah we can't wait to travel around here.
This is like an essential stop in Rajasthan (राजस्थान ਰਾਜਸਥਾਨ).
And you know what is pretty funny?
We're both wearing blue.
That wasn't actually planned.
Oh it totally was.
Wearing blue in the blue city.
Let's get started.
Our first stop in Jodhpur (जोधपुर) was Mehrangarh Fort (मेहरानगढ़
का दुर्ग), which is one of the biggest forts in India.
The fort sits on a rocky hill overlooking the city and it pretty much dominates the
skyline with its imposing walls.
Admission to the fort itself is free, but if you’ve come all the way here, you’ll
want to pay the admission to visit the palaces which now act as a museum.
So we've just arrived from Jaisalmer where we visited another fort but that one was a
living fort where you have hotels and restaurants and temples and shops and people will actually
have homes in there.
This wasn't doesn't feel like so much like a living fort.
It feels a bit more historic.
There is actually hardly any tourists there.
Maybe it is because we're a bit early.
But yeah, it is a pretty cool place.
It is massive.
So I'm really looking forward to getting deep into the fort and seeing what it is all about.
Alright, so it was a bit of a slow accent to the top.
It was.
But we made it.
It is a really odd day.
A few beads of sweat.
I think a little tip would be to come a bit earlier than we did.
We had a late start but man this is amazing.
The views from this fort (मेहरानगढ़ का दुर्ग) are just like surreal.
I've actually never seen a city quite like this from high atop.
I mean from a high vantage point.
This is just this fort is incredible and it is the kind of place that if you visit it
is going to take hours to explore.
It is not one of those like half an hour attractions.
You can literally spend a half or even a full day here.
There is just so much to see and do.
And it is not as touristy as some other forts either in India.
You can walk around some different sections and you don't notice that many tourists walking
around.
Within the fort (मेहरानगढ़ का दुर्ग) you can also visit
the ramparts, see the old cannons, and get some overhead views of the city which will
quickly help you realize why Jodhpur (जोधपुर) is nicknamed the Blue City.
There’s also a nice cafe where you can enjoy a samosa or two.
(Traditional Indian Music)
Alright guys, so it is about 2pm would you say?
Yeah.
So that means we've been wandering around the fort for almost 3 hours?
Over.
Over 3 hours.
Over 3.
It has been a long outing.
We had to stop for food and drink.
And if you're going to visit the fort you should budget that amount of time because
there is just so much to do and if it does get hot you're going to want to cool off.
Yeah, it is massive and I mean it is on a bit of a steep incline so you're going to
need breaks along the way.
But yeah the views are cool.
Sam went shopping.
Let's get Sam on camera.
Okay Sam, so let's see.
What did you get?
I've been wanting to get these for a long time.
Puppets.
Matching puppets.
Alright.
I bought one of these for my parents like 8 or 7 years ago.
And now these are for us.
This is for our future home.
Sam is thinking becoming a puppeteer.
Yep.
A professional puppeteer.
Exactly.
And what else did you get?
Training hard for that.
Okay.
Watching YouTube tutorials about puppeteering.
And this is the last thing.
I walked into the store and saw this really cool polo shirt.
It is my new supper shirt.
Jodhpur (जोधपुर).
Fancy dining wear.
Fancy.
It does look really nice.
Are you going to show us your face?
Let's see your excited face.
That is your excited face?
Okay.
Bye.
So the best thing about the place where we're currently staying would have to be the views.
And the sun is starting to set.
You can see the fort back there.
And our hotel also has a whole bunch of terraces where you can hangout, have a drink, read
a book and yeah just watch the sunset.
Check this out.
What?
So
for a little change of scenery we are trading the views from our hotel and we came over
to Castle Rock Hotel and Restaurant.
Yeah.
And the place really lives up to its name.
It may have the best views of the fort in the city.
I can't confirm that but so far that is definitely our experience.
Check it out.
Well good morning from Jodhpur (जोधपुर).
It is day two in the blue city and of course Sam is wearing blue again.
How appropriate.
Dressed for the occasion.
So yeah, today is going to be a fun day.
I think we're just going to have a really kind of chill day.
We're going to wander around the blue part of the city.
We're going to visit a clock tower (Ghanta Ghar) and then maybe check out the market.
And then have some lunch.
Lunch.
Lunch with a view.
That is the plan.
Hello puppy.
Are you sleeping in a tuk-tuk?
Yes, you are sleeping in a tuk-tuk.
Are you supposed to be in there puppy?
Yes.
So right now we have ended up at the Sardar Market (सरदार बाजार) just
around the clock tower (Ghanta Ghar).
And I would say this is both a local market and a tourist market.
You can get produce and like everyday things.
Yeah, you see a lot of everyday like market stalls but you also see some more ones that
are geared for tourists such as the ones where you can souvenirs, carpets and saris.
Things like that.
Yeah.
But yeah, it is a busy market but we came early in the morning and it was kind of cool
because we got to see how all of these different vendors were setting up their shops and as
we walked around it started to definitely get a little busier.
We're going to take a little break after visiting the market and walking around the city.
So we found a restaurant called Indique.
It is supposed to be one of the highest rated in the whole city so we're treating ourselves
to a nice little splurge meal.
I got myself a saffron lassi (लस्सी).
Look at the color.
It is a bright yellow.
Stir it around.
And I've only had saffron in savory dishes.
This one is going to be sweet.
Mmm.
It is really good.
So it is my turn.
I'm trying the salty lassi here.
Salted lassi. (लस्सी)
Oh wow.
Yeah, that is definitely salty.
So when you get lassis in India you can choose between salted, sweet and other kinds with
different fruits.
So the salted one is really good.
That is probably my favorite.
So the first restaurant we went to Indique was closed for lunch.
So we only had drinks.
Now we've found a place called Jhankar and they have an incredible courtyard so we're
going to be having lunch in here.
And yeah it is just really cool.
It is quite lush.
It looks tropical.
And yeah let's go find our table.
Mmm.
How is that naan?
It is so awesome.
It is so buttery and garlic-y.
Love it.
Then, after all that food and drink, it was finally time to get lost in the blue maze
that is Jodhpur (जोधपुर).
It is all blue.
So now it is time to answer the million dollar question.
Why is Jodhpur (जोधपुर) painted blue?
I actually had to google this one.
And no one really knows the answer.
There seems to be a whole bunch of different reasons.
The most likely is that the color blue kind of deflects light so it keeps the homes cool
during the summer months.
And also it is believed that um a lot of Brahman followers of Lord Shiva used to live in Jodhpur
(जोधपुर) so maybe that is why they decided to paint everything blue.
But really it is a mystery.
There was no definitive answer.
So yeah, either way it looks pretty cool.
Blue is a nice color.
Hi little pup.
Are you sleeping on a motorcycle?
It looks like you are sleeping on a motorcycle and you know what?
Earlier today I saw a pup sleeping in a tuk-tuk.
Are you friends?
Or are you the same pup?
Oh you're cute.
You have big silly ears.
Big silly ears.
Alright Sam.
Sam Sam the man.
Yeah.
First off all want to show us your new shirt?
Oh yeah, love this new shirt.
Got this in Jaisalmer.
And I actually saw the artist like while he was painting.
Yeah, it is hand painted.
It is incredible.
So cool.
Anyways back on top.
We're going out for dinner.
We're hungry.
We're going out for food.
We ate at this place called Jhankar for lunch.
Jhankar in Jodhpur (जोधपुर).
Oh, it was so good Actually it was one of the best meals we've had in India so far.
Yeah.
So we are heading back there for dinner.
And it is all about Thali (थाली) tonight.
We are going to get an original Thali (थाली) and a Rajasthani Thali (राजस्थानी
खाना).
Because we are in Rajasthan (राजस्थान ਰਾਜਸਥਾਨ) and they have a special
Thali so we can't wait to try that out.
Now it is off to find a little tuk-tuk.
Alright, lead the way.
Lead the way.
Tuk-tuk-y adventure!
Tuk-tuk-tuk-tuk.
We made friends with the Japanese guy who we were in Jaisalmer and he called them tuk-tukies.
So that is what we call them to now.
Tukie-tukies.
Confession time.
We already had lunch here and the food was so amazing that we've told the waiter right
away we're coming back for dinner.
So we decided to come and sample um local Thali (थाली).
Rajasthani Thali.
So that is what we've ordered.
And also one thing I should mention this restaurant is run by a Jain family.
So that means they are vegetarian and they don't eat any egg products.
So yeah, we're going to be having a vegetarian meal today.
Which is pretty cool.
And apparently 70% of Rajasthan (राजस्थान ਰਾਜਸਥਾਨ) is vegetarian so the
majority of the population do not eat meat.
Which is pretty interesting.
Come let's be friends.
Meow meows.
Come kitty.
Meow meows.
So we have found a kitty and we're trying to lure him over.
There are not many cats in India.
You know this is the first cat we've seen.
Yeah, maybe it is.
We've seen monkeys, we've seen cows, we've seen tonnes of dogs.
But not a lot of cats.
And I think this one is a pet.
It is hanging out in the restaurant but it is a little skittish.
It is a little shy.
It is not coming quite close enough for us to pet.
And now it left.
It is gone.
There it goes.
Bye cat.
Shizzam.
The food has arrived.
So they brought us over these two giants platters.
And oh my goodness it is way bigger than I was expecting.
Oh yeah.
I don't know how Sam and I are going to eat all of this.
It looks absolutely incredible.
And we also got free desserts.
So we've got our work cut out for us.
So first up I'll show you my platter.
I'm having the Rajasthani Thali set.
So again it is vegetarian so lots of vegetable options going on.
We've got some biryani rice, some mystery thick rice, some ghee which is kind of like
curd or yoghurt.
I think it is called ghee.
Um, some more veggies with uh it looks like it has cashews.
Cashew nuts.
You know what I think we're just going to have to try it because I don't even know what
I'm looking at right now.
Yeah, they didn't list it on the menu.
Yeah, so this is all a big surprise.
Just dip it in.
Break off a piece of bread.
Oh, this looks like again all vegetable here.
It is a vegetarian restaurant.
I keep forgetting that.
Mmm.
How is that?
Mmmm.
What is it?
This one reminds me of dal.
Like a really spicy dal.
Spicy huh?
Lentil base.
This one right here.
My throat is on fire.
Haha.
Are you going to have some more of that?
Urrghh.
My throat is on fire.
No.
Okay moving on.
Biryani with cauliflower.
This is something we had for lunch.
Oh, it was amazing.
Tomatoes.
Green peas.
It is just so colorful.
Like the way that they this is some of the best biryani.
I would say it is the best vegetarian biryani rice I've ever had.
Yeah.
That is good.
Okay Sam.
And you have the he called it a Jimbo.
A jumbo thali.
I think this is a bit more of a classic Thali.
So I'm just going to try everything.
So I'll start off over here.
Oh that looks good.
I think there is cheese on the outside.
Look at that.
Oh wow.
With curd.
Oh my gosh that looks so good.
I want some of that.
Oooh.
That is some wonderful curry.
It has got a bit of a tomato base.
But really thick spicy, creamy.
Oh my gosh.
All the good things in life.
That is just amazing.
And there is also chunks of the cottage cheese.
I'm going in for another one.
That was just so good.
Another bite of the same thing.
Oh yeah.
That is when you know it is good.
So that is a wrap from Jodhpur (जोधपुर).
So we had a really good time in the Blue City.
Um, it was only two days but I felt like we did quite a bit.
Did you enjoy it?
Yeah, the fort (मेहरानगढ़ का दुर्ग) was magnificent and
the blue city was all it was supposed to be.
Yes, so now we're moving on to Jaipur.
We're just waiting at the train station.
So we're going to catch our train.
It is about a 6 hour journey.
So relatively not too long but uh yeah can't wait to update you when we get there.
Ciao for now.
Ciao.