November 29, 2014. Jodhpur

We had a beautiful al fresco breakfast, then went with our van and driver to see the sights.  We went to the historic fort.  Jodphur is called the Blue City.  From the top of the castle, we could see the city below.  In olden days, the upper caste people painted their homes blue, so they would be recognized.  Now, anyone can paint their homes blue.  You can also see the huge, long wall that surrounds the old town and castle.

I asked about the word Jodphur that we use in English for the name of polo pants.  Our guide told us the story.....years ago, one of the maharaji traveled to England.  The ship sank on the way, and his trunk with all his clothes was lost.  He was wearing his Jodphur pants.    He went to a tailor to get them repaired.  The tailor asked what kind of pants they were.  He was tired and just yelled, "Jodphur", so the style of pants became known as jodhpurs.

The fort and museum were very interesting.  We saw pictures and items from the time of the maharaja....the chairs they used on top of the elephants, their weapons, and the palanquins used to carry the royalty

Back at the parking lot, our ride awaited us......

(Not really)

Then we went to the market in the old part of town.  Lots of stuff, including beautiful fruits and  vegetables, lentils, snacks, clothing, pots and pans, spices, and just about anything else you can imagine.... 

 

We stopped at a spice shop, famous here, and Meredith bought some spice mixes.

We returned to the hotel to rest.  George luxuriated next to the pool....