Day 7 - Jodhpur
At 6 a.m. the group piled on the local bus for a quick 7-hour ride to Jodhpur. The bus was the most comfortable transport so far. There was a fan, small windows and well cushioned seats. I slept very well!
Around noon we arrived at the hotel and rapidly set off for a busy 8 hours in Jodhpur. First we grabbed lunch and walked through the spice district to a bazar. No time for shopping though because it was up a craggy cliff to the giant fort.
This fort was distinct from the other forts due to the sheer size. The walls are 180 feet high and 69 feet thick. From the fort, we could see the oldest houses in the district. They are distinctly painted blue, but we received no solid explanation as to why. One sign said that the Brahmin caste painted their homes blue to distinguish themselves from other castes. A guide claimed they were blue to keep the homes cooler during the intense heat. A section of the audio tour stated that Jodhpur is called "The City of the Sun" due to the glowing amber fort presiding over the city and homes were painted blue to reflect a clear, blue sky and highlight the sun's brilliance.
Down from the fort we zipped in a tuk tuk and piled into jeeps for a cultural tour of the surrounding areas. On the trip we visited Bishnoi peoples, traditional carpet weavers, and Muslim potters. The Bishnoi are very strict naturalists, living off simple agriculture and consuming no meat. The head of the family we visited showed us the traditional preparation of opium water. We each sampled a small amount for the flavour as it does not produce the same drug effect as other preparations. He showed us how his turban was tied (out of 11 feet of fabric!) and invited us to look around his home.
Back in the jeeps and off to the weaver. There we learned it takes two people (usually husband and wife) two months at 8 hours a day to loom weave a 3x5 rug. We didn't really get to see them weaving as we were quite late and the women were busy cooking. However, they did of course take the time to show us all the rugs for sale. Beautiful, but not my style.
Down a ridiculously dusty road we zoomed in our open jeeps to the Muslim potter. During an amazing pottery demonstration we learned the potter had been at this work since he was 12 and the family has been potters for many generations. I told him my dad and I work for the same company. He did not seem impressed... Anyways, the demonstration was mind blowing. The potter worked the clay in a stone slab, then threw it on a round stone wheel balanced on a stick and a rounder smaller stone. He used a stick to spin the wheel to a frenzied pace (crouching in his toes the whole time). Then he started to work. About a minute later he had created a mid-size decorative pot, 20 seconds later followed a handled lid. Two minutes for a mooney pot (we played 'Guess what I'm making' and lost). And finally he finished off the clay with a flower pot. We had some time to ask questions, visit with their curious kids (who kept asking for bubble gum), and check out his shop. His clay works were beautiful and I bought an intricate little camel friend to take home with me. I hope he survives the trip!
We had all you can eat thali at a local joint and I headed right to a freezing shower (no hot water yet) and off to bed. What a whirlwind! We're on another local bus at 7 a.m. tomorrow to Udaipur!
Around noon we arrived at the hotel and rapidly set off for a busy 8 hours in Jodhpur. First we grabbed lunch and walked through the spice district to a bazar. No time for shopping though because it was up a craggy cliff to the giant fort.
This fort was distinct from the other forts due to the sheer size. The walls are 180 feet high and 69 feet thick. From the fort, we could see the oldest houses in the district. They are distinctly painted blue, but we received no solid explanation as to why. One sign said that the Brahmin caste painted their homes blue to distinguish themselves from other castes. A guide claimed they were blue to keep the homes cooler during the intense heat. A section of the audio tour stated that Jodhpur is called "The City of the Sun" due to the glowing amber fort presiding over the city and homes were painted blue to reflect a clear, blue sky and highlight the sun's brilliance.
Down from the fort we zipped in a tuk tuk and piled into jeeps for a cultural tour of the surrounding areas. On the trip we visited Bishnoi peoples, traditional carpet weavers, and Muslim potters. The Bishnoi are very strict naturalists, living off simple agriculture and consuming no meat. The head of the family we visited showed us the traditional preparation of opium water. We each sampled a small amount for the flavour as it does not produce the same drug effect as other preparations. He showed us how his turban was tied (out of 11 feet of fabric!) and invited us to look around his home.
Back in the jeeps and off to the weaver. There we learned it takes two people (usually husband and wife) two months at 8 hours a day to loom weave a 3x5 rug. We didn't really get to see them weaving as we were quite late and the women were busy cooking. However, they did of course take the time to show us all the rugs for sale. Beautiful, but not my style.
Down a ridiculously dusty road we zoomed in our open jeeps to the Muslim potter. During an amazing pottery demonstration we learned the potter had been at this work since he was 12 and the family has been potters for many generations. I told him my dad and I work for the same company. He did not seem impressed... Anyways, the demonstration was mind blowing. The potter worked the clay in a stone slab, then threw it on a round stone wheel balanced on a stick and a rounder smaller stone. He used a stick to spin the wheel to a frenzied pace (crouching in his toes the whole time). Then he started to work. About a minute later he had created a mid-size decorative pot, 20 seconds later followed a handled lid. Two minutes for a mooney pot (we played 'Guess what I'm making' and lost). And finally he finished off the clay with a flower pot. We had some time to ask questions, visit with their curious kids (who kept asking for bubble gum), and check out his shop. His clay works were beautiful and I bought an intricate little camel friend to take home with me. I hope he survives the trip!
We had all you can eat thali at a local joint and I headed right to a freezing shower (no hot water yet) and off to bed. What a whirlwind! We're on another local bus at 7 a.m. tomorrow to Udaipur!
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