9th of March, 2023.
Hitchhiking in India.
I have to walk way more than I expected until I finally find a good hitchhiking spot.
I wait for a while. Some people ask me where I am going. Some cars offer me a short lift, which I refuse. I must arrive to Jodhpur today.
Suddenly, a taxi stops. I calmly walks to it, already prepared to tell the driver that I cannot pay for a taxi, when I see that there is a couple inside. They tell me to be going to Jodhpur, and because they already paid or the taxi, I can come with them for free. Yay!!
Manot is the driver but I didn’t catch the couple’s name. They are actually on honeymoon. I find interesting that, a recent married couple, actually speak so little. They seem to like each other, for sure, but they are actually watching some tv show in the tablet, and not chatting much. They are very sweet though, and I am very grateful for their help. Manot is also very nice but he cannot speak much English.
We stop for lunch in a nice restaurant, with beautiful green gardens. Luckily, it just looks fancy, but it is also a simple place. We all have some instant noodles and carry on right after.
They drop me off in an intersection, where our paths go different ways. I keep on walking for a while, asking here and then the direction to Mehrangarh, because it is not visible yet.
When I get to the fort, right at the entrance, a curious tourist starts asking me questions about what I am doing. When I tell him, he is extremely surprised, and quickly gathered the other people from his travel group, to tell them about it. They are from Italy, and I tell them I’ve been there. The nice man who started the conversation, offer to sponsor me with some cash. I kindly refuse. He understands that I cannot even pay for the ticket, and offers then to pay for me. I also refuse. I tell him that, if they don’t allow me to visit for free, I will simply leave. He is very nice and understands.
I have to talk with many people until somebody who is in charge finally arrives. I don’t give up, though. I kept waiting. When he finally arrives, he doesn’t seem so keen on letting me in for free. Only when I tell him about my blog is that he decides to allow me to go. But I cannot leave my backpack in the entrance, so I take it with me for a while. I also try to drop off by two different coffee shops, but nope!
At first, I am a bit confused by the place! Probably because I am also so amused by! It is so gorgeous! Going up the main entrance / ramp, another obstacle: you need to present your ticket again, in order to enter the premises of the fort. This time, a very pleasant and patient guard, uses his handheld radio to contact the main entrance, and confirm if I am clear to go. Yep, I am!
After the first, long range of stairs, I am dying. Luckily, I notice that the tour will be a circle, returning to a spot near this point. Plus, I see two other security guards nearby, so I ask them if I can leave The Hulk around here, so I don’t disturb the people inside the rooms, and the rooms itself. They agree. Yay!
Oh! I love this place! Every single piece is so beautiful! But, of course, the main entrance is the most catching, fabulous part of it! And even though the rooms are amazing, I am mostly caught by the outside details, the doors and external contours.
There is an outside area, with gardens and all. From here, you can walk for a while and cross through the walls of the fort to a temple.
I rest by the garden for a while. And also photograph a not so shy squirrel.
If I thought that this place was already beautiful at a normal time, I couldn’t imagine how even more magical it would look like at sunset. With the golden hour, everything gains an amazing touch of romance, and the combination of the colours look even more gorgeous! What a pearl to the eyes! I don’t want to leave! I think I am actually the last one to leave.
Going down from the opposite part of the fort, in a kind of shortcut to town, I ended up exactly where my “map” (handwriting directions) was showing me. The plan is to ask around for a Gurdwara where I can spend the night and get some food.
There are some people in a corner, right at the “blue city”. They ask if I need any help so I tell them about myself and my plan. They are actually the sisters who own the guest house which we are in front. After some talking, they tell me that the nearest gurdwara is actually quite far, so they offer for me to put my tent in their rooftop. Yay! That’s wonderful! In exchange, I offer to make online reviews for them. Now I just need to get some food.
Nagunia and Safran, the two sisters, are the owners of Hill View Guest House and they tell me about a kind of restaurant where you can eat a meal for only 8 Rupees. The project is called Indira Rasoi and it has restaurants all over Rajasthan. At Ganta Ghar, I ask in one of the bangles shop for directions. The kindest young man helps me out by calling another man who can bring me there. It is a short walking distance but he wants to make sure I don’t get lost. He also insists on giving the man the 8 rupees for my meal. That’s because when I told him I was looking for Indira Rasoi, he offered to pay me for a meal somewhere else, and I kindly refuse. But with the 8 Rupees there was no way out, so I accepted. Here is his shop Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/vijaylaxmi_bangles/
The food is simple: chapati, dhal and sabji (vegetable stew) but it is all I need. Quite a few more people come to eat while I am there, and they all seem surprised with my presence. Before I leave, when I come to wash my dishes, I take a photo with the ladies responsible for the cooking. Among them, helping with the cleaning, some really young girls. They are all lovely!
Back at the guest house, I have to wait until 10 o’clock to put my tent out because there are still some guests on the rooftop. Although by the time I finally manage, there are still some people.
I manage to wake up before sunrise. It is an incredible view from up here! I want to start early and get to Jaipur today. When I try to go down, the door is locked. Of course! I knock a few times but nobody answers. I don’t know what time they might wake up, so I decide not to wait. I find a way of going down, climbing in the back of the building. It is actually kind of exciting! I have always search for an exit plan whenever I am up in a building. Now I finally put one of the plans to work! And successfully! Once down there, I open the small gate which gives access to the guest house. That’s a funny fact though: the gate was unlocked, and the door which gives access to the rooftop was only closed from inside, not locked. So basically, they just locked me up, it wasn’t an act of security by any means.
Anyway… I get my stuff and start walking towards the other end of Jodhpur. Not before one last glimpse of the spectacular Mehrangarh Fort! What a view!
10 Years Around the World 