India (Frommer's, 4th Edition) (310 page)

Other goods worth keeping an eye out for are puppets and wooden folk toys, enamel or Meenakari work,
dhurries
(rugs), tie-dye and block-printed fabrics, embroidered bags and clothing, and silver jewelry. As is always the case, consider carefully before you buy (cheaper is not always better and often means the object is a poor imitation), and try to bargain. Plenty of places will try to sell you paintings, but if you’re looking for top quality (or at least want to understand the difference), you’ll need to visit the artist
Kamal Sharma
(15A, New Colony, Kalaji-Goraji;
0294/242-3451
or 98-2904-0851). A four-time national award winner, Sharma works on paper, marble, and silk. Nearer the City Palace, you can visit
Shreenath
(City Palace Rd.), where a father-and-son team has been in business for years and conducts considerable export trade; ask to view the more elaborate (and expensive) paintings in the back room, bearing in mind that quality is determined by the intricacy of the brush strokes, which (at first) really need to be viewed under a magnifying glass. You’ll soon develop a knack for spotting finer paintings at a glance. For a really kitschy souvenir, you can even commission a traditional miniature with your own face in the scene; just bring a photograph!

To view traditional Udaipur (and Gujarati) embroidery, visit
Jagdish Emporium
on City Palace Road; but note that a far superior and more affordable outlet,
Rama Art Gallery
(Haridas ji ki Magri;
0294/512-0771
), is located
near Udaivilās and the Trident. For beautiful beaded bags, head for
Chandpole Road,
where you will also find a number of jewelry stores.

A Special Spot Between Udaipur & Jodhpur

If you are traveling by car from Udaipur, Jodhpur signals the start of the flat, semiarid landscape that leads north-west towards the Thar Desert, and we recommend that you spend a few nights unwinding in the lusher more characterful landscape of the Aravalli Hills, and here there is no better place than Rawla Narlai.

The Rawla Narlai
A stylish 17th-century hunting retreat of the Maharaja of Jodhpur, located in the heart of the semi–arid, granite-boulder strewn Aravalli Hills halfway between Udaipur and Jodhpur (an ideal and well-priced overnight stop after you visit the Jain temples of Ranakpur which are less than an hr. away, and/or Kumbhalgarh Fort), the lovely Rawla Narlai is an excellent-value destination, providing good food, good taste and undivided attention to the individual needs of guests. It’s also a destination in its own right, one completely free of touts, shops, and pushers; your dapper, congenial host, “Tikka,” who has been in the hospitality trade for 42 years, will gladly provide a guide to take you on a relaxed walk through the village, and personally accompany you on sundowner and bird-watching visits to the lake, local temples or the beautiful 7th century
baoli
(step well, still using both its old and new water drawing methods). Or you could go riding on beautiful Marwari horses. Follow these activities with cocktails in the idyllic garden or courtyard accompanied by a devotional sitar singer (jogi), a neck and shoulder rub, and a delectable, romantic, candlelit rooftop dinner.

140km (87 miles) from Udaipur (via Ranakpur 125km/78 miles); 160km (99 miles) from Jodhpur. Reservations through Ajit Bhawan, Near Circuit House, Jodhpur 342 006.
0291/251-0410,
-1410, or -0610. Fax 0291/251-0674.
www.narlai.com
. [email protected]. 25 units. Rs 8,000 standard double; Rs 9,000 deluxe double; Rs 10,000 luxury tents around pool; Rs 15,000 luxury room double; Rs 2,000 extra bed. Taxes extra. AE, MC, V.
Amenities:
Restaurant and rooftop dining; babysitting; bird-watching; camel safaris; currency exchange; doctor-on-call; excursions, horse riding; Internet (complimentary); pool; rock climbing; transfers. In room: A/C, fan.

8 Jodhpur

336km (208 miles) E of Jaipur; 260km (161 miles) NW of Udaipur; 295km (183 miles) SE of Jaisalmer

Founded in 1459 by Rao Jodhaji, chief of the Rathore Rajputs who ruled over Marwar, “land of death,” Jodhpur was to become one of Rajputana’s wealthiest cities, capitalizing on its central position on the Delhi-Gujarat trade route and protected by one of the most impenetrable forts in history. Today it is the state’s second-largest city, much of it a sprawling, polluted metropolis, but within the old walls—where every building is painted the same light blue hue, earning Jodhpur the nickname “Blue City”—you’ll find a teeming maze of narrow medieval streets and bazaars, where life appears much as it has for centuries. Towering above is
Mehrangarh
(Majestic)
Fort,
its impenetrable walls rising like sheer cliffs from the rocky outcrop on which it is built. From its crenelated ramparts you enjoy postcard views of the ancient blue city below and, in the distance, the grand silhouette of
Umaid Bhawan Palace,
residence of the current Maharaja and award winning (
Condé Nast Traveler
2009 Hotel of the Year) heritage hotel. Within the fort is a typical Rajput palace that today houses one of the state’s best-presented museums, artfully displaying the accumulated accouterments of the royal house of Rathore in the beautifully preserved royal apartments.

The labyrinthine Old City is a more visually exciting experience than Jaipur, but besides exploring these medieval streets and visiting Mehrangarh Fort and Umaid Bhawan Palace, there’s not much to hold you here for more than a day or two—most people use Jodhpur as a jumping-off point to Jaisalmer or as an overnight stop before traveling on to Jaipur or Udaipur.

ESSENTIALS

VISITOR INFORMATION
The tourist reception center is located in the
RTDC Ghoomar Tourist Bungalow,
on High Court Road (
0291/254-5083
or 254-4010; Mon–Sat 10am–5pm; closed second Sat of the month). Your own hotel’s reception will assist with reservations for sightseeing and day tours. The tourist
help line
number is
1364
(Mon–Sat 9am–5pm). Convenient places to withdraw cash against your credit card are the HDFC or ICICI ATM at Ratanada Chauraha,
UTI Bank
(near Kwality Inn, Chandra Hotel), or
Bank of Baroda
(Sojati Gate).

GETTING THERE
Traveling by car from Udaipur takes approximately 51⁄2 hours with no stops; the journey from Jaipur takes about 61⁄2 to 7 hours. However, Jodhpur is very well connected by rail and air. As always, try to book flights with the more professional
Jet Airways
(
0291/510-3333
or -2222 city office, 0291/251-5551 or -5552
airport), though you’ll have to use
Indian Airlines
(
0291/251-0757
or -0758 city office, 0291/251-2617 airport) if you want to fly to Udaipur. Jodhpur’s
airport
(
0291/251-2934
) lies 4km (2 1⁄2 miles) south of the city. Expect to pay about Rs 270 for a taxi into town; this will be less if you use the prepaid taxi service. Jodhpur’s main
train station
(
131
or 132) is on Station Road, just south of the Old City walls. The overnight Mandor Express links the city to Delhi in 121⁄2 hours; the Jaipur Intercity Express gets you here from Jaipur in 5 hours. There are two daily trains from Jaisalmer (6 hr.), early morning and late at night. At press time, train services to/from Udaipur were still suspended until the completion of the new railway line.