That's not a Fort, THIS is a Fort!

Travelling in a two-some allows a wider range of things to be covered when planning prior to departure, and suggestions will often be made by one that the other would never have considered.

Lise bought a large collection of Faber Castel pencils to bring along, as she’d read somewhere that this was one of the main things that the poorer kids desired. I had my doubts, thinking all they’d want would be money. It turns out it was a bit of a stroke of genius. To see the look of complete and utter happiness on a little boys face, in the tiny back streets of Jodphur, as Lise handed him a brand new red pencil, was one of those things that will stick in the memory for a long time.

Pens and shampoo are the other two items they crave the most. The former is for school, and pondering that not having something as small as a pen can hold back a child’s education, I promptly purchased a batch of pens. Shampoo is a luxury item, and so I’ve vowed to steal as much of it from the hotels as I can, so as to redistribute to all those kids with dry and unhealthy hair. I’m a sort of mix between Robin Hood and that camp guy from the Decore commercials in the 90’s.

Arriving in Jodphur turned out to be a microcosm of our trip so far. The city has urban sprawl, and it felt too much like Delhi. We feared the worst, and we began to wonder if the decision to come here at the expense of Jaiselmer was a wise one. As we crept closer to the old town though, and then caught sight of the cities’ ultra-imposing fort, we relaxed. By the evening, once we had eaten at our rooftop restaurant, which sat directly below the fort, and then wondered through the narrow bustling streets of the old town, our worries had subsided. We were in fact totally content, and looking forward to the rest of our time in Jodphur.

Without a shadow of a doubt the most significant sight in Jodphur is its remarkably perched fort. You can’t help but gasp when it first reveals itself on entering the outskirts of the city. It’s certainly the most impressive fort I’ve ever seen, and that includes the Alhambra in Granada, and any of the Moroccan forts.

Inside the fort, it’s equally imposing, and extraordinary. We ambled our way through countless rooms and courtyards, and took in some magnificent views. Even the audio guide was above average.

We spent our two evenings in Jodphur wandering the medievil streets, just taking it all in. India had begun to reveal some of it's magic to me, and I was hungry for more.