I visited the blue city of Jodhpur in August 2018 on a solo trip. As with most of my trips to the old towns, I chose to stay in the old area of Jodhpur in a heritage haveli which was actually a budget accomodation. Be warned that these havelis do not have lifts so you need to use the staircases. Most of my weekend / long-weekend trips are with a single backpack so this wasn't a concern.
The haveli was near the Mehrangarh Fort. And voila, when I went up to the terrace restaurant in the Haveli, I had a beautiful view of the fort. In fact, the fort looked even more beautiful in the night but I could not shoot a decent photo with my phone camera.
I decided to walk around for some street photography and street food. The moment you walk around near the fort, the brights colors on the street catch your attention.
And you know why Jodhpur is called the Blue City too. It is interesting to see the paintings on the walls in the old city.
This particular haveli caught my attention for a very brightly colored exterior.
After exploring the area around the fort, I walked towards the market area of Ghantaghar (clock tower) and came across Brijwasi Chaat Bhandar.
The Dahi Wada looked delicious and I thoroughly enjoyed a plate of melt-in-mouth Dahi Vada laced with mild spices, tangy and spicy chutneys and some very fresh dahi. The seasoned artisan knew his art to perfection.
My first experience of Mirchi Vada was at CLSA when a colleague who used to travel to Jodhpur used to get it for us. I always had mirchi vadas heated in a micro-wave before, but here, I got to sample some amazing stuff prepared fresh
This time, I got a few packed for home on the last day of my trip. Another snack you would never want to miss on a trip to Rajasthan is the pyaaz ki kachori.
I reached the Ghantaghar at Sardar Market, Girdikot. This is one of the oldest markets where you see tourists and locals shopping around in the streets.
Shri Mishrilal Hotel near the ghanta ghar is a famous landmark in the area. It was started in 1927 and serves some amazing snacks and is well known for the Makhaniya Lassi and Rabdi.
After spending the afternoon around this market area, I headed to Janta Sweet Home near the railway station. Since I was already full, I opted for a light (or maybe not so light) Raj Kachori which was absolutely delicious. They serve other cuisines like South Indian and Chinese too, but I would rather prefer only local cuisine here.
Last, but not the least, I went ahead to sample some amazing ghevar at Mohan ji Mithaiwala at Ada Bazaar. You will literally go in a food coma if you sample the pure ghee sweets at this shop. It serves very traditional Marwari sweets and will ensure that you visit this shop every time you visit Jodhpur if you love desi sweets.
I realized that a weekend is just not enough to explore this beautiful old city of Jaipur and I will have to return back for a slightly longer and relaxed trip sometime soon!
While this trip was all about street food, I also look forward to a Royal Marwari Thali at Risala during my next trip to Jodhpur.