We have now been in Jodhpur for 2 nights.  Jodhpur is a good mix of the Delhi/Mumbai hustle bustle and the village experiences.  The old city is walled with the Meharangarh Fort rising above.  Here I got my way and we got to stay in a Havali.  :)  Havali's are old buildings in the old city that are converted into guest houses.  Well, this is a 5 star beautiful Raas Hotel/Havali that is like staying in a spa.  At night when the fort above is lit up and we are sitting enveloped in candlelight, there is nothing better!!   Next door is a mosque where 5-6 times per day the people are called to prayer over the loud speaker.  Atmosphere of the area, or an interruption, it is quite unique and adds to the experience!

Yesterday we ventured to the Meharangarh Fort and toured with guide.  Rajisthan is an area imbedded with history of kings and queens and palaces.  The fort is absolutely gorgeous and you can touch artifacts that are 500 years old.  Actual breaks in the stone where cannons had hit and stories of British rule, it was very much another learning experience for me.  Looking down onto the blue city and seeing the wall, looking across to other palaces in the distance, lakes, and desert, it is quite the view!  Later we took a tuk tuk down to the Jodhpur clocktower and old city market.  Cows sitting in the middle of the road watching the tourists and locals exchange rupees, it was fun.  A coupl.es massage at the Raas and another dinner under the lit Fort, our time here has been an overload of the senses.  After 2 weeks in the desert sleeping on a bed that is reminscent of a summer camp mattress, the thick mattress and pillows of the Raas will be surely missed.

Today we leave India and head to our next stop in Australia.  Leaving for me is bitter sweet.  I have surely enjoyed my time in India and have appreciated a culture that I have known little about.  I look forward to my return and to see and learn more.  Where otherwise I would be intimidated on a 1st visit, I'm learning enough Hiindi to be pushy back.  I can return with confidence and experience to not be a typical "Gori" (white woman)!!