Jodhpur

I was in Jodhpur recently. Before you start thinking that I am a wandering mendicant from Rajasthan, let me explain. I was in the city on official work. The city is in a valley with the Mehrangarh fort on one hilltop and the Jodhpur Palace on another. It is a dusty city that has grown and grown while the town elders slept, or waxed their curling moustaches. The city was once a princely city state. Built on the feudalistic design, it had the king's fort/palace on the hills, then the markets and residences of the traders and finally the rest of the populace on the fringes. Like any other city in India, this city too, has grown without any forethought. It is a tourist centre and hotels abound. The primary occupation is fleecing the tourists. Since my experiences in Jaipur, I was extra careful while venturing into shops for purchasing things. I went to a shop called "Rajathali". The shoes which are available all over the city for Rs.50/- were available for Rs.125/-. It was time to turn tail and scoot, leaving even the hard nosed salesmen wondering where they had gone wrong. There a shop called "National Handloom" which has several branches in Jaipur, Jodhpur, Ahmedabad. I would recommend it for buying anything from a pin to a camel. Honest prices, wide variety, and pleasant sales staff. So dont go and ask them whether they are the descendents of royal family or of the camel riding desert bandits.
April to September is off season and the hotels offer upto 30% discount on published tariffs or full meals in lieu thereof.
There's not much to see, a fort, a burial ground called Jaswant Thada, the Jaswantsingh palace which is now a heritage hotel cum part museum. Night life ends at 6.00 p.m. so you can return to your room and watch telly.
So what does this tell you about Jodhpur?