DAY 1 (5/5): SADAR MARKET AND GHANTA GHAR CLOCKTOWER, Jodhpur, Rajasthan, India, 2018.11.24

It was dark by the time we left Mehrangarh Fort. We turned our gaze from the fort to the cityscape below us. We saw countless festive lights flickering in different parts of the old city, as if a citywide party awaited for our return. At the centre of Old Jodhpur, the Ghanta Ghar Clock Tower was bathed in colourful lighting like a rainbow popsicle. We followed a winding footpath going downhill, hoping to get back to the old town in time for dinner at the rooftop restaurant at Pal Haveli. Before supper, we still had one more destination to go which was the vibrant Sadar Market at the Ghanta Ghar Clock Tower.

It was getting dark when we began to walk down from Mehrangarh Fort. From afar, the clock tower in colourful lights was highly visible and served as a destination landmark to guide us for the walk.

Mehrangarh Fort looked majestic under the evening flood lights.

The path soon led us into small streets at the foothills below the fort.

It was dinner time and most shops were about to close.

We walked by many homes with their doors kept opened. From time to time, we could hear laughter of families from inside their homes.

In Jodhpur, there was a common way in which the street vendors decorate their store with bags of chips and snacks in different colourful packaging hanging vertically around the front edge of the roof. It was very eye-catching.

We kept on walking downhill and hoped that we would soon reach the Sadar Market and Ghanta Ghar Clock Tower. Behind us, the massive Mehrangarh Fort provided a mysterious background.

Soon we reached the bottom of the hill in the streets of Gulab Sagar,

It was dinner time for many families, and even bedtime for this puppy on a motorbike.

Near Sadar Market or Clock Tower Market, we passed by a small Hindu shrine along the main commercial street.

A beautiful gateway welcomed us into the vibrant Sadar Market. The market was named after Maharaja Sardar Singh, who built the market and the clock tower during his reign from 1880 to 1911.

Built by Maharaja Sardar Singh in the late 19th century, the Ghanta Ghar Clock Tower is one the most iconic monuments of old Jodhpur.

Sadar Market is one of the busiest place in Jodhpur where locals and tourists come to shop for handicrafts, souvenirs, spices, fresh produce, textiles, jewellery and clothing.

At Sadar Market, our target was to check out MV Spices Shop.

Established by Mohan Lal Verhomal years ago, MV Spices is a renowned spices shop recommended by many guidebooks and foreign media. Today, the spices shop is managed by the friendly daughters of Mohan Lal Verhomal. After a cup of chai tea and a good chat with one of the daughters, we bought a pack of Maharaja curry, and also spices to make chai tea and chicken tikka masala.

After a quick visit of Sadar Market, we returned to our hotel Pal Haveli.

We climbed up to the hotel’s rooftop restaurant Indique for dinner.

Indique is a popular rooftop restaurant in Old Jodhpur, serving decent Indian food with magnificent views of the old city.

We enjoyed the distant view of Mehrangarh Fort at one side of the rooftop. During dinner, it was a surprise to see a small firework in front of the fort. It came in a split second. We couldn’t react quick enough to capture the moment with our camera. The scene could only live in our memory.