India 15 - Rajasthan (Chapter)

(Marcin) #1

Rajasthan


WESTERN


R AJASTHAN


Rajasthan


iNFORMAT


iON


Rajasthan


JODHPUR


less expensive items than furniture, such as
textiles, carvings and silverware.


MV ̈Spices ̈ FOOD & DRiNK
(www.mvspices.com; h9am-9pm) The most fa-
mous and reputable spice shop in Jodhpur
(and believe us, there are lots of pretend-
ers!), MV Spices has several small branches
around town (including a stall outside the
entrance to the fort) that are run by the sev-
en daughters of the founder of the original
stall. It will cost around ₹80 to ₹100 for 100g
bags of spices, and the owners will email you
recipes so you can use your spices correctly
when you get home.


Sambhali ̈Boutique ̈ ClOTH iNG, ACCESSORiES


(h10am-8pm Mon-Sat, noon-8pm Sun) (^) S This
small but interesting fixed-price shop sells
colourful clothes and handicrafts made by
women who have learned craft skills with
the Sambhali Trust.
Krishna ̈Book ̈Depot ̈ BOOKS
(Sardar Market; h10.30am-7.30pm) Upstairs is
an Aladdin’s Den of new and used books,
piled high in no apparent order; great fun
for browsing. Downstairs is filled with
handicrafts.
8 Information
There are foreign-friendly ATMs dotted around
the city. We’ve marked some on our map. There
are very few in the old city, though, one excep-
tion being near Shahi Guest House. internet
cafes charge around ₹30 to ₹40 per hour. Again,
they’re dotted around town, especially in the
old city.
Main Post Office (Station Rd; h9am-4pm
Mon-Fri, 9am-3pm Sat, stamp sales only 10am-
3pm Sun)
Om Forex (Sardar Market; internet per hr ₹30;
h9am-10pm) internet place which also ex-
changes currency and travellers cheques.
Police (Sardar Market; h24hr) Small police
post inside the market’s north gate.
Tourist Reception Centre (%2545083; High
Court Rd; h9am-6pm Mon-Fri) Offers a free
city map and willingly answers questions.
8 Getting ̈There ̈& ̈Away
AIR
Jet Airways (%2515551; http://www.jetairways.com;
airport) and Air India (%2510758, airport office
2512617; http://www.airindia.com; 2 West Patel Nagar,
Circuit House Rd, airport) both fly daily to Delhi
and Mumbai. To find the Air india office, walk
along Ratanada Rd then turn left.
BUS
Government-run buses leave from Central Bus
Stand (Raika Bagh), directly opposite Raika
Bagh train station. Walk east along High Court
Rd, then turn right under the small tunnel. Serv-
ices include:
Bikaner (₹182, 5½ hours, frequent from 5am
to 7pm)
Jaipur (₹252, 7 hours, frequent from 4am to
midnight)
Jaisalmer (₹193, 5½ hours, frequent from
6.30am to 7pm)
Mt Abu (Abu Road) (₹191, 7½ hours, 11am and
noon)
Osian (₹47, 1½ hours, half-hourly until 10pm)
Pushkar (₹143, 5 hours, 7.15am, 9.15am, 10am,
3.30pm and 8.30pm)
Rohet (₹32, 1 hour, every 15 minutes)
Udaipur (₹209, 7 hours, frequent from 5.30am
to 10.30pm)
For private buses, you can book through your
hotel, although it’s cheaper to deal directly with
the bus operators on the road in front of Jodhpur
train station. Jain Travels (%2633831; http://www.
jaintravels.com; h7am-11pm) is reliable, as
is Mahadev Travels (%2633927; Station Rd;
h7am-10pm) opposite them. Buses leave from
bus stands out of town, but the operator should
provide you with free transport (usually a shared
autorickshaw) from their ticket office. Example
services through Jain Travels are as follows:
Ajmer (₹220, 5 hours, 7am, 11am, 1.30pm,
2pm, 10pm and 11pm)
Bikaner (₹200, 5 hours, 5am, 6am, 9am, 4pm,
5pm, 10pm and 11pm)
Delhi (seat only) (₹400, 12 hours, 6pm)
Jaipur (₹220, 7 hours, 7am, 11am, 1.30pm,
2pm, 10pm and 11pm)
Jaisalmer (₹230, 5½ hours, hourly from 7am-
10pm)
Mt Abu (direct; seat/sleeper) (₹250/400, 7½
hours, 9.30pm)
Mumbai (seat only) (₹200 to ₹300, 19 hours,
2pm)
TAXI
You can organise taxis for intercity trips (or
longer) through most accommodation places,
or deal directly with drivers. There’s a taxi stand
outside Jodhpur train station. Expect to pay
around ₹9 per kilometre (for a comfortable
Toyota innova; less for a smaller car such as a
Tata indica). The driver will charge at least ₹100
for overnight stops and will charge for his return
journey.
TRAIN
The computerised booking office (Station Rd;
h8am-8pm Mon-Sat, 8am-1.45pm Sun) is
300m northeast of Jodhpur train station. Trains

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