Tourist days in Jodhpur (featuring the Omelette Man)

Contemplating life under a tree... with a power generator as company

Jodhpur

We arrived in Jodhpur by taxi, having spent a day touring the countryside and visiting some more epic forts along the way, one of which was the second longest wall behind the Great Wall of China – at 36km, we didn't quite have the two days to make the trek. Andrew recommended to us three things in Jodhpur: the fort, Yogi’s guesthouse and the Omelette Man.

Big fort in the countryside

I’ll admit right here that I struggle to write pure description. That is, when we visit a fort (one actually worth seeing), a temple, or even sometimes, the streets we roam, I can’t help but feel forced and fake. Luckily, this problem is overcome with pictures. So instead of writing lots, let me simply make three quick points.

View of Jodhpur from the fort

First, we hit a wonderful routine in Jodhpur. We’d wake up, go visit Omelette Man, go to the lassi store on the corner for a banana lassi, do some activities, lounge about on the rooftop of the guesthouse, eat, and drink. This is when you remind yourself: I’m on holiday, not seeking enlightenment. In that sense, it was really nice just to relax, venture out when you felt like it, and not worry too much about what you ‘must’ see and do.

Omelette man

Omelette Man is famous in the tourist world. His task, aided by his son, whose job is to take orders and deal cash, is solely to make omelettes. And let me tell you, they are the best omelettes you have ever tried. Omelette Man stands on a little stool, for he is short, wears a little brown beanie just above his eyes, for the cold (it’s not cold for us), wears plastic frame glasses, a tweed grey suit with patches on the elbows, and has been doing exactly the same thing for over thirty years. They say he makes an omelette every three minutes, from 10am to 10pm seven days a week, and makes up to 1,500 omelettes are a day. He puts a slab of butter in a pan, mixes three or so eggs in a tin cup with turmeric, coriander and a few other spices, puts the mixture in the pan, adds a slice of processed cheese, flips, fries bread in the mixture, then puts it on a small throwaway plate for the tourist to enjoy. I can see why – It’s deliciously rich, flavoursome, a whip of spice, and filling enough that you don’t need lunch. I can’t say I've ever eaten so many omelettes as I did in Jodhpur.

Omelette Man's omelette... I'm getting hungry just looking at it

Second, the fort. From our rooftop guesthouse, we had a stunning view of the fort overlooking the entire city, as we did the many romantic rooftop restaurants in which we ate. Too bad we weren't in the company of more ladies. We spent an afternoon up in the fort, staring for an age at the views from the very top, and eventually winding our way to the less well frequented other side, and hung round with vultures, monkeys and trees. We walked through town on the way home – the places tourists don’t go, and had to fight our through the narrow lanes, because as always, they were  congested with people, cars, motorbikes, rickshaws – and cows.

Peckerheads

I guess I’ve already covered Yogi’s guesthouse. It was a fantastic place – perfect for relaxing and getting much needed reading/writing time, right in the centre of town, and with a view to die for. It was just a few minutes from the ubiquitous clock tower in the centre of town, and pretty much just about everything you need. The courtyard also doubled as a makeshift cricket pitch – great for when you’ve got an hour or two to kill.

One peckerhead and one journeyman

In Jodhpur – the one they call the blue city – I felt like I was on vacation. That’s perfect – Jodhpur days, Burmese days – they’re each an experience, whether you’re eating omelette’s in Jodhpur or discussing life in a Burmese country club. Cheers omelette man – you made out time special.