Jodhpur is a nice change of pace from the rest of the places I have been to in India. Jodhpur is in the northwestern state of Rajasthan and sits on the eastern edge of a barren expanse, which separates India and Pakistan. People seem much more relaxed here. Everywhere else, Indians are pushy and jumpy - they really like to heckle tourists, especially the hawkers. The city is beautiful. Most of the buildings are designed in the Arabic style, with different levels and flat, open rooftops. Many of the rooftops are painted blue, which is a tradition that dates back centuries. Blue was not only a symbol of wealth, but also the indigo in the paint deflected the sun and kept pesky insects away. Jodhpur is known as the Blue City.
Our day was a bit more relaxed than the last few. We took a rickshaw up to the fort, which sits on a cliff overlooking the city. Our hotel conveniently sits right below the fort and offers an impressive view (the picture below was taken from our hotel). The fort was built in the 1400s to serve as protection for the city and house the palaces of the Maharaja of Rajasthan. Today, there still is a Maharaja, which is essentially a king, but he lives in a nearby palace and has almost no authority.
Fort Mehrangarh
Jodhpur was a great place for New Year's Eve. After having dinner nearby, Melisa and I walked back to our hotel to have a Kingfisher beer and enjoy the view of the fort at night. At around ten minutes to midnight, the sky started exploding with fireworks in all directions. Even our hotel shot off fireworks to ring in the New Year. 
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