We explored all the main attractions at Jodhpur which included the Umaid Bhawan Palace, the Mehrangarh Fort, and the Jaswant Thada memorial. We even saw the glowing blueness of the city due to the indigo colored rooftop houses in the older part of the city. But I'd probably say the most memorable part of the trip was going to the Omelette Shop and meeting the famous Omelette Man. Despite my growing discontent towards the Lonely Planet because of its subjective and thus sometimes disagreeable descriptions of certain tourist spots, I'd have to say this time the guidebook certainly got its recommendation of the Omelette Shop right on target. We set out to find this place among the alleyways and bazaars, oftentimes wandering aimlessly. But after asking around, we were finally led to some shabby blue shack that was set outside among the chaos of the bazaar. There was a big sign above the shack indicating that this indeed was the one and only Omelette Shop and tourists should not be fooled by imitations.
One man immediately set out stools for us to sit on right near the shack and gave us guestbooks to write in. He looked at me and asked, "Korean?" I nodded, and he gave me this one particular guestbook among the stack. I opened it, and I realized this guestbook was specifically for East Asian tourists. I was surprised by the amount of Korean tourists that came by this omelette place and even noticed a Korean person had come by earlier that morning according to the date. I decided to leave my own comment with very poor Korean. It was something along the lines of My name is Jenny. I cannot write Korean that well. I'm from the U.S.
And then there was the Omelette Man who had his back to us the whole time since he was busy making the omelettes. But he occasionally turned around to give us a warm smile and a wave and we gave him a 'thumbs up' each time. Then came the best omelettes ever - or rather omelette sandwiches. I ordered the masala cheese omelette, and when I got my order, the cheese was oozing out, the omelette was sizzling hot, and the bread was lightly toasted. I took my first bite and it was absolutely amazing. Okay so yeah, a fried egg stacked between two pieces of bread might not sound totally original, especially because you can easily make it at home or get it at many places in the U.S., but I think it was eating something so familiar in India that brought a warm, hearty feeling to the meal and made it that much more delicious. It was overall a great meal, all for less than a dollar, even with a drink included. We ended up going there three more times during our time in Jodhpur, and literally had one non-omelette meal over the weekend. It was really that good. And for some reason, each time we went, the man serving us made sure there wasn't that much salt on mine because apparently Koreans don't like salt. "Oh wait, no salt for Koreans," and the man passed the sizzling omelette to someone else.
And yes, the sites were wonderful as well. But I think the best part of touring a city is walking through the city itself, especially through the back alleyways and uncommon routes where tourists are completely nonexistent and where the true hidden gem of the city lies. This is where you really see the city for what it is. And if you pay attention, you'll also see how different each city and its people are, which has made me come to like Udaipur less each time I visit other places. But regardless of wherever I go, even in Udaipur, people will always stare because I obviously look different from everyone else. As I pass by shops, people will say, "Korean? Japanese? Konichiwa! Hello madam!" And I certainly got a lot of this in Jodhpur. All in all, I really enjoyed my trip to Jodhpur with all its people, OMELETTES, and sights. It was definitely nice to get away for a weekend and it was made that much better because it was such a last minute decision on my part. My trip ended with another 7 hour bumpy and cold bus ride where I sat next to a Sikh Indian soldier who was being stationed in Udaipur. We had a nice conversation despite his very limited English and my equally limited Hindi. But most of the bus ride I spent sleeping, or trying to sleep.
And oddly enough, after 9 omelette sandwiches, 4 boiled eggs, a palace, fort, some old city action, and a roundtrip bus ride, it felt good to be back home.
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