The drive from Bijaipur to Udaipur was the least interesting drive we've had. One of the amazing experiences we've had in India was to drive through villages and have the locals (mostly children) smile and wave at us excitedly as we drove past. From Bijaipur to Udaipur we were on major highway, so while the roads were in much better condition, it wasn't nearly as fun!
We arrived in Udaipur, dubbed Rajasthan's most romantic city, and checked into our hotel right in the heart of the old city. We then met up with our group for a tour of the City Palace.
Udaipur was founded in 1559 when Maharana Udai Singh II fled nearby Chittorgarh after it was sacked by the great Moghul emperor Akbar. While other cities such as Jaipur signed treaties with Akbar and the Moghuls, Udaipur was the only city to continually fight and resist them. This is why the King was referred to as a Maharana instead of Maharaja as the other ones are known as. (And we were told why the palace wasn't as ornate as all the other ones - because they spent most of their time out in the battlefield - though we thought the palace was quite ornate!)
The city is also known for its beautiful Lake Pichola and is framed by the ancient Aravalli hills. The lake was man made by the local tribal people well before the city itself was built, but was enlarged by Maharana Udai Singh II by building a masonry dam and flooding the nearby Pichola village. The lake is now 4 km long and 3 km wide but it remains shallow and can dry up in severe droughts.
The city palace served as the winter palace, while the lake palace as the summer palace. High up on a nearby hill stands the monsoon palace. (A bit palaced out, we decided we would all just admire the monsoon palace from afar).
After the tour of the city palace, we took a stroll through the cobblestone streets of the city and enjoyed some coffee from a rooftop restaurant as the sun dropped low in the sky. Back at our hotel, we climbed up to the rooftop and watched the grand finale as the sun set behind then lake and the hills.
View of Lake (Summer) Palace - now a very expensive hotel
That evening we met our group and walked down to an old 18th century haveli to watch a cultural dance show of various Rajasthani dances. Seated on cushions in a grandiose old courtyard with trees and all, we were entertained by dancing, puppetry and the art of balancing pots on ones heads whilst dancing.
That night we capped things off with dinner on a rooftop hotel. (If you haven't caught on there are a few rooftop dining and drinking options in Udaipur, all with fabulous views of the lake).
View across the way from dinner
The next day was a free day so we decided to have a bit of a sleep in! We enjoyed breakfast on a rooftop restaurant (a French bakery!) and then Dave bought some white cotton pants and shirt from an old tailor near our hotel. As he sat down to hem Dave's pants we were chatting about the fact that we were from Vancouver. He pulled out his recommendation books (it's very common for people to ask travellers to write in their books) and filled to a page with a recommendation from someone from Vancouver. Dave looked down and laughed and said "I know him!"- there in the book was a business card from UBC with the name of a computer science prof and a note. Small world!
Washing clothes at the ghats
After the pants were done four of us got together for an Indian cooking class put on by the owner of the hotel and a spice store called the Spice Box. We started with some masala chai, and then made some curries, rice and roti.
Making masala chai
Traditional Indian Spice Box
Our final sampling plate
The afternoon we went searching the streets for a local barber. Dave's facial hair had grown to the point where it would have wrecked his razor blades so he decided to experience one of these Indian shaves we had seen so many people getting. It was harder to find than expected, but we finally passed by a little storefront where someone was getting a shave and walked in. The barber didn't speak a word of English, but there was a local shop owner who sat with us to translate.
The barber shop
Waiting for his shave
Dave took a seat and was soon being lathered up with shaving cream. After asking for a "new blade" Dave had the experience of having a straight blade right up against his neck - you really have to trust these guys! He looked a little nervous for a bit! After the shave he was asked if he wanted a head massage. He agreed and the lathered his hair up with oil and then laughed at his lack of hair once it was oiled up (by this time there were three locals watching the shenanigans and finding it quite entertaining). After the head massage he went on to his back, shoulders and arms. Once done we handed over 100 rupees (we had agreed to 50 but they claimed the massage was extra - it still ended in being under $2 Canadian).
Getting lathered up
Getting a close shave
The locals crowded around watching while Dave gets a head massage
On our way back to the hotel (where we headed to wash the oil out of Dave's hair) we stopped for a quick look at the Jagdish Temple, an Indo-Aryan temple built by Mahraja Jagat Singh in 1651.
We then hit up a rooftop place for a coffee before meeting the group for a boat trip our on Lake Pichola.
City Palace
Our boat
That evening we walked to the other side of the water to one of the best rooftops in the city, the Lake Pichola Hotel, overlooking the lake and city palace across the way. I opted to get some non Indian fare and enjoyed some delicious gnocchi and some Indian white wine. It was an absolutely stunning atmosphere.
View across to the City Palace
As we were getting up to leave and walk back I started to feel quite ill. The entire walk back I felt more and more so. Dave stopped to get some snacks for our early morning train ride, and I decided to run ahead to the hotel. As soon as I reached the bathroom I found my face between the white porcelain seat and vomited three times. Dave came back and found me curled up on the bathroom floor in the fetal position crying in agony (and quickly told me I was overreacting - which I think he regretted hours later when I was still heaving up bile and the tiny bit of water I kept trying to keep down). As things moved down, it started to come out the other end, but the mere steps to the toilet and the dizziness would quickly make me need to vomit again. At 1:30am all I could think about was how there was no way I was leaving for the train station at 5am.
Around 2am I finally managed to fall asleep without being violently woken up again by stomach pains and the urge to use the toilet. At 4:30am our alarm went off and I groaned. I felt heaps better than a few hours before, but incredibly weak and tired. At least the idea of getting on the train was now a possibility, so I was thankful for that.
We gathered our things and made our way down to meet our group. Hopping into tuk tuks in the darkness of the morning, we were driven to the train station to catch our 5 hour train to Ajmer. Luckily the train was fairly comfortable and I managed to go the whole time without being sick again, and even managed to sleep a bit. Thinking back to the night before I was incredibly grateful thinking the train ride could have been far worse!
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