UDAIPUR
Bidding a fond farewell to Raas Devigarh we set off, by a rather too-small-for-four-of-us-and-our-luggage taxi, to Udaipur. Fortunately it was only a 50 minute journey because not only were we squashed it was also scary as the very young driver appeared terribly inexperienced and/or the too small car had no first gear. Plus, even though we had organised the car through our Udaipur hotel, the driver could not find it!
Anyway we arrived and rooms/bathrooms are absolutely fine if basic after Taj and Raas, it is a small family owned hotel in the middle of the old city, chosen largely so we could walk to all the sites we wanted to see. We set off exploring on our first afternoon. After the rural quiet and absolute cleanliness of Raas Devigargh we are back in the thick of it: open sewers, street latrines, rubbish, cows, dogs and shit all over everywhere and again incessant hooting from endless tuk tuks and scooters. BUT: on that first afternoon we navigated the narrow streets and all their obstacles, saw monkeys, avoided buying all the souvenirs you could possibly imagine for sale and reached the landing stage at the lake for a “sunset cruise” of Udaipur’s lake, after the city palace it’s major tourist draw
The lake is delightful and calm, and houses in the middle the Lake Palace Hotel. On seeing it, from Roberto: “Why are we not staying there? I think you failed in your research Alisons” – he survived the cruise without being tipped overboard!!
The cruise was a gentle 40 or so minutes and we had great views of the city palace – our destination tomorrow – glowing in the setting sun and watching the sun set behind the Aravelli hills
Rooftop bars and restaurants are plentiful and we retire suitably refreshed although ear battered from traffic noise after the walk back to our hotel. Andy and I also try to visit the vintage car museum housing the maharaja’s fleet but get there five minutes after the 20.30 last ticket, and the ticket seller is intransigent although the museum is still open. One for another trip
The next morning we head on foot to the City Palace museum. It is a calm and delightful walk through the City Palace compound, very little traffic, no horns and clean. It is a tree lined walk along the lake and birds are plentiful, including ones familiar from home:
The city palace is another stunning Rajasthani edifice and the palace museum vast and fascinating. It has beautiful Mughal architecture, shady courtyards and colonnades, extraordinary ceramics, a women’s quarter where purdah was observed. . . . And again, is of course hugely photogenic:
In one of those small world coincidences at the entrance to the peacock courtyard I rub shoulders with a former director of a client with whom I had worked closely for over 10 years, Xenia (Car Griffiths – ex Links) who with her husband (another retired solicitor!) is holidaying in Rajasthan. We catch up briefly and as our paths will not cross again agree to meet in the new year in London. How far off that seems although we are at the very end of October already
Before leaving the city palace complex we visit the Crystal Gallery – no photographs allowed. A dusty exhibition of the most extraordinary collection of English crystal (furniture, lighting, all manner of tableware and accessories) ordered from F.C. Osler & Co of Birmingham by the then maharani in 1887. She died before it arrived and it was left unpacked for 110 years. For me the story was more intriguing than the crystal itself, that was all just too much!
We ventured into the busy old city out of the palace compound and walked across the footbridge to the far side of the lake, another rooftop and then a lakeside bar, another great sunset, another rooftop restaurant for dinner. Our walk back to our hotel this evening was through the calm and quiet palace complex rather than through the traffic and hooter riddled streets and it was very beautiful
On our last morning in Udaipur we watched monkeys frolicking in the trees by the lake making frequent dashes to steal the offerings left at a lakeside temple
We walked through numerous shops and stalls and bought some modest souvenirs. We visited the Ganesha temple where, despite our very best efforts to avoid it we were unwillingly attached as if by magnets to a man who insisted he wasn’t a guide, worked and worshipped at the temple and wanted nothing more than to share it with us
We knew this would not be the full story but after visiting and admiring the temple carvings, we politely declined to visit his art shop and when that failed (it was in the temple walls – it seemed to rude and brutal just to walk past!) and our protestations that we would not buy were met with assurances of “just look no buy” we of course left a very grumpy temple go-er when we did not buy. His stuff was good, but Alison M and I had willingly entered an art shop not 50 metres before the temple and had a delightful shopping experience there so we were not in the market! You know its going to happen but feel helpless to stop it and everyone ends up cross. This is India!!
We decided to head away from the tourist sites and explored the local back streets and markets, evidence of preparations for Diwali in hand. A colourful, noisy and chaotic walk
We have one more Rajasthani city left on this trip but before that is our visit to a national park, which is for next time.
Until then, Namaste
Alison