Yes we were tourists too but it just felt that we’d had Bundi all to ourselves, apart from the people who live there of course!
Arriving in Udaipur was a bit of a shock to the system as the streets were packed with tourists. Not surprising really as our hotel was in the old town near to The City Palace and the lake. I thought the hotel would have more character but the view from our room more than made up for that and the food in the restaurant was some of the best of our holiday.
After wandering round we did what all visitors do, we went on a boat trip on Lake Pichola at sunset. The golden light on all the buildings was fantastic and the sunset didn’t disappoint. Cups of chai for 5 rupees were being handed out as you got off the boat. I love chai but it’s far too sugary for John.
Our second day in Udaipur was spent visiting The City Palace and what a place it is. OK it was pretty busy with tourists so I had to be patient at times and wait for a clear shot of the architecture but it wasn’t a problem. The mosaic work on the walls is amazing and the paintings are impressive. This time we’d had to pay to go in but it was worth it.
That evening we went to another must-do when in Udaipur – a show featuring traditional dances and puppets with a jaw-dropping finale. It’s hard to explain this but one of the dancers, an elderly woman started with one water carrier pot balanced on her head, then she would add another and dance around the stage between placing another one on her head. She had this fixed grin on her face or perhaps it was a grimace but it was so funny. It was very clever but also very bizarre. The show ended abruptly after that with the compere announcing this was the end of the show but none of the performers came back on stage so we all just made our way to the exit. Bit of a let down in a way. Good meal though at our hotel and yes we were still talking about what we’d seen. No web site on Udaipur includes this in the must-see list but don’t let that put you off!
The next day we headed out by car to Jodhpur with a stop en route at a Jain temple. More about this in my next blog.
Travels with the Booths.blog 