The City Of Lakes

By some good fortune, we were able to hitch a ride to Udaipur with some family friends of the Choksis. Dr. Singhji and Auntie Usha live in the city of lakes and were just on their way back and had extra space in their car for us. Whoopee!

The dramatic shift in terrain from Gujarat to Rajasthan was jaw-dropping. There are mountains between the two and after the mountain passes lay golden mounds of parched land. Turbaned shepherds walk with their sheep, children run through the leafless trees, and every so often, a patch of green farmland would appear.

When we got to Udaipur, Usha told the driver to drop us off at the guest house of our preference, hinting that the best place to stay is along Hanuman Ghat. We took her word for it. It really was the best place to stay, it was more quiet and less touristy than the other side; and we took the first guest house we found: Panorama.

The owner performed a puja and fed his servants outdoors.

The room was cute, with antique furniture that make you feel you are really in a haveli. Traditional Mewari murals depicting courtly life could be found all over the building, and we had some nice ones in our room too, but the best thing about it was the view. Unfortunately, we could only have the room for one night because it was reserved for the next day. Dang.

Henri met some French tourists at the guest house and I went out on my own, looking at souvenir shops and chatting with a painter. When Henri found out I was not in the room, he went looking for me; and when I went back to the guest house they told me my husband had just left. We found each other in the main street, just before he began to worry.

For dinner we went straight to the place recommended by Ashir: Ambrai. It probably has the most romantic atmosphere in the whole city, with a view of the City Palace and the Lake Palace from a garden terrace jutting into the lake. There were musicians and thankfully, heaters. When we came in, the maitre 'd said, “Oh! You found your wife!”

Sadly, they do not serve alcohol, so we made a toast to the honeymoon with glasses of water. Everything went smoothly today, from the free ride, to the drop off at the guest house, to the tables we got at the restaurant. If we arrived a few minutes later, we would have waited an hour for a place to sit. I guess it was our lucky day.

The next morning, we reluctantly moved to the smaller and cheaper room below. Then we set out to look for a reasonably priced palace or haveli hotel where we could spend one night like royalty.

Udaipur is India's most romantic city, so it was the best place to celebrate our honeymoon. There were some nice options, but one of the nicest looking was in a noisy area. The hotel of Ambrai was considered, but the suite felt small and their pool had moss. There was a boutique haveli near our guest house, but it was expensive (because of a mention in Lonely Planet) and the room was bleh.

We also strolled on the other side of the ghat. Here we found many streets that could have been the setting for the long rickshaw chase in the James Bond movie, “Octopussy.” It was one of my favorite movies as a kid; it made me believe there were snake charmers everywhere in India.

Cow barges in during lunch.

We met a painter in one of the small streets behind the palace who said he could teach us to paint. I was not so impressed by his work, but Henri thought it was a good idea for me to take a class. It planted a desire in me to take some classes, but I was too insecure about my skills to say yes immediately. But every day after that, I would ask painters how much they charge and how they plan to teach me. But just when I announced I'd finally take a chance on it, Henri said maybe I don't need a lesson because Mewari painting is so easy. I dared him to draw, and he came up with this:

Henri has blossomed into an artist before my very eyes! Anyway, they call the style Mewari because Udaipur used to be the kingdom of the Mewars. They are great warriors and proudly resisted the Muslim Mughal expansion.

That said, a trip to Udaipur won't be complete without a visit to at least one of the palaces. (There are 3: the Monsoon Palace on the mountain, far from the lake; the Lake Palace and the City Palace.)

Lake Palace to the left, Lake Pichola Hotel to the right.

At the entrance of City Palace.

Wedding preparations at the palace.

After that, we paid the entrance to go to the hotel part of the palace.

The haunting Aravalli hills are the perfect backdrop for the Lake Palace, which I saw as a kid in “Octopussy.” He came to the island disguised as a crocodile! 

Beside it is Jagmandir Island, with a palace that is said to have served as a design inspiration for the Taj Mahal.

We checked out the hotel room at the City Palace, but at 19,000 Rs, the cheapest room was a closet without a view of the lake. We considered having drinks at their nice poolside bar, but the prices, although reasonable considering how much the rooftop restos of Udaipur charge, was still a bit much. If we were on vacation, I guess it would have been ok; but two jobless backpackers cannot afford to spend 300Rs for a glass of local wine – that's almost the price of our room!

At sunset, we went to Mewar Haveli, one of the cute havelis on Gangaur Ghat. 

Over beer and hot chocolate, we decided that the best thing to do was to honeymoon at Lake Pichola on our last day because it's on the lake, the view is unbeatable, it is quiet and it has a pool. That night, we booked the hotel and congratulated ourselves on having decided at last.

Family conference!