Two Weddings and a Painting Lesson

We checked out of our first guest house, Panorama, in the morning to check into our "palace" for our final night in Udaipur. 

Even though we planned to do nothing except stay in the fancy room all day to stare at the lake from the swing or try out the jacuzzi and then swim in the pool (if we drink enough whiskey, that is), we inadvertently booked our day full with other activities. It started because we were too lazy to do anything the day before...

Let me take you back to January 29, also known as "the day before."

We wanted to go to the other sites in Udaipur that seem to be worth seeing, like the hill with the cable cars and the light and sound show at the palace which was recommended by Auntie Usha and Dr. Singhvi, who gave us a free ride from Ahmedabad to Udaipur.

First thing we did though, was meet up with a guy who owns a dress shop on our street because he promised to take us to the other side (Ganesh Ghat) to see his seamstress, so we got a free ride from him too. After having the measurements taken for my sari (with a promise to get a fitting the next morning), Henri and I started the day with a visit to Jagdish Temple, the city's main temple.

It was not as large as we thought, but very interesting all the same.

And some saddhus were the real kind, not scam saddhus or as Henri and I fondly call them, scammadoos.

Then we passed the clock tower, walking to Swaroop Sagarh, the second nearest lake (we were staying on the banks of Pichola Sagarh). But Henri was too optimistic to think that we could walk all the way to the Fateh Sagarh too.

But Swaroop Sagar was not that great, there were just three old women taking a dip with their tops off. The walk towards the other lake was a bit exhausting and scary, too. The lakeside was private and we had to go the long way, through the town. We saw propaganda flags and young guys grabbing guns at an ammo shop and the men were giving us outsiders funny looks. Yikes!

The real reason we didn't go though was because we were feeling lazy that day. Like we've seen too many temples and lakes and forts and we're just too tired to see another one. We called Auntie Usha if she's available for dinner, but she invited us to lunch the next day instead.

When we got back, we met an artist whose aura I liked (no salesman bullsh*t, finally!) so I said I'd do the art lessons with him to fill up the free time we suddenly had. But he said he couldn't this afternoon, and insisted I come back any time tomorrow. Dang! Art lessons, plus fitting, plus lunch with Auntie Usha! Hope we have time to do all that tomorrow! Henri was optimistic I could do it though, so I believed I could do it too.

That afternoon we stayed at the rooftop of Panorama, watching the lake, until we heard a band playing. There was a wedding at the opposit ghat and we got there just in time for the excahnge of gifts and the parade...

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.