After the intensity of Delhi, arriving in Udaipur
was a welcome change. The station
located on outskirts of the city (only a short 10 - 15 minute journey by taxi
or tuk tuk) still had lots of traffic and roads lined with popup market
stalls, but as soon as we arrived at our
hotel we could feel the change in pace.
Udaipur is in the South East of Rajasthan, surrounded
by the Arwalli Hills and set on the banks of the shimmering Lake Picola. A city
of palaces and tales of maharanas, its tag of the "most romantic spot in
India" given by Col James Todd in 1829, even if now though a little worn
and tired still fits this fine city.
We decided to stay on the western side of the Lake in
Hanuman Ghat, away from the hub-bub of the tourist sights and bazaars hidden in a residential square behind the
lake front. The Panorama Guest House was covered in local artistic
designs and had a great little rooftop restaurant with reasonable breakfast
option and was clearly a popular choice as there were a few guests we met that
had booked in for the long-haul and were staying 5 months, including a
tortoise.
Front of Panorama
With small narrow streets the main sights and view
points we found were all within walking distance so tuk tuks weren't necessary
once we'd reached our hotel. A quick stroll over the local footbridge and we
were amongst the shop lined streets all selling a colourful array of scarfs,
trinkets and beautiful embossed leather crafts - a much more peaceful way to
shop than the frantic and frankly tacky bazaars of Delhi's Chandi Chowk.
Ladies sitting chatting in the streets
With two and a half days to soak up the sights and
calm of the city we spent our first day exploring the majestic palace (R250 +
camera fee) with its hidden courtyards, decadent moasic wall art and glorious
views of the other palaces on the two isles on the lake; it was well worth the
money.
The boat trip around the lake (starting from the
palace jetty) with a stop at Jagmandir Island also really helped to put the
scale of the palace and lake in perspective and made us very jealous of those
staying on at the three different hotels available in the palace and on the
islands - the most expensive of which features in the James Bond's Octopussy.
One of the best things we experienced was the
Dharohar cultural show. In an old
courtyard of the Bagore-ki-Haveli. Tickets (R100 + camera fee) were available
from 6.15pm and having arrived at half past we were glad we hadn't left it any
later as it was a very popular experience!
Sat on cushions, crossed legged in the beautifully
lit courtyard (quite Romeo and Juliet esque!) the show was a stunning
performance of swirling skirts, humourous puppets and one lady with a hell of a
lot of pots on her head! It would beat any of the light shows (which seem to be
a 'thing' at most tourist sights) any day and well worth going to.
We were lucky enough to experience the first day of
the Diwali celebrations (9th November). With brightly coloured lights going up
across the city and lots of people tidying up the fronts of their shops, homes
and designing murals along public walls with a fresh lick of paint.
We loved wandering the streets and watching as
everyone was keen to make sure their homes and shops were looking their best
before the evening festivities began, so we thought this was the perfect time
to visit the Jagdish Temple in the centre of the town where offerings had
started to begin.
Offerings at the temple steps
The Dwali preparations continued into the afternoon
and we started to notice locals painting red stars decorated with intricate
white candle designs in front of their doorways. There wasn't a doorway that
was missed!
And then as the sun went down the lights, music,
drums started up, intermingled with kids setting off loud bangers from the
Ghats echoing across the lake. We had heard that this night was the start of
the offerings at a temple in the old town and having headed over we came across
the most amazing sight. The street was covered with a ceiling of lights and
decorations filled with two neatly organised lines - one of men and one of
women in their finest new sari's queuing to make their offering at the temple.
We sat and took in this wondrous and poignant celebration, admiring all the
sounds and colours that were lined before us. It was so beautiful we had to
pull ourselves away, but we knew there would be much more to come in Jaipur as
the actual night of Diwali is on the 11th.
Our final love of Udaipur was the array of rooftop
and lakeside restaurants and cafes. You don't need to have a rooftop view at
your hotel you can just enjoy all the others for either food or a beer.
Being a city to relax and take in the views, we
decided the best way to make the most of this was over breakfast, lunch and
dinner. So we enjoyed some delicious food in beautiful surroundings.
We found a great spot with lounge seating for some
Indian Parantha (stuffed flatbread) and beer at the Rainbow Cafe on the
Gangaur Ghat.
And over on our side of the lake, Hari Garh; a
quaint garden restaurant right on the water hidden back from the street behind
a beautifully calved wooden door (we loved their vegetable Sizzler - a hot plate
of sizzling paneer, aloo and stuffed peppers, chips and sauce) and the very
popular Ambrai; at the end of the Hanuman Ghat with the best views of
the palace and lake lit up at night - beautifully romantic setting by the
waters edge and stunning curry (our best meal to date!).
Many organised trips miss out Udaipur as its quite
far South off the standard golden triangle route, but with an overnight train
from Delhi (7pm-7am) and regular trains to Jaipur too you'd be crazy to miss
it!
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