Whodaipur? Udaipur! The Lake City

So... it was our Sunday off and we had mutliple ideas of how to spend our free time. Since all of us have been craving a bit of cooler, more humid air since our last 2 weeks in the desert, our eventual plan was to book a 12 hour sleeper bus to Udaipur; The Lake City.

We were initially apprehensive about travelling for 24 hours to spend 12 hours in the city; the journey was comfortable but tiring and slightly clostrophobic. However this all didn't matter the second that we pushed open the windows and saw the stars, millions of them, for who could feel clostrophobic when given the sense that we are so small in our Universe.

During our visit, we squeezed in as many things as humanly possible. First was a boat trip around Lake Pichola to see each of the palaces from the water. All were very grand and shining brightly in the sun, some new in linen white and some in calico hues with gold trimmings and black stains that told of their age; City Palace, the Taj Palace, Fateh Prakesh Palace etc.

Next we hopped in an auto, lined up amongst a hoard of vividly decorated camels in their braids, bells and saddles (no doubt destined to be boarded by tourists). This took us to a cable car ride which we were glad we opted to do as we were totally oblivious of the sheer magnitude of the Udaipur.

One experience we would all wish to forget is that of the "zoo". Cheetas, Tigers and Bears circling pools of stagnant water in small concerete chambers was something that truly upset us all, but still we feel that it is better to experience these kind of things to remind ones self how important it is to be free.

We went for lunch at one of the coastal palaces as we had decided to treat ourselves to a cool beer since the day had taken a hot turn as opposed to the cooler, wetter climate of the morning. Then we spent the next few hours in City Palace which was the highlight of the day. We ducked and dived through tiny doorways into huge mirrored, cave- like rooms and turned tight corners to discover intricate stained glass master pieces. The museum itself displayed weaponry and artifacts that absolutely terrified but fascinated us.