When traveling from place to place, a bit of “comparison shopping” is inevitable: liking place X more than place Y, and so it is with our travels in India: I like Udaipur quite a bit more than Jaipur. It could be due to transitional conditions, like the difference in temperatures: 104 degrees in Jaipur, but “only” 90’s in Udaipur… but that’s not really it. Udaipur is MUCH greener, more lush, and it has a more distinctive geographic beauty with surrounding mountains and several lakes. It is also more compact/walkable, with less garbage strewn about, and architecture that seems to have a bit more rhyme/reason to it (at least at first blush). So here is our Udaipur:
The City Palace: Unlike the rest of Rajasthan, the “king” of Udaipur back in the day (300-400 years ago) refused to acquiesce quite as fully to the Mughal conquerors, or to subsequent British colonizers. As a result, the history (at least as told to us by the guide) is a little richer/more interesting — and there are fewer “fusion” (Hindu & Muslim) elements to its palaces and temples. As with all places we have been in India, however, there are local “palaces” owned by the “king” (ceremonial/in name only — today, they are largely successful businessmen/hoteliers) of the locality. Below is the City Palace complex (still occupied, in part) by the current “king” of Mewar, which includes a museum (the part we toured), two hotels, an active “home” for the King, and fantastic views of Udaipur and Lake Pichola.
Another Hindu Temple: Just another Hindu temple, within walking distance of our hotel. Pretty, with very intricate marble carvings throughout its exterior, but I recall only two “facts” about it from our guide: the first, tied to the point above about the resistance of the “king” to conquering/assimilation with the Mughal dynasty, is that there is very little “fusion” of the Hindu and Muslim architecture — this temple is exclusively Hindu in its architecture. The second fun fact: If temples have a flag flying above them, the are “active” and worshiping still occurs within; if there is no flag, the building is abandoned and no longer in use.
Lake Pichola, Lake Palace and Lake Garden Palace: Evidently, one of the “highlights” of Udaipur is Lake Pichola, which has considerably higher water levels during the later parts of monsoon season. It is pleasant enough, particularly the views of the mountains and surrounding town from the middle of it, including the king’s “summer palace” (today, it is just a hotel) in the middle of the Lake, and the Jag Mandir, the “Lake Garden Palace,” which we visited during a boat ride we took around the lake. (see pics below of the Lake and the 2 palaces):
The bats!: along the way to the lake, we saw hundreds of bats – fruit bats that feed off the mangos in the trees!
David’s solo adventure: Among the things I am coming to appreciate is “alone time.” Increasingly, but not without justification, the rest of the family wants to rest up at the hotel, not constantly see the sights (and quite possibly get a little “distance” from dad). So I left them behind (at their request) and went out to do a bit more sightseeing. Some of it is interesting; other parts not. First, I went swimming in the hotel pool to cool off, and then went out to the royal gardens, which were pretty but otherwise not terribly remarkable. (Pictures below – FYI, the crown of the dome in the fountain below is a single, carved piece of marble):
Royalty everywhere gets no respect (right, Kip?): While at the Gardens, my guide pointed out the trees (pictured below), which are called “Royal Palms.” Why? He explained, “because they do not bear fruit… you know, they take from the ground but they give nothing back! That is why they are called ‘Royal Palm’.” (He said it without a hint of irony, and as if it was something everyone knows).
I ended the evening with a nice meal again along the banks of Lake Pichola. Company would’ve been lovely, but so was the solo experience (pics are better when expanded):
Day 26 — More beautiful scenery, and “local” market shopping.
Monsoon Palace: This morning, after breakfast at our hotel, which is always an exercise in “I wonder what I just ordered,” Jackie, Zoe and I set off for the Monsoon Palace (yes, another palace) high up in the mountains surrounding Udaipur. It has spectacular views and was quite a bit cooler than anywhere else we’ve been in India so far.
Local Udaipur market: Many of the markets near hotels seem tailored to tourists, selling shit that, while quaint, doesn’t seem like things local residents would need/want/buy… I asked our guide to take us to a truly “local” market, which in some respects was similar to those we’ve seen, but in others, was more seemingly “useful” to locals who need daily goods/products. Below are a handful of photos from the local market we visited… just as frenetic, traffic that is just as perilous (and apparently there is an “Indiana Bag Centre” ;-)):
Discovery of new Genus/Species (the elusive “Unicorn Teenager”): After returning to the hotel, Max was more willing to accommodate the old man’s wishes, and joined me for a beer across the street from our hotel. It was wonderful. After a couple beers (the local Indian brew, Kingfisher, is actually quite good – and always the cheapest item on the beer menu), a small bite to eat, and good conversation — and the rarest of rare smiles emerged (I feel like I caught a picture of Sasquatch!)… the last picture below is perhaps my favorite picture from the past week:
