"Where Have My Cornflakes Got To?"

Hello! We are currently in Udaipur having a wonderfully relaxing time! The reason we came to be here rather than the other places we had planned on is down to Jaipur really. I can't say I enjoyed it there although I'll admit I saw some interesting things (as well as some things I would rather I hadn't seen!) but it was certainly an experience!

I think I will always remember Jaipur as the place where I had just a few too many near death experiences! The first occuring not a minute after we got off the bus on arrival, when a bus attempted to plough right in to me, suddenly turning off the road with no warning causing me to dive out of the way! Not a great start! It was however, soon forgotten when on route to our hotel we got stuck in a traffic jam with a rather peculiar looking truck which we realised as we got closer, was in fact an elephant! It was so surreal and we came up right next to it within touching distance before overtaking it! He didnt seem bothered by all the surrounding traffic and honking horns at all and looked quite at home on the busy road! Crazy!

There are a wide range of shops in the pink city (which by the way, I am adamant is more orange than pink!) selling all sorts of things, some useful, some not so much. They are arranged in sections so you go to one area if you want clothes, a different one if you want food and so on. It does mean that there is a lot of competition between the shops though resulting in very pushy sales techniques!

It seems to me that everyone with any type of vehicle in Jaipur is suffering from a major lack of road sense and I find it hard to believe that any of them have had any sort of instruction on how to drive (except of course to be shown where the horn is - they all know that!!) The motorbikes are the worst culprits, wildly swerving from side to side and I lost count of the amount of times I nearly got hit! There were so many of them that it made it impossible to have a relaxing walk as we were constantly having to jump out of the way!

If I haven't put you off Jaipur already then I will just add one more moan! The men I encountered in Jaipur are beyond rude! They thought nothing of groping or blatently staring at me but would ignore me in conversation prefering to talk to Jed. They seem to have no respect for women whatsoever and make it a very difficult place to be! After our experiences there we decided to head to Udaipur hoping for something different.

Udaipur is just what we needed! A tranquil place with stunning scenery and the lake is full and beautiful after good monsoons last year. We got ourselves a very cheap room with an amazing view of the lake and it's surroundings which we have been thouroughly enjoying!

There are several opentop rooftop restaurants serving delicious food and also a few German bakeries around which we have been making the most of! Last night we spent a peaceful few hours sitting in a comfy window box with a big pot of coffee watching the sun go down. It was so relaxing and so nice just to sit and watch the world go by!

There is also great shopping here and a wider range of choice than I have seen elsewhere in India so far. There are some very nice shops with great quality clothes and I have enjoyed looking around them and making a few purchases!

So the plan from here. We are leaving on the night train to Ahmedabad on Wednesday, then another night train to Mumbai Friday and from there we are flying to Goa on the Sunday! A hectic timetable but I'm sure it will be worth it when we get to a sandy beach!

Sam xxx

Well, Jaipur, what can I say. Definitely the worst Indian city we have visited so far. The traffic and pollution was atrocious. The dirt and the dead, dying and mistreated animals a bit off putting and the people didn't offer any mitigation either. Fortunately the place we stayed in Jaipur was very nice indeed. An old army colonels guest house with verdant grounds and friendly staff. A welcome retreat after our days spent out in the city. We managed to visit the city palace which was very low key and nothing to get excited about. Unfortunately in India, with few exceptions, they seem to specialise in diluting and destroying the fascinating historical buildings they have. Throughout India and Jaipur in particular the motorcycle is king, largely due to the shocking traffic situation, and Yamaha, Honda and Suzuki seem to be doing a roaring trade. Much to my amusement most of the motorbikes were intent on crashing into Sam and sensing her nervousness always seemed to veer heavily from side to side on their approach. Many expletives were uttered from young Browne's mouth. We travelled in Air conditoned class (2AC) on the train to Udaipur for the first time which was expensive but very comfortable. If you have the money it's the way to travel in India. Your own blanket, nice pillow and a quiet carriage. Quite a change from the standard sleeper class we are used to. Incidently if you were wondering there are around 7 differen't types of class on trains in India and for the novice it can be a little bewildering.

Udaipur has been very enjoyable. It is loacated in a valley of rolling hills around a lake and has many impressive landmarks. A feature that I think is crucial to a good city. The Lake Palace catches the eye as it sits right out in the middle of Lake Pichola. The Monsoon Palace sits imposingly on the hill some 5 km west and the city palace stands out on the east bank, especially in the evening when it is bathed in soft yellow light. Udaipur is still very much an Indian city with traffic heavy in parts but not so much where we are staying. We have received far less hassle from shop sellers, rickshaw-wallahs and scam merchants in general. In all we have been having a nice relaxing time, exactly what was needed I think. Udaipur is also famously the setting for a large portion of the James bond film Octopussy, a fact which cannot be ignored once your here.

We have sampled many restaurants and their vegetable delights. Many overlooking the lake and offering spectacular views of the sun disappearing behind the hills. The one drawback is the evening movie is invariably Octopussy. Saturday we bumped into or rather got out of the way of a large elephant by the name of Ramu on a side street near our hotel. As he did a 3 point turn he came very close to me and I felt both awe and of slightly smaller build than I would have liked!

It has been fascinating travelling to the cities of northern India and we have seen an astonishing variety of things on the streets. It has definitely been an eye opening experience and one not soon forgotten.

Jed

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Videos from ""Where Have My Cornflakes Got To?"":

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Part of trip: Asia

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