A License to Thrill...well maybe only slightly...

Once a city becomes a major movie location then this usually means that your going to be bombarded with all kinds of tacky merchandise and sales patter, regardless of the fact that the movie was never a major hit and that the film in question was shot here over 20 years ago.
Im referring of course to the James Bond film Octopussy, which used many of the local hotels as filming locations.
Everywhere you go you are confronted by Octopussy shops, Octopussy Film Showings and Octopussy memorabilia, you would almost think that this city didn’t have a history before Roger Moore came here to fight off circular saw wielding foe….. Maud Adams showed off her slender curves and that other little hottie who’s name slips my mind, did her bungee jump off of that balcony….

But Udaipur is so much more than that. Nestled between a beautiful backdrop of peaked hills, the city radiating outwards from Lake Pichola in the centre, Udaipur was once a major player in the state of Rajasthan.
Founded in the middle of the 16th Century, this city has repeatedly resisted Muslim invasions although its resistance to the modern day tourist invasions seems to be non-existent and for obvious reasons.
Beautiful though it is, Lake Pichola has a tendency to dry up during the hotter months due to its extremely shallow nature. While the so called 'Floating Hotel' or Lake Palace Hotel may look impressive surrounded by an abundance of water, I can imagine that it tends to lose its appeal somewhat when it reverts to a strange looking building dumped in the middle of a brackish marsh or barren mudflats. Reportedly the last time the lake dried up the owners had to use Elephants and Horses to get their guests to the hotel!
Being as this location is their star attraction, the good people of Udaipur are obviously wise to this fact and do all they can to save water although how to block out the evaporating rays of the sun still seems to be one small problem that has up until now, eluded and confounded everyone. On most days, the surrounding areas of Udaipur are blanketed by a misty haze, a stark reminder that the lake is slowly but surely drying up again.
The tourist areas are mostly confined to the areas known as Hanuman, Gangaur and Lal Ghat. This is also incidentally where most of the more impressive tourist attractions are to be found. The City Palace sits overlooking the Eastern bank of the lake and has been constantly added to over the centuries by successive Maharajas. This has as a consequence transformed it into what it is today, Rajasthans largest Palace.
Just to the North of the Palace is Bagore-Ki-Haveli. Haveli’s are more or less endemic to Rajasthan and are basically immensely impressive houses, highly decorated, with several levels often having courtyards in the centre.
Bagore Haveli has well over 100 rooms many of which are open to the public. There is also a small museum that contains typical Rajasthani regalia and clothing including what I can only term as the ugliest turban I have ever seen in my life. This town also has its fair share of temples and like the ubiquitous curry, I have managed to steer well clear of these.
Getting out of town and travelling into the hills will certainly give you a greater glimpse of what this area has to offer. Situated high up on a hill to the west is the Monsoon Palace and while I content myself with strapping on my zoom lens and taking a few shots, (ive heard that this place is a bit of a dump) actually getting up off your backside and making the journey out there would probably accomplish much more and give you unparalleled views of the city.
A bit of a plod to the east is something that is a bit closer to my heart, yes a motor museum!
Here you will find the Maharaja’s rare and vintage automotive collection. Alongside various horse drawn perambulators including the Maharaja’s state carriage, are 22 vehicles, ranging from several early Rolls Royce to the humble Morris Minor ….. he has a 1948 convertible …rare indeed!!! The star attraction though is a Rolls Royce Phantom which …..yes …you guessed it …played a cameo roll in the film Octopussy ……yawn!!!
Anyway, im going to go and take in an Indian movie tonight and if I see anyone that bears even a similar resemblance to Roger Moore, then mark my words, popcorn will be touching canvas…..
After this I will be transporting myself out of here and heading off for Rajasthan’s capital Jaipur. Stangely enough, ive been here 3 days and ive yet to see anyone wearing a turban, then again maybe im not looking hard enough……

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