Beautiful Udaipur

This past weekend we had our first taste of freedom from MSID. Though there were many attractive places to choose from for our first adventure, eight of us opted to travel to the splendid city of Udaipur. We left late Friday evening on a sleeper train that lasted a good ten hours or so heading directly south. Despite the fact that our bunks were located next to the bathroom, we were able to get a fairly good night’s sleep lying down. Once we arrived in Udaipur, we hailed an auto-rickshaw that took us to our hotel where we were able to freshen up before starting the day.
Udaipur, known for its beautiful lakes, temples and mountainous landscape, is certainly a transition from the dry, dessert feel of Jaipur. We all agreed that Udaipur fits the stereotype of what you think of an Indian city looking like. It is a much smaller city whose narrow streets wind up and down, making it impossible for most cars to fit through and for bicycle rickshaws to navigate. Having said that, the auto-rickshaw was our main means of transport which never failed to be exhilarating adventures in and of themselves. We wound up, down and around the enclosing walls dodging other traffic, pedestrians, cows, load carrying mules, motorcycles, food stands, carts, dogs and other street life, at speeds I couldn’t believe. I felt like I was in that videogame “Crazy Taxi.” I’ve decided you have to either be crazy or have an assortment of magical powers to be a rickshaw driver in Udaipur….one of the two, or both.
Now on to what we actually did besides hang on for dear life. The first day we got a glimpse of the “Old City” for the very first time. We enjoyed a delicious breakfast at the “Sunrise Rooftop Restaurant” where we enjoyed banana lassis (a yogurt drink), French toast and chocolate pancakes. Hoping for some good touring advice from the locals, we asked the restaurant owners where they would suggest we go. Rather than getting a couple of suggestions, the two proceeded to plan out our itinerary for the next two days. So after breakfast we headed for the “City Palace” which just so happens to be the second largest palace in all of India. On our way there we passed Jadish Temple, a beautiful Indo-Aryan structure, and toured it briefly. The stone work on the outside walls where incredible.
Onward to the city palace we went and paid the student’s group admission which was considerably less than the foreigners charge. By the way, anywhere you go in India (and in some other countries too) there are different entrance fees for citizens and foreigners. Normally the foreigner’s charge is at least ten times as much. Another interesting thing to mention is the additional camera charge you must pay (per camera) if you intend to take pictures. Once we paid our fees we were given freedom to roam the palace. I wouldn’t say that the architecture of the structure was all that impressive, but the pure size of the place was enough to make your jaw drop. We toured the inside for a good two hours and still probably only made it through a small fraction of it. May favorite part was once we reached the top floor and cold look out onto the rest of the city. There we were able to enjoy the beauty of the “Floating Palace” that rests in the middle of the giant moss-covered lake.
Following the palace tour, we did a bit of shopping before heading by auto-rickshaw to Fathe Sagar Lake where we were taken out by boat to the Island of Nehru Garden. There we were able to take pictures, relax and enjoy some over-frozen ice cream. After the boat ride, we retreated back to the Old City where we attended a folkdance performance at the Udaipur Cultural Center. It was a fantastic showing that demonstrated folk dancing traditions from all over the state of Rajasthan. My favorite part was either the woman who danced with a vase of flames atop her head, or the performer who stacked six massive clay pots on her head, whirling and twirling as if she were weightless.
The last and final stop was dinner. We were taken (need I say how) to a lakeside hotel restaurant where we were captivated by view of the illuminated Lake Palace that reflected over the water and the City Palace that shone brightly atop the southern hilltop. Was this really happening? Dinner was delicious, but still, all I could seem to focus on was the view.
We arrived at our hotel, greeted frantically by the men at the front desk. They informed us of the bombings that had just happened in Delhi that earlier that evening and instructed us to call our families in the states to tell them we were ok. Rushing to our rooms, we turned on the news to see for ourselves what they were talking about. And so it was, five bombs ignited throughout the capital of New Delhi, killing 17 people (at least I think it was) and injuring many more. While the footage shown was quite graphic, not much could be reported other than the logistics of the atrocity. Still, little is known or can be proven of the event.
Despite the happenings of the night before, we continued our itinerary as planned. Having gotten a good night’s rest, we enjoyed a hearty breakfast at Café Aidelvies just across the way from the Cultural Center. Westerners being the only clientele, it was obvious to us that this was a Lonely Planet hot spot. Nevertheless it turned out to be a fine place to watch an elephant meander around—something you normally don’t get to enjoy in the middle of breakfast.
Shilgram village was our first stop—a small village set up by the Cultural Center that recreates the various styles of village life and traditions throughout India. Our guide, Mr. Fathe, turned out to be the highlight of the visit. We learned so much on top of what was included in the tour from him. What was so interesting about this place was how it is run. There are stations that you circumvent, each representing a different region of India. The stations include a typical home of that area, and a family that performs the traditional music and dance of the region. All the families that perform are brought in from mostly farming villages in rural areas of these regions and are taught the musical traditions. They then live and perform at Shilgram Village for two weeks and receive payment and housing for their participation. While it may seem to us that these people are being exploited, our guide explained that it is strictly a voluntary experience, and that in addition to providing more lucrative earnings than working on their farms for that two weeks, often it gives the family a rich cultural experience to take home with them.
Atop one of the tallest mountain peaks surrounding Udaipur city lies Monsoon Palace. In the afternoon we scaled the monstrosity with our crazy rickshaw drivers and were grateful we did. It was the most breathtaking landscape view I have ever seen. The green mountains went on for miles while voluminous clouds coated the sky, casting their shadows over the earth. Beams of sunlight shone through leaving visible transitions of light and dark across the sky. My goodness.
Down, down we went and off to the highest building in Udaipur where we ate on the top floor, taking pleasure in the sunset over the city. Stunning. Serene. Wonderful. Was I really here?
We traveled, again by sleep train, through the night and arrived in Jaipur by 6:30am. I had a two hour slumber before class started at 10:00. I was happy to see my traveling companions, tired but in good spirits.
And so begins another week of class.

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