Day 6 & 7 - Udaipur

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Udaipur is our favorite city so far. It is described as the "Jewel in the Crown" of Rajasthan (mining is main industry here). Today we had a full city tour and yesterday we drove 95 kilometers to visit one of the most important Jain temples in the world- Ranakpur. On the way to Ranakpur yesterday, our soft-spoken guide - Pinu - suggested that we visit a famous healer in a small village outside of Udaipur. Pinu said that the healer could fix Steph’s ankle, so we decided to check it out. Steph was a little nervous, especially when we heard the woman screaming on the other side of the door. The healer touched Steph’s ankle, twisting it swiftly back into place. In just a few hours, the swelling went down and steph was walking normally . . . just in time to climb the steep staircases of the Jain temple!

Today we had lunch at a tented garden restaurant called Raaj Bagh on the banks of Lake Fateh Sagar. The moment you enter the large gates, the ambience transports you back to 19th century with beautiful fountains, pergolas and lily pools. The restaurant also houses a collection of marble garden sculptures and art with medieval Indian themes. We sat outside under a tent enjoying the amazing 70 degree weather and delicious-tasting Indian food.

The Lake City is a popular tourist destination, partially thanks to the James Bond film, Octopussy - filmed at both city’s lake and city palaces. It’s not difficult to image why they decided to use this beautiful city as the backdrop for a film. The architecture is stunning and the city has a Mediterranean feel - with bright white buildings, deep blue water & a cloudless sky. Today we took a boat ride to one of the 5 lake palaces and also visited many of the local shops - known for their textiles, miniature paintings, and silver jewelry. My favorite store was a 3-story wholesale textile shop where I could have spent the entire day. They had beautiful fabrics, tunic shirts, pillow covers/duvet covers, etc. We did our part to support the local economy!!

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Comments

[MIchelle]

Fabulous!
Hi Girls! So great to hear about your trip! Sounds amazing! The blog is fabulous! I am glad you are having a good time and keep the posts coming! xoxo, Michelle

[Michelle]

Ankle
Steph -- Hope that your ankle is ok! Sorry to hear about that, but you are tough so it will only be a small problem for you! Girls -- I am impressed with your tech-saviness and how you have posted the photos! xoxo, Michelle

[Dana]

That is so neat that Steph's ankle is healed! Can you guys bring him home with you? haha Udaipur sounds so interesting. I hope you bought some neat textiles, etc to bring home with you! Glad you are all doing well!