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Published: February 9th 2009
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Today was an extrordinary day. We rose and had "pancakes" AKA crepes with bananas and jam with chai and coffee for breakfast on the roof of our hotel. Then we were off.
First we visited the local Hindu temple, Shree Jagdish Temple and then we went to The City Palace. The City Palace started being built around 734 CE and was just finished recently. Our tour guide stayed outside (he didnt' want to pay to get it) so Kent and I were on our own. This palace was huge. And decorated with so many details I know I didn't see them all. Every inch was covered. Even looking at my pictures after the fact I'm seeing more details!
After lunch in a garden we headed shopping. I bought 2 miniture paintings on camel bone. They're not made of a single camel bone, but rather they are ground up and pressed into hard, flat pieces. Then they can be carved (mine are) and then painted. Camel bone is also translucent-when held up to the light, you can see through it.
They showed us how they mix the colors using natural dyes. We also got to see their brushes, which are
made from the hairs of squirrels/chipmunks (we haven't seen a squirrel yet, but that's what the guy told us) or camel eyelashes.
The painters are decendants of the painters of the temple and studied at the same school.
Oh, and since I'm sure you're wondering, the paintings are a set: one of the pictures is of Shah Jahan, the man who had the Taj Mahal built, with one half of the Taj; the other picture is of Mumtaz Mahal, his third wife, for whom the temple was built, with the other half of th Taj.
I had mine framed here, since they frame them specially with an open back so teh light can pass through.
After that we went to a beautiful garden. It used to be a royal garden and only women were allowed. Now anyone can go for the whopping price of 5 rupies a head. One woman wearing orange kept trying to get into my picture of the tree with orange flowers. She couldn't understand why I kept telling her to get out. Sure, she made the picture look nice--it was actually a great photo--but I wasn't in the mood to pay her for something she
"volunteered" to do! I snuck a picture of her friend later on filling water jugs in the fountain. Shhhh.
Then we headed to a jewelry shop. There were 2 things I wanted to buy in India: wall decorations and silver jewelry. Jaipur s known for its textiles and Udaipur is known for its silver and miniture paintings. Since al my jewelry was lost enroute to China, I felt ok getting a few things. I got myself some earrings and 2 necklaces and a toe ring to replace my old one (it broke a few weeks ago).
For dinner we ate at The Hotel Pichola Haveli. They have a rooftop restaurant overlooking the lake. With two palaces in the middle. And a view of another palace in the distance. And another palace across the way. And they were all lit up.
Oh, and yes, the food was excellent.
Udaipur is by far my favorite city. It's clean, there is no trash laying around. The people are friendly. It's calm and relaxing. The scenery is amazing. Some fellow British travelers at our hotel agreed. We all got together in the evening and played cards and drank whiskey (the
drink of India) or a concoction we called Mango Magic, made with mango nectar and Magic Moments vodka.
I love being on vacation.
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anonymous
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a beautiful royal city