Udaipur=Venice of India

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We headed to Udaipur via private van because the bus ride takes about 8 hours and traverses some pretty small mountain roads. The previous bus ride was long enough and the group thought it best to avoid these when possible. The driver strapped our bags to the roof and we piled into the van.



Along the way we stopped by a Jain Temple that was highly recommended by our guide Danesh. The landscape changed along the way moving from a pure desert environment to more tress and plants and the occasional farm. After the temple we headed up and over the mountains where we encountered a different species of monkeys than we’ve been accustomed to seeing along our journey. These monkeys had black faces and seemed to be a little more vicious since they screeched at us and flashed their teeth as we passed by them along the road. Elyse wanted me to roll up my window because she thought they would jump in and attack us.



After we headed down the back side of the mountain pass we connected with a nice highway with multiple lanes that brought us right into Udaipur. Later we would hear from Danesh that it was common for tribal people to ransack cars that pass through the mountains at night. These tribal bandits do not use guns but rather bows and arrows and sling shots.



We spent three nights in Udaipur and found it to be very relaxing. This place is a popular honeymoon destination for Indians. It is a small town that is on the banks of a lake. The streets are very narrow so there were not a lot of cars but the motorcycles and tuk tuks made up for them. There we a few hotels that you could stay at which would cost you 500 to 1000 usd per night. We pretended to be interested in staying at one and got a good tour of the property. We felt pretty conflicted leaving such a world class luxury resort and felt a little guilty for wishing that we could stay there. Immediately upon exiting the perfectly manicured property we were faced with the real India. Most if not all of the guests arrive to the hotel via motorboat and are welcomed with fresh flowers and masala tea.



A few of the highlights were rooftop terraces throughout the entire city with views of the lake, a German bakery which was owned by a Swiss German who also ran an adjacent hotel. We ate up on the roof top of the hotel twice for breakfast and once for dinner. The city was also home to an old palace that we toured(2nd largest in India). We took a boat ride around the lake, went to a cultural dance show and had a nice dinner at a garden courtyard hotel.

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Comments

[Mom]

Venice of India
Beautiful pictures!