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Published: March 7th 2013
Living on past glories
The 1983 film "Octopussy", the sixth to star Roger Moore as James Bond, was partly filmed at Udaipur (Octopussy's Palace is the Lake Palace Hotel). Restaurants and some hotels have shown the film every night since!Do you have some favourite places in the world? I certainly have – and it’s a long list!
Near the very top of that list, however, is a city in India that’s like no other. It has a character you can’t quite put a finger on. It’s brash, it’s beautiful, it’s beguiling - much like many other big Indian cities really, but this one has lakes and mountains on top of some terrific and typically Rajasthani sights. It’s also a relatively clean and tidy place – fortunately, because one of my friends here is the senior officer responsible for the beautification of this ancient city, the wonderful lake city of Udaipur.
Last year, I spent five days in the hotel next door and I now had great pleasure introducing the Grey haired nomads to the colour, noise and smells of Lal Ghat, the Jagdish Temple, the City Palace and, of course, Lake Pichola.
You’ve possibly already read last year’s blog,
A special occasion on the horizon, so I won’t repeat what I’ve previously said about this place. It’s a while though since I last took a boat ride on Pichola – it’s a tourist ‘must’ at any time of day but particularly romantic
as the sun drops below the horizon. The slow motion trip with everyone wrapped in obligatory lifejackets is tame though in comparison to James Bond’s high-speed chase around Octopussy’s lake palace. At sunset on the evening before Valentine’s Day, it was a fitting interlude to a hectic schedule that had barely begun.
The next three weeks would involve a series of two- and three-night stops, lots of sightseeing, bird-watching and wildlife spotting. We needed a comfortable car and an experienced, English-speaking driver. These were to be provided in the shape of a Toyota Innova ably driven by an amiable 37-year-old Rajput named Yadu, all organised through one of my good friends, Vijendra. He’s a travel agent and a French-speaking tour escort, so anyone seeking help with a car – or, indeed, with accommodation or a complete tour - can call on him at
Eternal Tours (his full name is Vijendra Singh Bambora, by the way). Tell him that Mike sent you!
On our second day, Sahelion Ki Bari (the Maidens’ Gardens), occupied a pleasant hour or so. A tranquil mix of lawns, trees and fountains, it was an ideal place for Janice and David, powerful binoculars at the ready,
to spot their first set of colourful birds.
The Neemach Mata Temple then provided some exercise that was far too strenuous in the dry heat of the day, involving paved inclines and steps climbing almost a kilometre uphill. With clanging of bells on the final ascent to the shrine, we were able to enjoy a welcome rest and misty views over the city’s lakes. The monument to hero Maharana Pratap and the Sajjangarh Wildlife Sanctuary rounded off our busy daylight hours.
This evening, we were honoured to have been invited to the marriage of Vijendra’s sister, Angena. In true British fashion, we arrived at the appointed hour, forgetting that Indian time is a lot later! Yadu took us to while away an hour in nearby Ahar at the
Chhatris (that’s not a misspelling - chhatri is spelt with a double ‘h’), a vast group of cenotaphs to past Maharajas dating back many centuries.
In the warmth of what would be our ideal British summer evening, we returned to the glittering wedding venue in time to enjoy a marching bagpipe band, noisy drummers and arrival of well-dressed guests, many with gaudy turbans and some of them important dignitaries,
friends of the groom’s father, a politician. Then, amid much jubilation and jostling, the dashing groom, in turban with a flowing tail and traditional golden coat, appeared on his white horse. He dismounted and took to a cushioned stage, receiving there a religious greeting from the pandit and generous gifts from the bride’s parents.
Men and women are traditionally segregated at wedding ceremonies here, so Janice was whisked off to be seated beneath bright awnings with the sari-clad guests. Here too, beside the ceremonial fire, bride and groom would sit through a lengthy ceremony while their guests ate, drank and chatted. In the nearby men’s area, David and I took a drink (or two) from thoughtfully-provided bottles of whisky, picked at food brought by uniformed waiters and sat in the open-air at a table of men curious to know what we, the only Europeans among a gathering of over 500, were doing here.
Then, much like the aforementioned British summer evening, it started to drizzle. Trying to ignore the fact that we were getting wet, everyone continued to eat and drink.
The light rain became a shower, then a heavy shower, then a positive downpour!
Our
shirts growing ever more soggy, we hurried to a covered area reserved for the political VIPs. Alas, their cover was only thin fabric and we continued to get almost as wet underneath it! So, emptying our umpteenth glass of whisky, we joined Janice beneath the somewhat better canopy in the ladies’ area, before saying polite farewells to our hosts and returning to the hotel. It was a memorable end to our too-short stay in the lovely city of Udaipur.
Accommodation: Hotel Jaiwana Haveli, Lal Ghat Comfortable, clean and friendly. Within easy walking distance of the Jagdish Temple and the City Palace, and within a few paces of a boat landing stage on Lake Pichola. Great views of Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace Hotel from some rooms and from the rooftop restaurant.
Scroll down for more photos – and, if you didn’t realise that the panorama at the top of the page is actually part of a slideshow, scroll back up to view it!
Apologies to regular readers for the lateness of this blog. We have a very full schedule and, while the Grey haired nomads have concentrated on writing notes and blogs, I've spent more Lal Ghat, Udaipur
A street scene, a few yards from our hotel in Lal Ghat time producing photos. For more about our journeys, clic
k on
Grey haired nomads to hear what my travelling companions have to say.
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auspicious
Michelle Duer
Love the further details you've added from your last blog about the wedding. What an interesting experience! Really loved all the panorama photos you've uploaded and quite a few others as well.