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Published: March 4th 2017
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View from our room A whole day was allowed to travel 400km from Jodhpur to Udaipur. Once we joined the toll road we understood why. The speed limit of 90kph for cars and 40kph for trucks with trucks keeping left. Except most of the trucks occupied the two right lane with all doing a little over 40 and scooters and tuk-tuks in the left lane. This meant that cars had to weave in and out at a speed well under 90.
One very special treat on the way was to see water being ‘pumped’ from a large pond by a vertical conveyer belt of buckets up to a channel about seven metres higher than the pond. The whole was powered by a capstan wheel turned by two oxen. For ₹20 we could take as many photos as we wanted- a nice little sideline for the farmer.
Udaipur was chaotic and our hotel in the old city was up a narrow laneway and very difficult to reach by car. The hotel had been made by joining two havelis (mansions) together on the shores of Lake Pichola, a manmade lake. The bed was hard and there was no tea making, no fridge and no lifts
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A wedding guest ??? but its location, cleanliness and excellent service made up for our disappointment. You know you’re getting on when the thought of a cup of tea at the end of a day is something to look forward to. Our room was about a metre above the lake with a bay window, divan and low table to enjoy all that was on offer.
Our guide, Giveen arrived early and took us to the lakeside to explain a bit of its history. We saw an old man bathing and washing his clothes. He appeared to be quite fastidious about his cleanliness and we learned later that the police tried to stop this practice but as many homes in the old city still don’t have running water they have had to turn a blind eye. Next was the Jagdish Temple with remarkable carvings and dedicated to Lord Vishnu. Giveen explained that in most families talk of sex was practically non-existent so young people could see depictions from the karma Sutra carved in stone to help them understand what was required of them when they married. Talk about dodgy sex education.
After the temple we walked uphill towards the royal palace and its
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Wedding venue museum. It was obvious why Udaipur was renowned for its leather goods as every second shop was selling leather goods. The museum is a big money spinner for the Maharaja and brings in well over a million rupees a day. Thanks to our guide we were able to get in to look at a venue for a wedding that was just getting underway in the hotel. The whole place was a riot of colour from countless flowers used to line paths, to decorate spectacular photo booths and overhead canopies. There were side stalls set up to make various crafts for the guests. Shirley was presented with a bracelet and was taught how to throw a pot on a spinning wheel.
In the evening we walked to Bagore Ki Haveli a former mansion which looked like it needed extensive restoration. More than half the people there were Indian reminding us that in a country of 1.3 billion there are many of them touring their own country as well. The entertainment included dances of Rajasthan and even clever puppetry. The women dancing wore brightly coloured clothing and their grace and agility were spellbinding. The puppeteer was extraordinary and made his puppets
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A wee bit potty do amazing things including removing the head and at the same time dancing on his hands. The highlight of the evening was undoubtedly a 70 year old woman who performed a number of dances with stackable water vessels on her head beginning with one larger one and then gradually building up to twelve. Every time she added another pot Shirley called out, “oh no” fully expecting the stack to tumble. The audience was quite amused at Shirley’s commentary. After the show we wound our way through various streets and laneways to a restaurant where we had a pleasant meal in the most idyllic setting with our table right beside the lake.
The next morning we took a cable car ride to obtain an excellent view of the city with its many manmade lakes. This was followed by a boat ride around Lake Pichola where we had a great view of our hotel. Afterwards and later in the day we explored the bazaars and bought two miniature paintings, a speciality of Udaipur. There were people buying dinner from vendors and buying fresh unpasteurised milk in plastic bags to take home to boil. Of course there were cattle lying on the road. The day ended with a cold beer on the rooftop overlooking Lake Pichola and admiring the sunset and the subtle changes it brought to the lake and the surrounding Areveli Hills.
India is truly incredible. The extraordinary soon becomes the mundane. The uncommon becomes commonplace. The bizarre becomes ordinary. We have seen camels, horses, elephants and goats sharing the streets with people. Of course cattle are everywhere and thank goodness they are passive as they wend their way through crowds of people. We have seen many cattle grazing on the median strip on toll roads. India never stops surprising.
Our next stop is Jaipur.
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