Morning in Udaipur

We are sitting on a rooftop overlooking the old city of Udaipur having our morning tea. The temple bells are chiming behind us, alerting the children to hurry to school and below us the shopkeepers are opening their stalls for business. Across the street, a young wife is hanging out her freshly washed laundry while her two young children hug her legs...the city is coming to life before my eyes.

Speaking of laundry - ours is hanging in our room, drip drying in the sun. "You know you are a backpacker when you ignore the accumulation of dirt on your favorite pair of cargos until your roommate tells in a very kind manner that it is time to wash them!"

Yesterday we visited the Jagish Temple during prayer time. Lesson #4 when traveling the world - don't stand close to the bells. My ears were ringing all day and Liz had to keep shouting at me. It was a very interesting experience to attend the prayer. Afterwards we were offered a small amount of sweet rice and milk to eat and a handful of grains to sprinkle at the feet of Ganesh, the elephant god of good fortune. I also took some outstanding pictures of the amazing carvings circling the temple. The artistry is unbelievable.

The streets of Udaipur are extremely narrow. Morning rush is a chaotic mess of rickshaws, bicycles, occasional cars, and, yes, cows too. There is never room for more than one lane of traffic and you have to squish yourself against the cold concrete walls to allow oncoming traffic to pass.

Liz and I took a stroll yesterday up the cobblestone hills and past the fruit vendors to take some pictures of the glorious Lake Pichola. When we reached the overlook, eager to sit down and dangle our feet in the cool waters, we were instead confronted with acres and acres of grazing cows. The lake had actually been dry for quite some time due to the 9 month drought. Oh well, at least we have easy access to the mass of cafes and shops across the lake - - we can just walk across now.

Several of the rooftop cafes offer free movies with dinner. We have become regulars at the Ambria Cafe for our nightly meal every evening. It is comical to see a hord of backpackers, in all states of cleanliness and hair growth, huddled together in the chilly night breeze. We are all completely absorbed in 5 yr old movies and the chapati's and kheer sitting in front of us. Every so often a mass of fireworks will explode over the city or a lively wedding parade will pass in the streets below.

Right now, we are waiting in Udaipur trying to decide where our next move will be. We hope to go to Mt. Abu, a little out of the tourist track and a nice hill station above the plains of Rajasthan and Gujarat. However, we are hearing reports that it is quite chilly there. We will have to see how ambitious we are!

All my love to family and friends. I also have to apologize for all of my horrible spelling errors. I try to type rather quickly and I often don't return to correct my mistakes. I'm hoping you all get the general idea though!

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