Udaipur

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We're currently in Udaipur. It is a wonderfully romantic city, with white buildings reflected in blue man-made lakes. The labrynthine streets of the old city are easy to walk, and filled with the stuff of traveller's dreams - internet cafes, rooftop restaurants where you can dine for less than a US dollar, and plenty of little shops. We arrived yesterday and have decided this is our favorite city in India. Finally we were able to walk around and explore without having to be driven everywhere.

First an update on NYE. It ended up being rather unique and fun. We went to a budget hotel called Ajit Mansion and they let us eat up on their rooftop. They do not have a restaurant there, it's just a few plastic tables, and higher up - it's just a regular rooftop where some of the boys who worked there live. Clothes were hanging on a line. We sent out for liquor, and with our driver, we ate, we drank, and we danced on the rooftop to the music of the luxury hotel that we could see across the way.

Yesterday, we had the pleasure of visiting the Monsoon Palace for sunset. Previously, it has been completely abandoned, and people had to pay a few rupees to convince a guard to let them in. Now, it is a fullblown tourist attraction, but without the guardrails and signposts that we would have in the states. There is even a chai shop there now, where we shared some chai with some local boys. Ravi actually spoke Spanish and we practiced together, although I spoke too fast for him.

The palace itself is a wreck, filled with pidgeons and monkeys and their accompanying detritus. There is the main area that you can go into, and then there are the little doors that lead to the "unfinished" areas. We found a courtyard filled with pidgeons, and a little staircase where we went up. Here, I saw a guardpost and snuck by it, feeling all splintercell. Unfortunately, another guard caught me - such is the way - so we returned to the approved areas. Even the approved areas are still quite dangerous. We went down to a lower level of the palace, the lowest level we could reach without flashlights, and there is a doorway that just opens out onto the mountainside,a clear drop down, much like the Winchester House. This palace was never finished and it has fallen into a decrepit state, that we found very delightful. Most wonderful of all were the langurs that were playing on the walls. A momma monkey and her baby, clinging to her stomach, watched the sunset along with all the tourists.

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Comments

[Gram & Gramps]

Your Adventures
Shannon and Allison: We are so enjoying your adventure through your eyes. Makes us want to travel again. Do take care and have a lot of fun.

[Emily]

So glad to hear you're having fun!
Shannon, Thanks for all the lovely updates -- they are fascinating! I cannot wait to see your and Alli's photos. And hear all of your stories first hand. I'm still in awe that they had elephants in the roads, for example. :-) Keep having fun, and be safe! Later, Em