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Published: March 10th 2007
Our last night in India was indeed to be a splurge. We didn't look at the price and had booked the Lake Palace in Udaipur as a special treat. No tour buses here, but prosperous Indians and no doubt local celebrities?
the trip to Udaipur was punctuated by a stop at some famed Jain temples. Very nice but I think we have now had the equivalent of too many cathedrals and so the grandeur of it may be a bit blunted. Regardless, they were impressive and worth the sidebar.
The drive to Udaipur was stalled by blasting on the road. The road from Delhi to Udaipur is being driven in a straighter line through the countryside. Udaipur is the third largest city in Rajasthan and reputed to be the most romantic. We sat for an hour alas, anticipating our little bit of luxury time being eaten into minute by minute. Okay, the other three coped better than me and were more prosaic about the whole delay!
We arrived to the landing and were transported by boat to the Lake Palace. It is built on rocks and was the summer palace for the King. It is remarkable, and like the Amar Vilas in Agra, smells of jasmine. We all had a drink and a bit of lunch at 4:00 and at 5:30, Sandi and I ventured onto a boat tour of the lake. We were fortunate to have only one other passenger (an elusive man we think called Richard who intimated that he was part of the British royalty -- he was very hard to pin down despite my excellent interrogative skills!). The birds were great and the vantage from the water was great -- made me miss the waters of home a wee bit.
Sandi and Tiina had massages while I sat and watched yet another local dance display in the bar. Sandi and I had invited the elusive Richard to join us, which he did after Sandi had disappeared for her treatment. We had a very interesting conversation, but I was not much wiser about him than I was before. He was here for some award ceremony offered by the Maharana and was representing the Queen of England. The details will remain a mystery!
We had a late dinner and a very comfortable sleep. The other three have gone off for a city tour of Udaipur, having taken the little boat back to shore. My choice today was to sit quietly, go for a swim and update the blog! This little piece of heaven is a selfish indulgence, especially in a land where there is so much need, but I am going to soak up all of it before we hit the plane this afternoon for Delhi and then on to Vancouver for our marathon ride home.
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Cathy Sosnowsky
non-member comment
over already?
Hi Nancy, As much as I am looking forward to seeing and hugging you again, I feel sorry that your travels are now ending. As I said earlier, I have been enjoying your adventures from my comfortable computer chair vantage point. May God's traveling mercies be with you on the long journey home! love, Cathy