Jaipur and Udaipur

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Nicky: Hi guys, firstly we apologise for not updating this sooner, we spent 37 hours this weekend on various trains and buses (see entries below) and the next 24 hours recovering on a beach (see other entry below) so this is the first chance we have had to check in again. Thank you so much for all your messages it means lots to hear from you all. So I will begin where we left off before... Jaipur....

Jaipur is 100 times nicer than Agra and Mumbai and we really enjoyed looking around the beautiful old city, which is made of red stone so it glows pink at sunset and experiencing the bazaar, which bar a few mobile phone shops i dont think has changed that much in 100s of years. We hired a guy with a Ambassador (or as he called it his 'palace on wheels' with carpeted roof - for the day. He took us to lots of the forts and sights and it was a great way to learn a bit more about the city.

After a couple of days we took another train to Udaipur, a beautiful lake city a bit further south. One of the many maharajas of Rajashtan (the area of India we were in) built a palace on this lake which looks like it is floating. It is by far the best city we have been to so far, much cleaner, quieter and with loads of character. On our first night we took a rickshaw to the top of a nearby hill/mountain to see the sun set from what is called monsoon palace. On the way up there our driver told us that the day before a jeep full of tourists had plummeted over the edge of the cliff and as we rounded a corner we were treated to the site of the emergency services pulling the mangled car out of the hill. Slightly unnerving!! But we survived and watched a beautiful sunset over the deserts of Rajasthan.On our second day in U we spent some time looking around the many monuments and gardens that had been built over the years. My favourite was a beautiful maze of fountains, ponds and gardens built not for a king or his wife but for her serving ladies!!
As we were catching the train out of Udaipur on the first leg of our trek to the warmer south we decided to have a big meal before we headed off to the train. We choose a beautiful roof-top restaurant overlooking the lake and the palace where we could watch the sun set again and all the little lights on the palace come on.

NEIL:
Hi All. As Nicky mentions, it's nice to get away from the big cities and into smaller more remote parts of India. I came travelling without a watch, so i've decieded to buy a watch from the market in each country we go to see who does the best cheap watches!! My first watch - from a Bazaar in Jaipur - was obtained with supreme negotiating skills - paying 4 quid for the little beauty. However, we nearly missed the train because it loses around 10 minutes per day. Quite acceptable i thought. Since then, the strap has fallen off so it is now a pocket watch that loses 10 minutes a day! Roll on Hong Kong market!

Udaipur is stunning. They call it the Venice of India which is a little bit OTT. The floating palace that Nicky mentioned appeared in Octopussy!! It's been a welcome break from the all the noise and smells that India's big cities throw at you. Indian's love noise. The current fad seems to have reversing sirens fitted to your car. I've been woken to a high piched squeel of happy birthday and jingle bells blaring out of the so popular, Tata Indica's. The most annoying noise is horns. Indian drivers beep their horns when they pass anyone. As a result, all you can hear in cities in constant beeping. It's nuts!! Indians also have a love of shoes. Twice i received comments about my brown slip ons. In fact, one indian hotel porter said, "Oooh sir. That is a very nice pair of shoes you have on. Would you mind please sir if i tried them on?" He was amazed at their comfort! "Ohh thank you very much sir. They are the finest shoes i have worn".

Looking forward to Goa very much.

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Photos

Sacred Cow
Like picadilly circus at rush hour - mind the cow!

Comments

[fiona]

Shoes!
I am imagining the porter trying your shoes on Neil to be like the butler out of mr deeds!!!! hahaha!