Udaipur

May 27, 2009 | Category: India, Rajasthan | by: Heather

A colorful decorated camel, in a parade we happened upon one morning.

We’d never even heard of the city of Udaipur before we decided to come here.  But Madonna’s been here and a James Bond movie was filmed here (everyone is proud of this and we could watch screenings of the movie every night if we wanted to), so I guess it is we who are slow.  This place is amazing!  We are staying in the old part of the city (the coolest, though touristy part…sigh), and feel like curious kids every time we go walking anywhere.  It’s like a maze.  Windy little alleys that lead to hidden doorways and staircases and rooftops and courtyards.  Even stalls for the cows that wander the streets all day, can be found tucked in small nooks.  Up and down hills, and all crammed up to the man-made lake that, along with the white palace in the middle of it, is the city’s main attraction.  We always just want to wander and poke around, seeing where this or that leads, taking in the sights and smells of all the little shops and bazaars along the way.  The architecture seems really old, and doorways, windows, etc. are often very ornate.  It all feels very middle-eastern to us.  Udaipur is in Rahjasthan, which is dry and hot, hot, hot.  But oh, so colorful: bright sarees, big turbans, buildings in every shade, decorated camels, and lively paintings on so many walls.  We are staying with Johar, in his paying guesthouse, and he takes care of us like we are old friends: making us cold rose lassis (yogurt drinks), piling all 3 of us onto his motorbike to go out for dinner, and showing us his favorite parks, where we hang out and talk until much too late.  There is a ‘hidden’ girls school between the guesthouse, a Hindu temple, and a lot of other buildings haphazardly crammed in around us.  I can only see it – down into the courtyard of it – from our rooftop.  It’s pretty big – it has columns and a big open area where the girls sing every morning….and I still have no idea where the access to it is.  You’d never know that it was there.  We hear that it is so green here after the monsoons and so beautiful when the lake is full.  Maybe we will have to come back someday.

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