Mumbai was awesome- by far the cleanest place we have been to yet (meaning it was only every third step we stood in rubbish!) and after recently finishing the famous novel Shantarum it is was exciting to see several iconic landmarks. We ate some delicious mutton curry with fresh chapatti and saw our first Indian McDonalds!.
Trains are not the fastest method of transport; from Ahmedabad to Udaipur we travelled at 25mph but you can lie back and watch the countryside pass you by (plus trains have toilets and busses don’t).
We decided not to stay in Mumbai longer because of the up coming Indian Independence Day and previous terrorist attacks in the city. On reflection we would have probably loved another day or two there to catch up on some more Bollywood films.
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John sunning himself from our balcony |
Udaipur is nestled in south Rajasthan, so officially we are in the North now. The weather is slightly cooler and remains unpleasantly fry and humid. We are staying on the top story of a small guesthouse and as the only guests we have full run of the building.
Our room is huge and nicely decorated with a large indoor balcony, king bed and several windows facing out across the city (setting us back $7.10 per night).
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A small offering at Jagdish temple |
The guesthouse is situated to the immediate left of Jagdish temple, the largest temple in Rajasthan. We have come to find that the temple priests like to initiate pray at 5.10am and 10.30pm each day by broadcasting song and repetitive prayer over a loud speaker. A very, very, very loud speaker that travels straight through solid concrete walls.
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Udaipur at night |
For us, it was love on arrival. The lake, the crazy city that tries to fit everyone and everything within its large boundary walls, the magnificent city palace and the delicious food make Udaipur a place worth stopping at.
Also worth mentioning (if your a James Bond fan) because you can watch the film (every night) at every third rooftop restaurant, was that parts of the James Bond: Octopussy movie was filmed here! The locals are very proud of this and encourage you to watch the movie (as we said- every night)! If they are not doing this, they are encouraging you to ‘look’ at their beautiful arts and merchandise. We have had the same conversation over and over it goes:
“ Hello! Nice moustache “
“ Hello – you too ”
“ From where? “
“ New Zealand “
“ Name? “
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Enjoying the view from Karni Mata temple |
“ John ”
(Handshake)
“ Come look my art, I am an artist. No buy- just look. I am quality artist, I show you. I very proud my art. No buy, no buy- please look “
“ No thank you, it looks nice – No thank you “
“ Please sir, please just look, no buy, please look. I am owner of art school ”
Of course as soon as you step in the shop, the guy disappears and you’re left re-negotiating again with the real owner who is insistent you must buy.
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Looking towards Udaipur old town across Lake Pichola |
This conversation could happen at every single shop! Indians can be insistingly aggressive. But we are learning... always greet first with Namaste! (Hindi for hello)… it seems that its very rude not to respond and gives us milliseconds to keep on walking!
We also have seen that Indians are quite entrepreneurial and you can see a mix of items for sale in a shop. For example you could go to a phone store and also pick up some deodorant, cake shops sell belts (probably speaks for itself) or you can drop down to a local shoe shop and grab some samosas.
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An early start yoga class |
So for now, think of us wandering through old, dirty and teeny lane ways with our miniature pistachio ice-cream. Watching the pink sunsets over the lake and waking up far too early to hit the 7am yoga... because that's what we are doing!
Tot siens
John and Kara
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Kara outside the city palace |
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Best way to start the day? A barber shave |
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John peeking out from our room |
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Trying to eat the most unpractical bus food ever
(Chickpea dumplings with liquid dahl) |