DeviGarh Udaipur

We have been in Udaipur for three days. <br>Took the cooking class with Shakti at Indian Spice Box and thought it was perfect. He proved Indian cooking is not at all intimidating, but rather basic. For someone who speaks with a charmingly heavy accent, he's very easy to understand and he has a great sense of humour.<br>We (all together 9 in the class) teased each other and laughed while we ...

... architecturally more interesting &#8216;Saas-bahu&#8217; Temples, two 11th century Vaishnava shrines built on a single plinth. The unusual name is probably a corruption of sahastrabahu (the thousand-armed). The temples aren&#8217;t in great shape, but the finely carved lintels and delicate sculptures of deities that have survived are exceptional ...

... Es el que te sortir del circuit turistic.<br><br> ********************<br><br>I decide to get out of the traditional tourist circuit and visit the Shekhawati region that lays between Jaipur and Bikaner. It is one of the entry points to the Thar desert, and given its location, the villages in the region benefitted from the caravan trade to / from Jaipur and Delhi, and today it is still possible to visit the rich and lavishly decorated residences, here called ...

... to the southern gardens of the City Palace to catch sight of the amazingly large fruit bats that take rest in a big tree at the back of the palace. Mainly still, with only the occasional flutter, these huge beasts are obviously enamoured with the climate, the lake or the tree/gardens, as this area has been a home for them for some considerable time. The overall comment is how large they are and their sheer volume! It&#8217;s seeing them take off at sunset that&#8217;s the ...

... a tightrope across Lake Pichola. The girl had almost reached the far shore when the maharana's alarmed courtiers cut the rope and the girl drowned. After hearing that charming story about the integrity of the maharana, we left the palace and asked to be dropped in the center of town. We finally had the opportunity to do something that we had wanted to do since arriving in India-go shopping in the local markets. At first ...

Glorious Udaipur, but not quite the same as last time, since the level of water in the lake is considerably lower than last time, and as yet, there are no health problems!! I am staying with Deepak and Meetu and they are the most kind and gracious hosts. It was Deepak who looked after Vivian when he was unwell here last November - hence our friendship. Their house is right next to the ...

... some spices that I had never heard of, as well as a spice box after class. Because we showed up late, the class went over the time and I was really stressed because I wanted to get back - checkout was at noon and the tailor guy was also supposed to return with my saree blouse again. Well, I obviously was not operating on IST, because it didn't matter at all in the end. I had more than enough time to take care of everything, but ...

... s Markets, swearing it would stay intact. After wearing it just one week, there's barely any silver threads left as they are scattered across northern India like some metallic breadcrumb trail, leaving the other members of the group to dub her "Gretel". 2. Dodgy Indian power circuits that give you an electric shock if you accidentally brush your foot on the end of the wrought iron bed while you are typing on the laptop. Ouch! 3. Horns. Loud rickshaw ones and pointy bull ones.

... our great company! ahhaahahahhaahhaahah Must tell you about Savage Garden. Hmmmmm ... how Aussie can you get? On our first night here we went into a shop and the guy who owns it put us in touch with so many great contacts. His family also runs cafes, a guest-house with a gym/sauna/spa (and posters of Bollywood stars on the walls ... Serene, I threathened to run off with the wall mount of SRK!!) and this Savage Garden Restaurant. *bbsigh* we have been there twice ...

... to a hotel, and it was fabulous, quite basic rooms, but the courtyard was stunning. However the afternoon turned sour when I tried to go outside into the town on my own. Instantly I was hassled by local men, it was horrible, really intimidating. One of them decided he was going to become my "guide" and wouldn't leave me alone - luckily he shooed away the other 8 men who were following me, but he wouldnt go. I walked to the top of the town where there was a very ...