The Grand Laxmi Vilas Palace Udaipur

... inviting back-light making the statue stand out like a Maharana overlooking his kingdom.<br><br> Although we spent our days exploring the palaces and hotel-restaurants in the greater Udaipur area, it would have been very enjoyable to simply melt away into the opulence of Lake Palace. All manner of cuisine was available around-the-clock, and the hospitality was like nothing I have ever experienced. To sum up the quality of the ...

... Sagar, the second of Udaipur&#8217;s three major lakes, and Saheliyon ki Bari, a garden built in the 18th century for the royal ladies. About 5 km ahead of Shilpgram is the dam enclosing one section of Badi Ka Talab, the last of Udaipur&#8217;s major lakes. It&#8217;s a pleasant picnic spot with a nice view.<br><br><br>About an hour or so ...

... had a good collection of Indian miniature paintings. Moti Mahal also had lovely mirror work &amp; Chin Mahal was covered in ornamental tiles. The rooms all looked quite lovely, with originally used items by the maharajahs, including furniture and personal items. Zenana Mahal had many larger paintings and I loved the rooms of the maharanis and grandmother, with her children&#8217;s toys and cradle nearby. Also of interest was the invalid maharajah and his early wheelchair ...

... in UCD with Sarah and she had been to a house party in his house 8 years ago -- small world!! After chilling out for the morning we went and booked our Indian cooking class for that afternoon in Hotel Krishna Niwas. The cooking course was excellent we learned how to make Chapatti and nan,

morning in Udaipur, afternoon flight back to Delhi ACTUAL from journal: The last day of this amazing trip for me. This morning I was able to actually use water and wash off the remaining henna particles. So then my arms were smooth but covered in patterns. Pretty cool. Also, last night, the tailor came by with my blouse for the saree to see if it fit. Unfortunately, it didn't but they took it back and would return it this morning ...

... we did (bow-chicka-bow-wow). The city is very nice, and from one of the many rooftops you can see why it has been dubbed the Venice of the east. Close up it is still India, but a cleaner and more touristy version. We grabbed a rickshaw and said goodbye to our friend Sam from Vancouver, as we'll be a step ahead of him for the rest of our trip. Taj Mahal here we come!!

... late and then, once we're on, running slow. I don't remember them being so unreliable last time I was in India. That said, I still enjoy the train travel and have met lots of interesting people and seen many strange sights; I'm just starting to add up how many hours we've killed waiting. Udaipur doesn't surprise on arrival - a rickshaw driver attaches himself literally as I step off the train. When we get to the precinct we want, we are besieged by hotel touts. All ...

... cows. People buy them to give to the cows for an auspicious good day. The vegetables in the afternoon are for people to buy for themselves. The picture I couldn,t get while we were riding was the group of cows sitting around the center of a town (the way you see a group of old men gather in Europe). Tomorrow, we leave for Jaipur, another remarkable city of palaces, and textiles, and jewels. I read that ...

... the most painful massages we have ever had but they worked wonders for both of us. One of the the best restaurant ever..... Seeing as we were staying at a very budget hotel we decided we could afford to splurge out a bit on a nice dinner at a beautiful restaurant on the edge of the lake with a roof terrace with alcoves where you can ...

... the tv then turn their attention to watch 'Dinnertime with René'. I don't mind obliging in curiosity as its curiosity that brought me here. I can't expect to travel the world being curious then not pay back the favour, so it works both ways. However having so many eyes on me with every motion puts the pressure on; to eat like a local (with my hands) and not make a fool of myself. I think I did alright because there were only minimal laughter ...