The City of Lakes to the City of Delhi
Trip Start
Jan 18, 2008
1
9
11
Trip End
Feb 02, 2008
Delhi,
India
Friday, April 25, 2008
The Palace, the plane, and travellin' in Delhi...
I woke up round 7:30 am to find Janice feeling so much better (thank goodness!), so we had breakfast on the rooftop. I hadn't much time left in Udaipur, as we needed to be at the airport around 2:30 pm, so I could board the Jet Airways plane back to Delhi at 3:30pm. As I needed some bubble wrap (or something similar) to pack my drum in to protect it more for air travel, I asked Ram (Jheel Guest House Owner) where I could buy some, and he smiled and said that he'd arrange it so that I would have some to pack with before we left to go to the airport. We did have enough time to visit the City Palace & Museum, so, on the way walking to the City Palace, who did we pass riding on his motorbike? - none other than Ram wearing a grin and a roll of bubble wrap tucked under his arm (and he didn't charge me for it)!
Visiting the City Palace and Museum was well worth it, even though we felt the extra fee for the audio tour (more than the entry fee) wasn't! Still, it was as interesting and entertaining as the previous audio tours, and the elegant, marble palace (mainly built in the 1600's) was visually stunning (particularly interior wise), displaying historic sculptures and statues, handcrafted and painted tiles, in-laid gem art work, gold plated art, detailed murals, carved panels, decorative stain glass and mirror work, antique Mewar Miniature paintings, and scenic views of the lakes, and Udaipur City. We even briefly saw (Royal guards present) the Queen, who passed us in the 'Royal' car!
We returned to the guest house at around 12:30 pm, and I busily packed my backpack, and spare light-weight duffle bag where my drum (all bubble wrapped) and other purchases and momentums were packed in.
We arrived at Udaipur airport (20 kms away) in plenty of time, and I really wished I had more time to explore Udaipur, but I only had 3 days left in India, (ready to start back at work in Perth on Monday, 4th Feb) and I really wanted to see Rishikesh and the Ganges River before I left India. Janice had another 2 weeks of holiday time in India, and as it turned out chose to stay on in Udaipur. After hugs, thank yous and good-byes to all, I headed inside to the Departure terminal. I had a bit of lunch and to my surprise, they didn't have Indian food, just mostly 'Westerners' food!? The flight to Delhi was 40 mins delayed at first, which became and hour and a half, so I was going to miss meeting Syed (Classic Creations) who'd said that he would deliver some henna products/samples at the Namaskar Hotel, where I would be leaving my backpack and duffle bag (only taking with me 2 days of clothing and necessities to Rishikesh) for a very small fee. The flight was good (1 hr and 15 mins) with dinner served on the plane and I was advised by Sanjeev to order a 'pre-paid' taxi at the 'Pre-paid' booth (cheaper than hiring a taxi there) at the airport to Namaskar Hotel or close to it, as the Main Bazaar lane ways and roads are narrow and too congested for a car at 'peak' times, but fine for a rickshaw/cart or tuk-tuk.
I had 50 mins, once I had arrived (through all the traffic) at the Namaskar Hotel, to put my labled gear in the luggage holding bay, sort out what to take to Rishikesh, freshen up, find a tuk-tuk in the Main Bazar to take me to S. Rohilla Station, and arrive in time to board the overnight train for Haridwar (which is 260 kms N/E from Delhi, and only 28 kms from Rishikesh). Thankfully, I didn't have to wait long for a tuk-tuk, and I arrived at the station with 10 mins to spare, before the train departed the station right on time - 9.05 pm!
I had the whole cabin or compartment (of 4 bunks) to myself (1st class, as there were no spare bunks/seats available when I booked, for 2A or 3A class), for a while at least, and then a distinguished, turbaned Indian (who's an Army animal vet) and 2 other Indian men (1 also in the military - weapons department) boarded and shared the compartment with me. They kept to themselves (didn't hear any snoring!) and I had a good coversation with the turbaned family man, who was pleasant and polite and spoke good English. He was as interested in knowing about Australia and our way of life, as I was in knowing more about the Indian way of life. He was also going to Haridwar, so we set our alarms on our watches to wake us in time (5:30 am) as the train was going further to Mussoorie. We said Good night to each other and after arranging my sheets, blanket and pillow on the bottom bunk (and my passport, camera and money in a small bag close to me) I went to sleep.
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Price Guide:
* City Palace & Museum, Audio tour and camera entry - $12.00 AUD
* Pre-paid taxi from Delhi's Domestic Terminal to Main Bazaar - 240 INR or aprox. $7 AUD
* Tuk-tuk from Namaskar Hotel to S.Rohilla Station (old Delhi) - 80 INR or $2.50 AUD
* First class (1A) overnight train from Delhi to Haridwar, booked online - 895 INR, or $25 AUD
Useful Links:
http://www.webindia123.com/monuments/palaces/udaipurcity.htm Lots of info about the Udaipur City Palace and Museum.
