Beautiful Udaipur
Trip Start
Oct 09, 2007
1
27
42
Trip End
Nov 16, 2007
Udaipur,
India
Friday, October 26, 2007
Our hotel is again an old haveli. This one has been white-washed and had been restored but not heavily renovated so it's really maintained all of it's brilliant old charm. And can I say it's shamelessly romantic & charming. We get a magnificant view of the lake which is about 4 km by 2km with the famous Lake Palace on one of it's islands. This is where James Bond's Octopussy was filmed. Last night we had dinner sitting Indian style in one of those alcoves in a restaurant in the hotel next door. It was bbsigh romantic with candlelight and 2 Indian musicians playing the beautiful soothing sitar and tabla. The food was amazing, we really loved it
Alan reading the travel bible in our alcove
.Today we had brekky in a place called Edelweiss Cafe. Coffee was bitter crap,we should have stuck with chais as they were really good. Then did a bit of shopping and wondering around. Nadia, I have been thinking about you since we got here as I feel you would just love this place. Last night I saw your full moon in the sky and wished that someday you, Sammy and the kids will get a chance to see this splendour. There are winding cobblestoned streets lined with shops and they just meander all over with little haveli hotels along the lake front. The main lane ends up at the City Place. There are lots of roof-top restaurants and main bridges that go across the lake.
Today we ambled over to the other side and headed to this place which Lonely Planet recommended a meal at. I started to cry when we entered as it look so much like the Grand Hotel which was this lovely old hotel next to where my grandmother lived in Singapore. The Grand was basically torn in two with Singapore redevelopment so all I have left of it are memories. So seeing this just took me back to it's glory days. We had the most perfect lunch under a massive tree with the lake all round us, and a view of our hotel. It was just one of the happiest moments for me.
Then as we were half-way thru this amazing meal, an Indian family came along and the kids sounded Aussie
Getting our clothes tailored!
. Yup, they were from Melbourne! She was born in Mumbai, he in KL but his family came from Karela. We exchange stories and had half an hour of laughs. It was really great. They had come to attend her sisters wedding in Mumbai so you can imagine what a week they've had!As I write this our Donovan is doing his performance piece on the social acceptablity of drinking and how when it's done for art, it may be less socially acceptable. In this art piece he gets drunk for the first time - I am sure it will be interesting and we would have loved to have seen it. We are so grateful to Nadia and Sam for ringing us just now and for being there with Don. And for all the smses as you keep us updated on Don's progress or should I say regress! Donovan's good friend Michael will be with him the whole night and I know Keiron, Mabel, my Mum and Les are also on call in case he needs to get his stomach pumped! ahahahahhaha Thanks guys, Alan and I are totally relaxed because we know he is in good hands.
Comments
Nostalgic moments of the Grand Hotel
Yes, I can imagine how the place might have been....it is like going back into time as the Grand Hotel does recall our childhood memories of 'Mama's' place with 'bigi saga' trees and how that beatiful fountain was demolished after the hotel was torn into two when Karikal Road (now Still Road South) came into existence with the 'Gaja' chasing us out if we disturbed the peace or made a nuisance of ourselves.