Udaipur, Lair of Octopussy

  Udaipur, Rajasthan, India
Sunday, February 11, 2007

City Palace at Night

Ranakpur: I left the Jain dharamshala and walked to the road. Soon, a bus heading south arrived. On the way, as the bus wove its way through dry forested hills, I talked with Julie, from Australia, who was traveling with a tour group that took public transportation for a twist.

The trip was brief--soon I was walking west from the Udaipur bus station, following the sun and my compass along curved streets, buying some bananas from a cart man, and eating roti and daal at a shaded roadside stall--all you can eat.

Lake Palace, part II

I continued to walk past German bakehouses, guesthouses with rooftop restaurants, and travel agencies until I reached Lake Pichola, where I enjoyed views of the white marble Lake Palace, seemingly floating on blue Lake Pichola as River Terns flew overhead.

Here I met Ilkwon haphazardly as he greeted me with a smile. I checked into the Jagat Niwas, where he was staying, after catching up over mocha cake and chai.

Octopussy at 7 pm

That afternoon, we walked around the lake as the sun lowered towards the horizon, casting amber hues onto the City Palace and Lake Palace to the east. On the way we passed at least five places with signs saying "Octopussy 7 pm."

I vaguely remembered watching this movie in the theatres about twenty years ago and knew it was filmed in India--this was the place. One thing that stuck in my mind was that James Bond picked off a leech, something unusual in Bond films.

Its magestic palaces and hilly landscapes exemplified the landscapes that Bond villains would love to find their lairs, if an abandoned volcanic island wasn't available (there's a waiting list for those).

Seeing Octopussy as a hook to attract the guide book tourists, most of the rooftop restaurant owners now show it at 7 pm, some with later screenings as well, for the night owls.

City Palace Detail, part I

For sunset, we reached the palatial Hilton, where rooms fetched $2000 a night, minimum. "Mostly Americans and Europeans," the guard said. We watched as the evening sun left the facade of the City Palace, the center of the old Raj state of Mewar, protected by Lake Pichola and the Aravalli Range outcrops that surrounded the capital.

Watching a jackal sneak between immaculately-kept gardens, we left the Hilton for dinner, yet didn't go to see Bond, James Bond, Roger Moore style.

At this point, it was time to leave Rajasthan, Octopussy, the palaces, the desert, the glitz, and the forts behind.

It was time to enter Gujarat, the land of Gandhi, the Bhagavad Gita, Jainism, and many national parks. I booked a night bus to Ahmedabad, the Gujarati capital, after visiting the City Palace and its Rajput splendor.

Goodbye Rajasthan.

Hello Gujarat.

P.S. The night bus, as expected, was full of broken sleep and arrived at 4:30 am to empty streets of Ahmedabad. After a rickshaw, a train, waiting, and another local bus, I arrived at my next destination, about 20 hours later.