Udaipur
Trip Start
Oct 14, 2005
1
16
21
Trip End
Oct 31, 2005
Loading Map
Map Options
Show trip route
Hide lines
Udaipur,
India
Thursday, October 27, 2005
What a great day this has been. We left our hotel in Jodhpur without any scenes or drama, and commenced a full day bus ride to Udaipur. Along the way we stopped at a Jain temple, the largest in India. This was made out of very spectacularly carved marble, but it just didn't do anything for me. I think I was tired and "templed out."
After leaving the temple the landscape became very hilly / mountainous, and the road curvy and narrow. But the scenery was dramatically different than anything we had seen so far, and it was nice to be in the hills instead of on the flatlands.
My "awards" assistant sat next to me, and we whispered ideas to each other and cracked up repeatedly over what was coming out
01 Ranakpur Jain Temple
. I am sure this award ceremony will be one of the most outstanding.When we arrived in Udaipur at about 5:30pm we went straight to the old maharaja's hunting lodge which is to be our hotel for two nights. I immediately fell in love with it because I saw that they have a huge polo field, and a stable of fine horses, and I immediately thought "how great! I'll be able to ride a horse on my birthday!"
We got the clients checked in, and I tagged the baggage with room numbers, and by the time that was finished one of the clients was already complaining about his room. This is an old old lodge, and the paint is peeling, and there is a strong mothball / insect repellent odor in each room. To quote the immortal Betty Davis: "What a dump!" I think the high season is just beginning. I had been given a fairly nice room with a double bed, but I gave it instead to the client who was complaining. His room has 2 twin beds, but it isn't bad.
With the rooms sorted out I had a look at the dining options for tomorrow night -- my birthday. My guide kept pushing me to plan the dinner here so we can have some privacy, but I had been told by the tour organizer that I could also have dinner at the City Palace
02 Temple Detail
. I unhesitatingly made the decision to stay here for dinner, however, when they showed me the private fort area overlooking the polo field where we can be all to ourselves to carry on and dance if we would like to. I think it is going to be an absolutely fantastic way to celebrate my birthday, and I'm very excited.We got into the bus at 7:30pm to drive into town to eat dinner at the world famous "Lake Palace." I immediately grabbed the microphone and asked how everybody was enjoying their country estate? I got some bemused stares, and I said how delighted I was to be here in the country, and that I am just a country boy from a small town, and that this was going to make my birthday very special, especially because I was going to have a chance to ride a horse. They all burst into applause and I got all teary as usual. I expressed my opinion that a man can be miserable in a palace, and happy as a clam in a hovel (not that I was making any comparisons to our present estate) -- that it all had to do with one's attitudes. I said that I would lay money that these next two days are going to be ones that people will remember most fondly after the tour is over. I think that did the trick. No more grumbling all night.
The Lake Palace is all that it is cracked up to be and more
03 Temple Entrance
. The water around the palace is at the highest level that it has been in over a decade thanks to the great monsoon season that just ended, so we took a boat across rather than a jeep or elephant as has become the custom in recent times due to no water. The dinner was absolutely fantastic (although another buffet for tourists), and the spices were cranked up a notch so that I was sweating furiously before long. After a leisurely dinner we took free time to wander about the property and our guide arranged for us to see an empty room. It was a luxury room with a view over to the city palace, and it ran for $500 per night. Then we got to see the most expensive suite in the entire hotel at $2,500 per night. It was many rooms of unbelieveable furnishings -- the ultimate in luxury.We have another early morning tomorrow, and it is my birthday so I don't want to look like a 53 year old grumpy man, so I'm going to bed. I'll let you know how the festivities go, and I thank you in advance for your good wishes!
Hugs,
Dan
