India - Day 13, Udaipur on to Delhi to catch our flight home.

This morning we bid farewell to Udaipur.  Some of the ladies are staying are up early to catch flights on to other parts of the country.  A few are off to visit Kujaraho, some to Varanasi and others to see the Golden Temple.  The rest of the group are preparing for their long flight home.  We begin our day with one more walk through the narrow, bustling streets of the old city.  Just outside of our hotel is a construction site. It's quite  different from the ones at home.  Here, the ladies help with the construction and materials are brought in on the backs of donkeys.  It's early in the morning and the streets are already busy.  The shop keepers beckon us in to see their goods.  Last minute shopping is done as we make our way to the bus. The shopping experience in India has been amazing!
Today we have to fly from Udaipur to Delhi. Here we transfer to an airport hotel for the afternoon /early evening then it's back to the airport to catch our 3am flight to Toronto.  It's been a long day and quite tiring waiting for our flight. Some of us have difficulty staying awake!  The flight home was smooth and quiet. Most of us slept all the way to Brussels where we stop for a short layover, then on to Toronto.  Our trip to India was Incredible and I look forward to returning some time in the near future.

India - Day 12, Udaipur

I apologize for the delay in writing this post.  I'm back home and have been adjusting to my local time zone.  India is 9 1/2 hours ahead of us so it's been quite a challenge to get back in sinc.  They say it takes 2 hours a day to adjust your body clock.  If you have an 8 hour time difference it will take you 4 days to get back on track.

On our last full tour day we explored Udaipur - Venice of the East.  Our hotel is located on Lake Pichola, a man made lake on the edge of the old city.   This morning we enjoyed breakfast outdoors on the terrace overlooking the lake and enjoying the majestic views.  We've discovered that the lake is a common bath area for the locals.  There are bath houses located around the lake and each is designated for men or women.  Across from our hotel restaurant there happens to be a bath house for men.  It was quite interesting watching the men come and go, dipping into the lake to bath and washing their clothes at the same time.  Life in India is quite different from life in Canada.
 

We start out tour with a relaxing boat cruise on Lake Pichola.  On our way to the boat launch we pass by a group of monkeys.  They seem to be as curious about us as we are of them. 
The lake is peaceful and our guide is informative and entertaining. He tells us he's a movie star. His claim to fame is driving the tuk tuk in James Bond's Octupussy which was filmed here. 

The sprawling city is quite large but at the beginning of the 20th century (1950's) this area was surrounded by dense forest with lions and tigers. Our first stop is a small island in the middle of the lake to visit Jagmandir Ghat.  It is named  in honour of the last named Maharana Jagat Singh. The royal family used the palace as a summer resort and pleasure palace for holding parties. It is still used for parties and many wedding ceremonies are held here. The construction of the palace was started in 1551 by Maharana Amar Singh and finally completed by Maharana Jagat Singh in 1652. 

We continued our boat ride to view the Royals summer palace which is now the 5 star Taj Lake Palace Hotel. The other 5 star hotel over looking the lake is the Oberei Udaivillas.  Our hotel was once a Royal Palace and looks quite elegant from the lake.  

Our next stop is the City Palace. A palace complex built by the Maharana Udai Singh as the capital of the Sisodia Raiput clan in 1559.  Udaipur was the historic capital of the former kingdom of Mewar. The City Palace in Udaipur was built in a flamboyant style and is considered the largest of its type in Rajasthan, a fusion of the Rajasthani and Mughal architectural styles, and was built on a hill top that gives a panoramic view of the city and its surrounding, The rooms, windows and walls are lavishly decorated with colored stones,silver,  stained glass windows and magnificent wall paintings.  In the childrens room an elegant swing hangs from the ceiling.  As I walked through the maze of rooms I could imagine the grand lifestyle of this era. Outside of the palace there was a pair of elaborately decorated horses. The is a popular wedding tradition  where the bride and groom are lead up to the reception area on these beautiful horses. 

The evening temperature is perfect for dining outdoors.  The lakeside terrace is the ideal setting for our last dinner together as a group. The buildings around the lake are dramatically lit which makes the city look mystical and elegantly royal. Dinner on the terrace under the starlit sky with great friends, a wonderful way to end the day.

India - Day 11, Ranakpur's Jain Temple and bus ride to Udaipur

After visiting the elementary school in Narlai we board the bus to begin our long drive to Udaipur.  Driving on the bus has been a great experience.  The ladies take the time to connect and bond with each other and the sights along the way are always fascinating and entertaining.  We must drive along the road which only has one lane of pavement.  Needless to say the driver has to work his magic weaving through the obstacles of oncoming water buffalo, herds of goats, cars, truck, buses and people. Our first stop this morning is Ranakpur to visit the magnificent Jain temples.  This marble complex is noted for the 29 halls supported by 1,444 pillars, each adorned with hundreds of carved figures with no two alike.  It took 60 years and 3000 skilled labourers to build this amazing structure by hand in the 14th century.  The temple is set on many acres with gardens filled with flowering trees and shrubs. Inside the temple we walk quietly and meander through the maze of carvings and pillars.  It's difficult to imagine how they built such an amazing structure without the use of modern equipment. There a small rooms throughout which house the sacred idols.  There is a strong smell of incense in these small chambers and the idols within seem to stare at you with their mesmerizing gaze.

Our next stop is for a luch break at the 5 star Hotel Fateh Pagh.  Located in the quiet countryside near the Jain temple, this fabulous hotel is set on acres of green grass and gardens.  The delicious lunch is served outdoors at tables with large umbrellas set up on the lawn..  A very nice break on this warm sunny day.
We travel a couple of miles down the road to visit a local rug making centre. Here we are given a demonstration on how they make these fine Dhurriw rugs.   

Back on the bus to continue our long drive to Udaipur.  Still on a narrow roadway, our bus climbs up into the Aravali mountains through a wildlife sanctuary.  Along the way we see monkeys jumping from tree to tree and sitting on the road and stone walls.  A herd of goats moves off to the side to allow our bus to pass as we continue winding up to an elevation of 3500 feet above sea level.  The view of the mountains and the valley below is spectacular. We pass through farm land  where men work the land with oxen hooked to their plows and ancient water wheels.  The small towns are bustling with the activity of daily life and many interesting characters are seen along the way.

One quick break at a roadside pit stop where the washrooms a mere hole in the floor.Yech! We continue our drive along the highway leading into Udaipur.  Our hotel is situated in the old city.  The streets are too narrow for our bus so we must walk from the edge of town to our hotel.  It's an interesting walk through the busy streets, once again dodging cars, cows, motorcycles and people. There are many shops along the way and the ladies are already picking out the ones they want to go back to visit.  Hotel Amet Haveli is another heritage hotel situated on the banks of Lake Pichola.  This palace was once home to the royal off Udaipur. Today they reside in a portion of the large palace situated cross the lake from our hotel.  The temperature this evening is comfortably warm  and the view from the lakeside restaurant is magnificent.  This area is said to be the Venice of the East. Tomorrow we are touring the City Palace and taking a scenic cruise on the lake.