Still high from our glorious couple of days in Shahpura, we trusted Vishu that taking the long way to Udaipur so we could visit a 15th century Jain temple hidden in the jungles of India was worth it. I won’t dwell on it…but this was the one day of our trip that was a bust. Don’t get me wrong – parts of the drive were beautiful and the Jain temple was totally amazing (and we now know a lot about the Jains, who make up a small percentage of Hindus – Jainism is basically a Hindu sect). But the overall trip exceeded ten hours, and it was just too much time in the van bouncing down the Indian roads trashed by years of monsoons and little maintenance.

It was very interesting to see the change in landscape and culture as we drove west. We went from lush green farm land to arid plains where the sparse trees are low and the ground already dry…and saw the appearance of turbans (in various types – caste dictates it), camels, and elephants.  At this point, we are only about 250 miles from Pakistan…so it makes sense in that regard.  The saris change, the colors change, the jewelry changes…and the food changes.  It’s funny how we think of “Indian food” as one thing, and the different regions of India in fact eat very differently – different ingredients, different spice combinations…just no beef, of course.

Udaipur is a beautiful city in the hills – sits at about 3,000 ft, so is temperate and not humid – surrounding three lakes, and founded in the 16th century.  We stayed at the Oberoi here…ranked as one of the top ten hotels in the world. It is absolutely stunning.

We visited the City Palace, of course – all these cities founded by Maharajahs have city palaces – and this one is just massive. The royal family still lives in part of it, part is used as a tourist attraction (museum of sorts), and part of it is a luxury hotel run by the Maharini. This particular royal family can trace its history to 566 AD….wow.

Udaipur is also home to the famous “lake palace” which is a palace built by the prince literally in the middle of the lake. With the water as high as it is right now, the palace appears to float on the water. It is quite a sight, especially at night (and is currently a hotel run by the Taj group, of course).  Udaipur has some interesting history too…it was one of the few cities in Northern India that was never controlled by the Mughals.  The resistance here was successful for hundreds of years.

We spent some time wandering the streets, taking in the colors and occasionally popping into the shops but not really buying much…and enjoying the aromas of India. I haven’t mentioned that yet…the smells of India.  This country is an assault on the senses from every angle, and your nose is not spared!  From spices to people to cow shit to bat guano in old forts to the mold from the dampness of annual monsoons to the heady and appetite-inducing curries wafting around every corner to the incense and scented oils burning in the corners of rooms…it really changes from moment to moment like I have never experienced in any other country.

Udaipur is a place to slow down, and in the evening, we did just that on a boat ride around the largest of the lakes.  We watched the sun set over the hills, turning all shades of orange and gold and pink as it sank behind the scattered, gorgeous clouds of Indian sky, a soft breeze blowing through.  This was our last night with Vishu, so we invited him to dinner at our hotel, which we had outside on the terrace under the starred canopy of night. Vishu ordered special Rhajasthani dishes that were SO tasty and different, and we shared a bottle of locally made wine and great conversation.   Life is good….

Tomorrow, we take a step towards reality as we fly to our last stop: the thriving financial capital of India – Mumbai – and its 18 million people. Or 21 million, depending who you ask and who is doing the counting.  We brace ourselves for the culture shock we know is coming!