All in all not too bad a night on the train (says Dave). R's Delhi B has not proved fatal and she feels strong enough to risk a cup of chai from one of the endless stream of vendors who patrol the corridor. Now we know why you never see Carnation milk at home these days - it's all in India for the chai. It gets light as we hit the outskirts of Udaipur and the train arrives a mere 10 minutes late. As promised there is a car from the hotel to meet us and we are whisked away through a totally new set of traffic hazards including herds of cows. The Jaiwani Haveli seems to be a nice sort of place and we are made to feel very welcome. Our room will be ready at noon but we are given the use of clean washroom and the internet as we have a leisurely breakfast in the rooftop restaurant overlooking Lake Pichola with its fabulous Lake Palace hotel. At least I think it's fabulous - the prices certainly were. One night would have cost more than our return flights.
Our host recommends some sightseeing and we set off to the Jagdish Hindu temple. A young man appoints himself as our guide without being asked but his English is good and his commentary plausible. He shows us around the temple, explains what is going on and keeps the other hustlers at bay so is probably worth the 100 rupees. He then claims to be a coin collector and asks if we have any British coins. R produces a 50p and he looks a bit disappointed. As we walk away from the temple a man tries to sell me an Australian dollar coin. Is this a coincidence?
Our next stop is the City Palace complex, the vast home of the traditional rulers of Mewar, the area around Udaipur. This dominates the city and stays just on the classy side of ostentatious. There are plenty of tourists about - mainly French and Germans - but the site is pretty well tout free. There are official guides but if you say "No thanks" they leave you alone. The site is a monument to the glory of the rulers of Mewar who did not compromise with anybody - Mughals, Brits or other Hindus. They all had splendid mustaches (except some of the women). After a couple of hours culture fatigue set in and we felt compelled to go for refreshment. Then it was time to check in to our room which turned out to be on the top floor of an annexe, but with its own roof terrace and a view of the lake.
As it was getting quite hot we opted for a siesta and shower before setting out for a wander around the town. In no time at all we were hopelessly lost and had been adopted by a stray dog. This mutt attracted dozens of other strays until we had the chance to jump in a tuk tuk and escape. We hoped to go on a lake cruise but it had all been booked for a wedding party so D had a shoe shine instead. We then went home, did some bird watching and drank beer on the roof terrace.
For supper we opted for a lakeside restaurant called the Ambrai which had great views of the City and Lake Palaces as the sun set and a full moon rose over the city. The food was pretty good too and the evening was rounded off by the scariest tuk-tuk ride so far. Much better value than either the dodgems or the waltzers.
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