11/14/11
We are now in Aurangabad. Cannot seem to catch up. Only way I could is if I did not take any relax time or sleep. Have decided the blog is not THAT important. So, slowly it unfolds. Back to Udaipur…..
Udaipur - Venice of the East
Known as the “Venice of the East”, Udaipur is laced with lakes and waterways. The rulers, the Sisodia Rajputs, moved to Udaipur in 1567 to escape the Muhgal invaders. They were fond of the arts and paid artisans, painters, sculptors and musicians to resettle in the area. It became a cultural and artistic center with extravagant palaces, lakes and temples built around Lake Pichola. Our home for the next two nights, November 10 and 11, was the Oberoi Udaivilas, a 2009 luxury hotel, which sits on the northern shore of the lake. It consistently ranks in the top 10 hotels of the world on any list and it felt grand and special to be staying there. It is one of those places you don’t want to leave once you have arrived. There were two beautiful large, perfect temperature swimming pools–we swam in both–each built into a unique setting, lovely landscaped areas that beckon guests to linger, a spa we did not use, a boat house on the lake which we used twice–once for a ride around the lake and once to transfer to the Lake Palace, three restaurants and impeccable service from everyone on the staff.
The pool with a view at the Oberoi
As soon as we finished checking into our room, which had a private patio that opened out to a view of the garden swimming pool, we went for a walk to check out the place. Our last stop was the “other” pool, which had a vanishing edge that overlooked the lake for a very photogenic image. As we turned to leave that pool, a voice called our names and we looked to see a guy who had been on our trip to Mongolia last year. He and his wife, John and Susan, are traveling south to north through India on a 17 day trip. Small world. After a short chat, we headed to our room to get our suits on and go for a swim in the pool outside our patio door. As this was one of our non-group evenings, we booked a table for two at the hotel’s outdoor restaurant and enjoyed a lovely, quiet meal with the full moon shimmering over the lake. We thought about sharing a table with John and Susan, but really needed to be alone. The next morning we joined them at breakfast and had an enjoyable conversation catching up. Then they headed for the airport and we joined our group tour of the CIty Palace Museum, which sits on the opposite shore of Lake Pichola.
A room in the City Palace Museum
It is a huge place, one of the largest palaces in the world, with an endless number of rooms that had been used differently by each succeeding maharaja. There was a lot of art, colorful decorations and many sculpted walls, but no furniture. Daisy toured us hrough the palace in an hour and fifteen minutes. It was enough for us.
From there we wandered through a bazaar of shops until we came to a textile place selling shirts. Mark got hooked, bought two ready to wear shirts, and got fitted for another shirt and two pair of linen pants. Amazingly, everything was made and delivered to our hotel room by 5pm the next day. We also walked through an art school where many tapestries, miniature paintings, sculptures and other artifacts were on display. We hoped to find something we could not live without, but nothing spoke to us, so we happily kept our money in our pockets and went back to our hotel to enjoy the afternoon. It was really good to have a break even if it was too short. At 6:30pm we gathered for the group farewell dinner at a special outdoor hall set apart from the rest of the hotel. It was decorated with streamers of marigolds and incense. We were treated to a full bar, good appetizers and the usual Indian buffet. After dinner we each shared what something we learned about India. Mark found the people to be exceedingly nice and friendly. I commented on the way people stay centered in spite of the crowdedness of the cities, towns and villages. Soon we were back in our room and settled into bed with no wake up time for the morning. Lovely.
All morning on the 12th, we relaxed. Did some swimming, reading and writing. Then we had one last lunch with the group and bolted for the door before the rest were finished. We were anxious to take our private boat ride from the Oberoi to the Taj Lake Palace to experience this pleasure palace of maharajas that sits in the middle of the lake and which had tantalized us since our first view of it from the Oberoi. This was the fulfillment of a desire I have had for several years since I first saw a photo of the palace.
Arriving at the Lake Palace
Arriving by boat is a pleasure in itself. We were greeted by a uniformed doorman holding and umbrella over our heads until we reached the door. Just at that instant hand-fulls of rose petals came floating over the balcony onto our heads. We haven’t even entered the palace and I am already in love with the place. Our bags, meanwhile, traveled by a different boat and were in our suite ahead of us. Our room was in the corner on the ground floor. The stained glass, medieval windows opened onto a straight drop into the lake and a view back at the Oberoi. Unlike the Oberoi, which is modern, spacious and state-of-the art, the Lake Palace is confined to the four walls of the island it has occupied for 250 years, full of history, charm, character and many antiques, paintings, sculptures and other artifacts everywhere you turn. Our room looked felt like the room a maharaja would have used. The pampering here was just as complete as at the Oberoi. The sari clad lady who showed us to our room took us on a tour of the palace first. The small, but welcoming grounds occupy the middle of the palace and include fountains, pools, pathways, gardens, two restaurants, a library, a gift shop and the entrance lobby. At the back of the property is the swimming pool and the Spa. Every bit of space is utilized, but there is a feeling of comfort rather than crowdedness. Up on top of the building are the outdoor restaurant and an open area to take in the view of the city, the City Palace Museum, and activity on the lake.
The Maharaja in residence at the Lake Palace
Once we settled in our suite, we did not leave it until dinner. Having arranged for a table on the rooftop, we happily consumed a continental meal while enjoying the nearly full moon and city lights. A candlelit medieval pleasure boat full of revelers floated by under the power of oarsmen. Fireworks exploded in the night sky. The Lake Palace truly lived up to my dream. The only sad part was that we had to be up at 4am and on a plane at 6:30. We had barely 13 hours on the island.
You may be wondering why I have hardly mentioned the group. What can I say? It was not a cohesive bunch of folk to put it mildly. There were some pleasant times, but mostly we thought they were different and they probably thought the same of us. Suffice it to say, we were very happy to be back on our own.
Adventures with Julia 