I made my way to the City Palace at Lake Pichola, which at 30 meters high and with walls 244 meters long is the largest palace in Rajasthan. A 25 rupee (50 cents) entry ticket is valid until 11 PM, so I came back at night when the entire palace was glowing radiantly.
From the City Palace I took a ferry out onto Lake Pichola to Jagmandir Island, which features another large palace and some nice surrounding gardens. The island is flanked by giant stone elephants which seem to be everywhere in Udaipur. Also, it's said that the architecture of the palace was one of the influencing factors for emperor Shah Jahan when he made plans to build the Taj Mahal.
After a long day out in the sun I had dinner at the Lake View, one of many rooftop restaurants in Udaipur City. The sunset view of the Lake Palace was nice, but once the sun had set I found myself eating my food in complete darkness. A simple suggestion: a few light fixtures on the roof would go a long way. I think my new life goal is to become a consultant in Common Sense and travel the world solving the easiest problems.
Yesterday, I had breakfast at the Shyam Cafe Natural Roof Top Restaurant. The owner, Blacky P., recommended that I try a bhang lassi. Bhang is legal in Rajasthan and is widely used as a panacea in ayurvedic medicine, and specifically used to cure many stomach ailments. I was feeling okay, not great, before I drank one, but felt pretty wonderful after. Potential treatment for Celiac Disease? I think so. Anyway, I got to talking with Blacky for a while and after breakfast he drove me to some sights around Udaipur on his motorbike. First, we visited Saheliyon-ki-Bari, a series of small gardens with fountains and a giant lotus pool in the center.
Next we drove to Badi ka Talab, or Tiger Lake, which is another artificial lake five kilometers outside of Udaipur. We chilled in the shade for a couple of hours to escape the heat and watched as droves of Indians went swimming in the not-so-pristine water. Blacky told me about his plans to expand his business and I offered him as much advice as I could.
Finally, we visited Sajjan Garh, or the Monsoon Palace, which is perched atop a mountain eight kilometers west of Udaipur. After paying an entrance fee to a wildlife sanctuary, we drove 4 kilometers up steep and winding roads to the palace.
When we returned back to Udaipur at night, I took Blacky to an internet cafe. I helped him to set up an e-mail address and showed him how to log in to check his e-mail. He hopes to become familiar enough with a computer to set up a website for his restaurant, which I told him will help in his ultimate goal of being featured in the Lonely Planet guidebook. His biggest issue: locating the correct letters on the keyboard. Who knew that teaching five-year-old Koreans how to type in English would come in handy a few months later? Not me.
My favorite fact about Udaipur? Many scenes from the 1983 James Bond film Octopussy were filmed here. I hadn't seen it before, but nearly every bar in town has free showings of the film nightly. Roger Moore isn't the greatest Bond, but the film was shot at the Lake Palace, the Monsoon Palace, and the Shiv Niwas Palace, so it was nice to unwind back at Blacky's restaurant and watch it after having visited two of the palaces.
After some much-needed rest, I spent most of the morning hanging out on the roof top with Blacky and his brother Kailash. They're such chill guys, and they really do make nice food...listen up Lonely Planet.
I've enjoyed everything about Udaipur, despite visiting at the hottest time of the year. I really wish I had more time to explore Rajasthan, but I'll be back when it's not 110 degrees and humid. For now, I'm taking a 12-hour night train to Delhi to meet my buddy Matt who's flying in from Boston tomorrow night. Today's the start of my last two weeks in Asia. Delhi tomorrow, Agra Sunday, Himalayas Monday.....and.....wait for it.....gluten-free everyday.
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