The city of Lakes-“Udaipur”

UDAIPUR(29th September’14):

The City Of Lakes

The city of lakes…

With the palaces touching the skies..

We are humbled at your serenity

..as you stand tall with dignity….

Around 7:00am I was woken up by the lingering aroma of the steaming morning tea, which was already placed at my bed side…:).

 Morning Tea.:):

The view outside the window was breathtaking. It was like staring out into a perfectly painted picture. After enjoying the tea we hurried to the rooftop to enjoy the beautiful sunrise. The serene waters, the pleasant breeze and the picturesque view of the far away Lake Palace made our morning!

Mesmerizing sunrise by Lake Pichola:

By, 9:00am we were done with our breakfast in the hotel and were ready to explore Udaipur. Owing to the fact that we were staying in the proximity of the lake area(where the major tourist attractions are) we decided to set out on foot. After some 10 minutes of walk we reached the entrance of the grand City Palace. There are a lot of ticket/info centers at the entrance that will provide details of the various combo package sightseeing options that are available.

We went for the sight-seeing package that included: City Palace, Boat ride to the Jag Mahal, Crystal Gallery and the Vintage cars Gallery. The package cost was 1450/person.

The City Palace

 

 

Tip:The City Palace is one of the biggest and most well maintained palaces in Rajasthan and is an absolutely must visit. I have heard that the palace gets quite crowded in the peak season with long queues in the ticket counters but still I would say that its worth a visit.

Next, we set sail for the Jag Mandir. It’s a palace converted into a hotel. The boat ride is approximately 30-40 minutes long and its a nice experience drifting quietly along the serene Pichola waters.

The Jag Mandir boat ride:

By the time we came back to the Lake Palace it was 2:00pm already and the three of us were in real need a lunch break. We stepped out of the premises of the City Palace and found a lot of hotels on the road sides. We stepped into one of it and ordered for a vegetarian Rajasthani meal.

The Crystal Gallery:

After being extremely satisfied with the food we moved on towards the City Palace campus  to visit the Crystal Gallery. The Crystal Gallery really lives up to its name and the section includes a crystal dining set, crystal bed, crystal chair,  and all possible furniture that you can think of made of crystal!! Photography of the main section is  prohibited.

There was a huge ballroom below that was open for photography. The main attraction was the enormous, exotic chandeliers that hung from the ceiling. It was a sight in itself!!

The Vintage Car Collection:

Now was the time to experience the last attraction ‘The Vintage Car Collection’. This car museum has around 10-15 vintage cars. Some of the cars are still used in the royal parade. The cars are well maintained. This gallery is located at a distance of aprox 2kms from the City Palace. There are autos plying there regularly for 50 bucks.

 

It was approximately 4:30pm in the evening when the day’s itinerary was over. We also made a plan to attend the ‘Light and Sound Show’ in the City Palace that day which is scheduled everyday between 7:00pm to 8:00pm. So, we had a window of two and a half hours in which we decided to take a quick siesta and headed for our hotel..:).

We woke up around 6:30pm, had quick evening tea and hurried over to the City Palace for the light and sound show. This grand show is screened in the space in front of the City Palace . It showcases the grandeur of Udaipur across generations and ages. A very educational show if you are interested to know the history of Udaipur.

The City Palace:

After taking a trip to the enchanting history of the City Palace we came out of the premises to find the city bubbling with Navratra festivities. The whole city was lighted up and the Garba had started. We roamed around the streets for a while and after having dinner retired for the day.

UDAIPUR(30th September’14):

We woke up by 8:00am the next day in Udaipur and after the usual round of a visit to the rooftop and staring at the beautiful lake routine we realised that we didn’t have any itinerary planned  for the day. We started off with itinerary planning but after the numerous diversions in the topic of discussions we realised that it was already 11:30pm so we decided quickly to go on with the plan to visit the Monsoon Palace. By 12:00pm we were all driving towards the monsoon palace.It’s a hilly drive of almost 45mins from the city. This palace was the monsoon gateway of the then royal family. For now, it lies almost deserted and almost in ruins. It is not so well maintained but if you are looking for some quiet time away from the swarming city crowd this is a place to be. Also, the view of the city is awesome from the hill-top on which its situated.

The Monsoon Palace:

The Monsoon Palace situated on top of the hill

It was 1:30pm by the time we came from the Monsoon Palace. We were looking for a descent place to have dinner and we stumbled across the  Fateh Sagar Lake. Its a huge water body and seemed relatively lass crowded. The lake was clean and stretched wide across the horizon.

We decided to halt in a nearby lake facing restaurant for lunch. The view from the restaurant was astounding. The food of the restaurant was also quite fresh and sumptuous .

The hotel was using solar cooker to cook food:)

 

After finishing the satisfying lunch and beholding the awesome view we had to reluctantly move as our lunch was done. It was still around 3:00pm so we had some time left and we decided to quickly cover the ‘Haldighati Maharana Pratap Museum and Chetak Samadhi’. We quickly took a round of the place and by then decided to call it a day at least till evening. This place showcases the gallantry of the Maharana and his horse ‘Chetak’.

Maharana Pratap on Chetak:

We reached hotel by 4:30pm and since we had some more time before the ‘Bagore ki Haveli Dance’ we took some rest. By 6:30 pm we were all set to enjoy the dance performance by the artisans of the Haveli. The colourful dance performance was a true extravaganza and a real treat to the eyes. The one hour show included a seek-peek into all the major dance forms of Rajasthan and also a puppet show. Truly worth a watch and highly recommended.

After witnessing the heart throbbing show we bid-adieu to the extremely talented artisans. The city streets had been completely transformed by then again and was ready for Garba. since, this was my last day in Udaipur,  I decided to try out my luck in shopping and there are a couple of rules for street shopping which I think you already know, but I will still iterate:

Rule 1: Bargain

Rule 2: Bargain harder…:)

I tried my best to haggle on the prices of some of the stuffs and ended up buying couple of stuffs..just to know subsequently, that even after putting so much effort in haggling I had not done a very good job..:(..But on other note, the Rajasthani fabrics and traditional paintings are of top-notch quality and most of them are handmade by artisans. They are obviously worth a look.

At around 9:00pm, when we were somewhat tired by our ongoing shopping spree and started looking for dinner outlets. We wanted to have authentic ‘Rajasthani Thali’. This actually came as a shock that none of the restaurants on that lane were serving the Rajasthani thali, instead they had the Punjabi Thali on their menu. After some more time of futile search we went ahead with the available option which was well prepared and had a nice savory taste.

With the colourful memories of Udaipur lingering in our hearts we were all set for our next destination ‘Jodhpur’.

Things covered in Udaipur sightseeing:

• Tour de City Palace
• Boat ride to the Jag Mahal
• Crystal Gallery
• The Vintage cars Gallery
• Evening Light and sound show in the City Palace
• Monsoon Palace
• Haldighati Maharana Pratap Museum and Chetak Samadhi’
• Bagore ki Haveli dance show

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