Hello hello, or 'nameste' as they say here,
From 10 days without a blog entry to another one today - no, I wish I could say I felt guilty but the truth is that this place is amazing and I wanted to tell you all about it!!! (This doesn't mean you shouldn't read the WHOLE of the last blog though, haha...)
We took the night train to Udaipur last night. It took us 15 minutes to get to the station by auto-rickshaw (or tuk tuk) and 15 minutes to find our coach. A very very long train, where the letters and numbers had a mind of their own, or an Indian order and logic that we had no idea about. Eventually we found it, the train pulled in a couple of minutes later and we boarded the coach. The sleeper compartments were absolutely fine and adequate. We had a lovely elderly couple sleeping under us (who had a lot of food in their bags), - in fact the elderly man went in search of bed sheets, came back with them and made the bed for his wife. So touching to watch. The train was so much nicer than a night bus - we could lie down! The beds weren't huge, but they were sufficient and even had cables that not only held the bunk up, but also stopped us falling out. I know Haz made use of them! The journey wasn't too rocky or juddery, and we turned off our light and fell into a light sleep for the night. Gently rocked to sleep, we woke up a couple of times but fortunately fell straight back to sleep again.
We arrived in Udaipur and got an auto-rickshaw to the Hotel Thamla Haveli. Oh my goodness. It is a present for us from Romey in Delhi, and paid for for 2 nights. We have the most beautiful room - a white WESTERN loo that not only works, but is actually white. We have electricity (most of the time), a TV, the shower has enough water to actually shower under, we have white fluffy towels (I know, I'd forgotten what those were!) and even a desk and chair in the room. The whole hotel (our room included) is a mixture of new and old architecture, its floors are clean marble and its walls sheer white, with blue flowers painted around the ceiling and wall edges, and light fittings. Absolutely stunning. The menu isn't too pricey, and there is an alcove on the rooftop restaurant with a sofa area with cushions, where we enjoy the gorgeous view. The hotel overlooks the river, so we see children swimming and women washing their clothes, we see the other side of the city with the famous City Palace (featured in Octopussy), and turning around 180 degrees we see mountains. Absolutely beautiful.
A lazy day, enjoying the company of 2 delightful men who own a restaurant nearby. It's Haz's birthday today so Viki, the owner of the hotel, has asked us to celebrate it with him on the rooftop restaurant and watch the world go by. Can't think of anything we'd rather do more.
So we are very happy and are meandering around the alleyways that form the town, filled with shops, restaurants and travel agencies. We've seen the everpresent holy cows, and an elephant who had his face decorated with coloured chalk. A very friendly people here, and a great contrast from the hectic chaos that is Jaipur and Delhi.
So 'shukria' (bye) for now, and we'll write again soon.
Lots of love from us both,
Alice xxxxxxxx
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