There is a saying that goes: The road to hell is paved with good intentions. Well, the road to Udaipur is fraught with Peril... With that in mind I took a few last images of our hotel in Jaipur as the sun was rising and we were back on the road again.
It was Kite festival day in Jaipur and on the way out of the city a host of kites being flown from rooftops were waving and bidding us farewell.
Soon the City of Pink was far behind us and we were left to our thoughts and the honking of horns telling these huge trucks to get out of the way. You heard me...
Honking your car horn at cargo trucks plying the interstate is expected, it is not considered rude. The rules of the road in India definitely differ from most of the world. Take a gander at the back's of these trucks...
At least the last two said please.
Trucks are but a part of the problem that is the road through India. More than once Joga our driver had to come to a sudden halt from a crossing bovine. Maybe I should have asked it why chickens cross the road. Or why it did.
Halfway into our trip we had to pull by the side of the road because of bumper-to-bumper traffic as far as the eye can see with no visible explanation. While we were parked under the afternoon sun and the cars engine idling, I saw a bald middle aged man walk to the side of the road, park himself against a 6 foot high wall and then proceeded to relieve himself. I do have a photo that I took from safe inside the car but I shall not disturb you with that image dear reader. Instead I will show you what caused our delay of almost an hour...
An impromptu procession that lasted all of 10 minutes. Look closely into the yellow cart and you will see a seated white haired holy man dressed in red and white. They stopped all manner of vehicles and inconvenience hundreds of commuters to have their fun. That is part of the beauty of India, you never know what to expect.
After seven gruelling hours we were finally at our destination. In the end, after experiencing Udaipur, I must say that it was worth every gruelling minute.
The lobby of the Oberoi Udaivilas at Udaipur was so majestic that under a grand chandelier it had a fountain spewing perfumed water just like in the days of the Mughals. The Hotel General Manager was there to greet us personally and escort us to the elevator. Actually, how great is this hotel! The public men's room also had a mini fountain right in the middle of the floor.
An especially popular room in this hotel is the candle room. It is the only room in the hotel that is not lit with a light bulb. There are twenty large candles arranged in different heights surrounded by comfortable divans. One is supposed to relax and reflect on the days events here.
One of our favorite spots is the terrace at the back of the hotel. It overlooks a manicured garden and a lake and this is where we would dine under the starry skies.
There are so many picturesque nooks and crannies in what I consider the most beautiful hotel in the world (at least in the parts of the world I have seen) and I shall regale you with them in the next and last chapter of this trip.
For now it would be a good idea to try and rest up, for as usual we shall go on a tour of the Golden City on the morrow and Udaipur is anything but usual!
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