Udaipur - hotel problems

Boy-o-boy

I haven't acually seen much of Udaipur yet. But I am currently waiting for a room in a guest house and so thought I would use the time to blog quickly.

This morning has been a bit of a muck up. I was jolly excited as I was supposed to be staying at the Lake Palace Hotel tonight. It was going to be my sole major splash out on the whole trip http://www.tajhotels.com/palace/Taj%20Lake%20Palace,Udaipur/. (This hotel features in Octopussy.)

Originally, I was going to book it myself - using a website that Richard had recommended. But then someone (who works in the travel industry in the UK and has contacts in India) said no, and offered to book it for me, saying they'd get a better deal. And of course, me being a greedy so-and-so, I jumped at the chance. Fool!

To get to the Lake Palace, you have to take a rickshaw (well, you do if you have lots of luggage as I) and then a boat across Lake Pichola. On arrival at the jetty, I'd been sternly adament - when quizzed about my reservation - that I had a legitimate booking. Clearly the staff were scrambling around to find it: and I was somewhat surprised to find the duty manager waiting for me when I arrived at the hotel . He was very apologetic, saying they had no booking in my name and asking politely if I had any sort of reference. Ironically, I'd emailed the person in England yesterday asking for this sort of thing, but had been told no, they didn't have one but assured me that it would be okay.

The short and long of it is that I am kind of special, as I managed to get to the hotel and see the reception area (which I don't think many non-guests get to see, as you don't seem to be able to get across unless you have a room), even if I had to depart pronto afterwards. Arriving back on shore, I toured around to another two hotels - both full. By this point (bearing in mind it is only 11am here) I was mildly concerned that I'd spend my day looking for a hotel, spending my very precious cash on rickshaws! So I bit the bullet and returned to last night's place. Which is a dreadful dive, to be honest (no window, a lock that doesn't work, and water which is pretty eratic: the supply stopped midway through my hair-washing this morning). But at least I can get out and tour the town, once the room has been cleaned!

Udaipur is supposed to be one of those 'romantic' cities, in the vein of Venice. I was going to make some quips about being here single, but after this morning shenanigans, it has all been a little bit de-romanticised. But enough moaning!

Yesterday was a pleasant day, although most of it was spent in a car: I had wanted to visit a couple of sites between Jodpur and Udaipur which are difficult to get to without private transport. The car had been arranged in Jodpur by a super woman who ran the guest house I stayed at (Hill View, just by the fort, sells super masala chai). It is testament to Zafran that I trusted her enough to get into a car (which seemed to lack a tourist permit) with two Indian boys. (The rule of thumb for a girl travelling alone is not to go with two men.) It was a bit of a rust-bucket. Each time there was a mild upward gradient, the gears slipped and I feared we'd roll backwards.

They were sweethearts and took care of me all the way, stopping to feed me chai. Everytime we saw a lake, the younger pointed, exclaiming "swimming pool". That, owing to my poor Hindi and their limited English, was pretty much the hight of our dialogues.

The first stop was Ranakpur. This is a spectacular Jain complex. Jain temples are particularly ornate, and this one was especially so. It is built in milky marble. The main building is supported by 1444 columns, each ornately carved. Also, there weren't many tourists, so it was a romantic and special experience, as I wandered around, exploring the buildings in the verdigris valley.

The second point of interest was Ranakpur. I arrived mid afternoon, after driving along some particularly poor and narrow roads, through villages where Rajastani women -- in gloriously colourful saris of reds, oranges and greens -- did their washing and chatted along the roadside, and through lush grassy countryside (an absolute contrast to the desert of Jaisalmer). The road winded upwards and around. Until eventually, before us, was a magnificent fort, perched on a hill top. It was incredible. There was practically no one there, and I was certainly the only white person. The climb through the castle was impressive. There were dark stairwells which seemed to descend into the bowels of the fort (I was too frightened to venture in on my own). As I was leaving, my arm was taken by a very elderly woman who led me through several of the fort's courtyards, away from the main thoroughfare. She kept muttering in Hindi; all I could make out was "Kali, Kali" (I thought of Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom). (Kali is the terrible form of Devi commonly depicted with black skin, dripping with blood, and wearing a necklace of skulls.) As she pulled me onwards, deeper into the fort, I saw there was some sort of temple. It was pitch black inside. I was slightly nervous, as there was no one about. But she pushed me forward, pointing towards a shrine. But - in the darkness - I couldn't tell to whom it was devoted.

Next, she gabbled a lot in Hindi; put a bindi on my head; and then asked for cash. Once I'd paid up, she let me on my way.

Anyway, my room is ready now so I am off.

Much love.