We arrive amidst the chaos of New Delhi. A lost wallet becomes a stolen wallet as The Boyfriend and I wait in the terminal for the airplane cleaners to be checked. No luck, it is now 12 a.m. and The Boyfriend and I leave one wallet less (his) and check into a hotel 30 minutes away.

The Boyfriend stays awake, late, and we had to leave at 5 a.m. to catch our next flight. India does not seem to start so well for him and I.

***

We arrive in Udaipur. Land and take in the clean clean air. It is the first thing you notice. The second, the lack of any sound. You are surrounded by the Indian mountains, breathing clean air and not a sound... Udaipur greeted us silently. Books had warned us of touts at the airport trying to bring you to the hotels you 'booked'. But no one bothered us, in fact no one even stirred. They rather much sat by themselves, taking in the breeze. The laid back feel that welcomed us set the pace for our time there in Udaipur.

We stayed at Jagat Niwas, a heritage hotel facing the famous Pichola Lake. The Lake Palace resplendent in the middle of the waters with the mountains behind it and Monsoon Palace perched up on the top. I was ecstatic. The hotel was amazing. I imagined it would be how Mykonos would be, with its white white washed wall and spanish terrace and steps.

We took a much needed long nap, and awoke just in time to bring ourselves out past 3 p.m and took in some food at a rooftop cafe. Udaipur is filled with these, these rooftoop cafes. And as we sat there eating, an elephant rumbles by below us, winding its way through the winding streets.

The Boyfriend and I opted to walk then... All over the town with its winding streets not unlike Europe. We stopped to watch two men deep fry jalapenos coated in spice and giggled as the owner gave us one for free when he couldnt break our bill. Delicious. Absolutely delics

The streets lead to I have no idea where, and The Boyfriend leads me past streets selling sarees, streets selling shoes, wet markets, dry markets, and somehow... he brings me back to where we started. Sweaty and tired, we slowly make our way back to the hotel. Saying hello to our roof top waiter when we see him much later.

We go back to our hotel and walk around a little, to find ourselves the terrace restaurant! Our lonely planet assures us the food is good and it deff does not dissapoint. Absolutely delicious, with The Boyfriend beside me, the sun coming down on the lake and the City Palace illuminated in the background. What more could I ask for?!

The next morning we set off early to walk around the City Palace. It takes much longer than expected and we come out sweaty, thirsty and tired. Decided to go on a boat cruise around the Lake. I had been warned by a colleague who had visited, who said he has seen people use the Lake as a toilet and told me to never put my hands in the water no matter how tempted I might be.

We let the slow boat build a breeze and walk a little on land. We decide to go for a late lunch at Queen Cafe, all the way on the other side. It was well worth the trip.
The cafe is small and inconspicuous on a small lane. There is only one table in a darkly lit semi basement and a floor space on the split level. We moved from downstairs to upstairs only to find ourselves in the company of a sleeping young girl who was immune to the hustle and bustle of all these tourists coming by.

The food amazing, the proprieter a lovely lady who had been cooking for a while while bringing up her two kids - I find out, she is my age. What a difference!

She recommends us to go to Sunset Gardens, warns us that Monsoon Palace is overrated. So we go, and find ourselves in the company of locals who decided to use the cable car. The sunset breathtaking I slowly walk down the slopes. Occassionaly my hand slipped in his.

We go back to take a quick shower (thank god! Jagat Niwas had a good bathroom and allowed us to take a shower even though we checked out) and headed out! for our overnight train to Jaipur....

and another adventure continues...