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Other entries in Udaipur

Udaipur - Stinkin hot

Since the last entry we have gotten to know Mani our teacher at Brahma Kumaris a little more. She is a fantastic person, who has further generously and clearly shared the philosophies of Brahma Kumaris with us. Our other meditation sessions were also quite good, and it has been great to meditate in a room with others who are deep in meditation. The vibe kind of sends you further in, and thoughts that would generally stampede over your conscious mind seem to tiptoe in and get gently ushered out into thin air. I have enjoyed the fact that it is a creative meditation, which engages your intellect. It is also geared towards possibly having experiences, such as seeing into other dimensions, understanding your past lives, and seeing your self as you truly are. Anyway these are just my interpretation of some of the philosophies, I certainly intend to keep an open mind to what is true and what is not in following this practice.

After the bliss of being at the spiritually uplifting in the peaceful environment of Mount Abu, we came back down to earth so to speak as the bus descended the mountain and leveled out on the hot Rajasthani arid planes. It is around 35-40 and the heat turns my brain into a dried prune, and even the most basic thoughts and sentences come out backwards (which I guess is not completely unusual for me I might add J )
So we arrived at Udaipur, which looks something like Jodhpur with the style of streets and shops. It even has its fair share of blue buildings.
Udaipur is famous for its lake and its Lake Palace, which is on the lake surrounded by water. For this reason it is meant to be the most romantic city in India. This made Harminder and I look forward to relax here and soak it in.

As our rickshaw takes us to the hotel, we cross the bridge over the lake. I guess you could say it was a bit of a let down to see a dry paddock underneath, and the Lake Palace hotel out in the middle of a dry paddock! Not quite how it looks in the pictures, hahaha. We had to laugh, and in the process, renamed the Lake Palace to the Paddock Motor Inn.
The Lake palace is a very Prestigious place, and we read that rooms go from $300 US to USD$900! Feeling a little mischievous, we set off across the Paddock to view a room by pretending we might stay. I think we should have dressed up a little more, cos we were not let into reception straight away. While we were waiting Harminder and I agreed to take on the persona of very important people. And why not? Every one is important. A manager comes out and tells us that they can do a “great deal” for us and give us a room for only USD$300. "No Problems, can we see it now?" So I strut in like a king, speaking only clear and confident phrases, as we are escorted into a well lit plush lobby.
We are taken past a Rajasthni performance of colourfully dressed dancers and wicked drummers playing dolak like they are ringing a bell. We are led past a pond with fairy lights, fountains and a beautiful garden in a huge courtyard. We are led into a fairly small room compared to what I had expected for $300. Still it had everything and was very plush.
The mini bar was like a shop, and the furniture was exquisite. Still, this room was not up to our standards, of course
We were led back to the bar where the performance was. We caught the tail end of it. The musicians were at a very high standard, and were playing and dancing with fire. (not literally, just an expression) After this we order overpriced beers at $6 Australian, which is outrageous for India. Ironically they only had fosters beer. We were shown into a lounge with plush couches and cushions, which looked like they came straight out of a classy modern showroom. Harminder spun in a little circle and announced that we are in complete decadence. The interior was ancient Rajput design, with curvy dome archways marble floors, handmade furniture and groovy angles, complete with Indian "Miniature" paintings a style which was invented by a god, I think Krishna, but cant remember.... so yeah the place is nice and the music is downbeat and slick. We are bought our beers in Mugs that are fit for a Maharaja to drink from.
After basking in the opulence, we are asked if we would like to see another room. I inquire as to the types of rooms they have. I politely ask to see the Super Deluxe room. After our RS200 Fosters, we are led to the Super Deluxe room, by the assistant manager, who informs us that it's the room Queen Elizabeth the second stayed in on her historical tour of India 20 years back. I am trying to hold myself with a noble air, which fails miserably because Harminder is unzipping my backpack while I am walking, and rummaging through it to find her lip gloss. Behind big double doors was a room fit for a queen. The first thing we see is an ornate antique swing in the middle of the room. Further in, more brilliant miniature paintings, also some portraits of random people, and fine rajput architecture. The Easterly facing windows are all stained glass, and our tour guide mentions that in the early morning the room is filled with coloured light. There is also a big LCD screen TV and DVD, and a massive bathroom with 3 sinks a huge tub, and a toilet with a phone next to it. I wonder if her majesty made a call while dropping the kids off at the pool....? (I didn’t ask) The view from the room showed what is left of the lake, just a big pond with a few boats on it really. I casually inquire on the price for one night in here. USD$1500 was the reply. I tried not to look too shocked, but it must have been written all over my face.
Harminder had called me into the bathroom and once again started rummaging through my pack. This time with a little more significance. I need to give some background first.
Remember the German guys who were lovingly pinching random stuff for kicks to even out the Karmic debts accrued by Indians in this country at the moment? Well they obviously inspired Harminder. Without me knowing she had placed a bottle of body lotion from the bathroom in my backpack.
On the way out I told the man who led us about that we would have think about taking the rooms for the following night. We took his card and left. Elated, we were giggling all the way out of the Hotel. Halfway across the paddock, Harminder shared her secret of the body lotion. I think she scared herself at how well she carried it off. We then found a nice rooftop restaurant, and every car that passed I was warning Harmi that it was the Lake Palace secret police, out to capture us for stealing the body lotion. I might have made her a little paranoid, since we actually told them where we were staying. Ha hahaha. Udaipur seemed to have some nice buildings and some sites to see, but in the heat we decided to just chill out. I got a sitar lesson. My teacher seemed a little Manic Depressive, an Innocent bloke who plays beautiful music. The lesson was great, and Harminder got a facial and her hair done while I was jamming.
I would like to buy one some day. The sympathetic resonance you get from the other strings when you play a note is magic. The drone sound is like an instant transportation device to realms of the imagination.
We took a bus to Ahmedabad after two days here. The travel day is around 41-42 degrees. The bus trip is a bit sticky to say the least. We stop half way for a break. The touch of sunlight instantly roasts my skin. The public toilet is the worst of what you can imagine. Nah, its even worse. I refuse to describe it.
We are now back in ahmedabad, where we started. It is surreal to be back here and to know that the journey ends in two days.
I will write one more entry when I return.
Be good, I look forward to catching up with everyone!
Ben.

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