Day 8 - Udaipur

Having caught a little cold and not feeling too well, I decided to stay in bed that morning. We agreed with Sanji to meet up in the afternoon for some sightseeing. It was the perfect time for playing sick actually, as it was the first time we stayed in the same hotel for more than one night.

In the afternoon, we first had a look at the lake.

Udaipur lake with Taj Lake Palace in the background

Udaipur street leading down to the lake



Cow being fed

After that we visited Shilp Gram. We had a nice guide there, who was eager to meet people from other countries and learn about their cultures. We spoke about the differences between the traditional Indian and our own lifestyles. He also told about his arranged wedding and his view on the matter. Tradition says the husband is the God of the wife, and he can sleep in bed, while the wife and children have to sleep on the ground. He did not agree with that tradition though.
"If the husband is the God of the wife, then the wife also has to be the goddess of the husband", he said.
It was nice to look at all the rural buildings and handicraft, and I also joined a tribal dance being performed.

Shilp Gram buildings

Shelf in one of the buildings

Let's dance!

Of course, as I have mentioned before, everything leads to shopping. This time I found a nice peacock drawing and bangles made out of nuts and seeds.
The guy I bought the painting from, had an amazingly steady hand. He also draw an elephant onto my fingernail, so it was quite small, but also housed so many details. Impressive.
Actually, I only buy what I really like and want, even if it might not sound like that.

Shopping in Shilp Gram

Getting back out of the village museum, we had to rush a bit, as we wanted to visit the City Palace before it closed.
I had an audio guide, but sadly I could not concentrate on it too well. It was warm, I was a bit dizzy from my cold, and we only had an hour for a tour, which usually lasts 1.5 hours.

View from Udaipur City Palace

View from Udaipur City Palace

Back in the hotel we asked for our laundry we had handed in in the morning. It is always wise to know exactly how many and which items you give for washing. At first try, which was supposed to be our laundry, I only found a pair of socks, which was mine. Second try almost got it right and with third try we had everything together :)

In the evening we watched a music and dancing show. It was outside and we got to see traditional dances from different areas of Rajasthan.

Rajasthani tribal dance