Thursday 16th october - day 55

Udaipur

Once off the bus (not a wink of sleep) we take a rik down to the city palace where the hostel is apparently next too. 5.20am once we arrive and its still pitch black - it takes us a while to find the hostel down the dodgy alleways.

We ring the front door bell for a while before we manage to wake the reception guy - who thankfully gives us a bed straight away.

Once up we see we've landed in the same room as alicia from Jaisalmer which is lucky..but apparently theres not many other people in the hostel.We have breskfast together then me and yaz head for the city palace which stretches across the eastern shore of lake pichola. A fortress like facade which is a complex of several palaces which have been added between the 16th-20th centuries by 22 different maharanas. A maze of courtyards, reception halls, marble chambers, extravagant scalloped gates, dainty decorative balconies, flamboyant mosaic peacocks and entire rooms covered in glass, gold and mirrors. The palace has several good viewing spots for views across the city and over lake pichola.

After the palace we try to go on the lake boat ride but after 3pm the price goes up so we agree to go tomorrow morning instead.

We instead visit the nearby temple and alicia recommends we go to the bagore haveli for the rajhastani dance show so at sunset we walk down to the haveli and get our tickets for 100rps.

Women are dressed in sparkiling bright sarees and dance around with flaming oil pots balanced on their heads, bells attached to their feet, legs, arms and hands - theres even a pretty funny pupet show at one point. The audience is loving the show and its well worth the pound entrance fee.