Udaipur 27-28th January

We were delighted to leave the Castle at a civilised time of 9.30am for the 3 hour journey to Udaipur. Our tour guide was very excited as this is her home town and she was bursting to show it off. After a quick check in we were whisked off to a traditional painting studio/shop where miniature art was demonstrated and we each had one nail painted with a different symbol. Jo actually got two, a camel (for love) and a elephant (for good luck). Nikki was given a lotus flower…who knows the significance of that!
We then moved on to the City Palace, half of which is still occupied by the Royal family. It is a gloriously overstated marvel of marble in fairytale style. The interior was even more sumptuous than the exterior with mirrored boudoirs and intricately decorated courtyards.
In the evening we celebrated the 21st birthday of a member of the group (the rest of us are old enough to be her parents!)at the rooftop restaurant of our hotel. There were fireworks, Indian style…no firework code/health and safety regulations here..…powerful Roman fountains were hand held by the waiters who clearly enjoyed every minute.
The following day was free and Nikki joined a miniature painting class and produced a rather over-sized elephant! During the afternoon we ambled around town and browsed the shops. Of course we took several refreshment breaks, one from the Jagat Niwas where Nikki had stayed previously which has a great view across the lake to the Lake Palace Hotel made famous by Octop****