S: So after a 20 hour bus journey that was like a roller coaster, if James and I bumped heads once it was 20 times lol. But we finally arrived in Udaipur rather smelly and in need of a shower. We found a little guest house that had an amazing view of the town from the roof. James was still feeling delicate so we walked around a nearby temple called Jagdish and grabbed some food at a restaurant overlooking the lake Pichola where Octopussey was filmed.

J: Udiapur is a most magical little city, the people are really friendly and it's clearly holding onto its 5 mins of fame (being the feature location for Octop**** as every place shows the James Bond Octop**** film at 7pm every night. Sam had also been affected with Delhi belly; I thought she turned the tap on down the toilet at one point!
We went to the Royal Palace in the town which was impressive, 5 floors of solid marble, really beautifully maintained. Sam got excited when she noticed rings in the ceiling for a "couples" swing....

S: We went to the Monsoon Palace and walked round with a guide and subsequently found that the rings on the ceiling weren't for any extracurricular activities - they were indeed for hanging fans. We visited an art school and were talked through how they paint each picture and only using natural stones for colours and squirrel tail hair brushes. We brought a lovely little picture on silk, only 50 weeks to go to get it home.

J: We also took an India cookery class; it's something we both wanted to find in India so were really pleased. It was in a lovely couple's home, she got us involved in the making of everything and Sam took notes so we can make it all again when we get home. We watched the sunset go down over the mountains with our starter then ate our main curries looking over the lake at night with all the town lit up, it was like something out of a story book. Oh and I nearly forgot to mention; every evening there are hundreds of bats that come flying over the lake.... but these things are huge! I'm sure the local airport tower can pick these things up; they are bigger than a seagull!

S: The people are so friendly here we even put a request in the local drinks stand to have a Limca (Lemon Fanta) frozen overnight and made into a slushy ice drink for the mornings. Not that we are demanding but that's what I call service.