New Years In Udaipur

From an email to family and friends,
January 28, 2009

The ghats at Udaipur, City Palace in the background

We arrived in Udaipur from Jaipur on an overnight government run bus on December 29th.  All the reserved railway seating was sold out so we figured we would try a sleeper bus, our first ride on this type of transport. The big greyhound style bus had the typical seating configuration, 2x2 with a centre aisle. The difference was the padded  and curtained sleeping benches that replaced the carry-on luggage compartments above the seats. The sleeping accommodation was quite comfortable, that is, when the bus was stationary.  It turned out to be a night of hard braking and acceleration between which were moments of non-transcendental levitation. I  figured the roads were simply terrible, but in the morning discovered the truth. Our regular launches off the sleeper surface had two causes. First was the heavy duty speed bumps that are installed to slow the break-neck drivers as they hurtle through the small villages that line the highway every few kilometers. Combined with our unfortunate seat location directly over the rear axle, the results were predictable. Well, at least we can attempt to address the second factor when purchasing our seats in the future. The 10 hour trip departed and arrived almost on time. ($12 cdn per)

We had one night of accommodation booked when we arrived. It was the extra high season between Christmas and New Year's and eveything seemed to be booked up. We had to leave our fine courtyard hotel in Jaipur after two nights because it was booked full with New Year's approaching. We had phoned ahead to about every Udaipur guesthouse and hotel listed in our guide book, but every one was full until at least Jan. 3. Our very helpful concierge in Jaipur suggested we take the overnight bus to allow us an early morning start in the hope of searching out a canceled reservation that might yield a room there. Walking around and more phone calls in Udapuir and nothing. Mild panic. Finally we began calling some places in the country outside the city.

Then, good fortune!  A rural guesthouse operator (who had already offered up his own room to some needy travelers) knew of a person in Udaipur whom he thought might rent a room in her home there.  And he had the name of another small out of the way hotel near the lake that had just opened.

So we ended up putting together four nights, beginning with a great stay at  the  home of the extraordinary Jarka, a dancer by training, and now director and producer of a small company that has for some years been mounting productions of Shakespeare throughout Rajastan and other centers in India. We were her first guests in a limited, and might I say exclusive, opportunity for a home stay in an authentic Indian havelli (old noble house)  The enegetic Jarka, continues a loving restoration of this fascinating old courtyard building that she led us to, tucked into a narrow lane of the old city. The exterior of the havelli presents a nondescript whitewashed two storey facade; entrance is achieved squeezing though a small opening in a massive black wooden gate, The open bright rectangular interior courtyard provides the main living space and rooms on the main and second level oppose each other across the courtyard on the long side. The other walls have a pattern of indented shelves for plants, lights or furnishings. The whole thing is further set off by a rich lighting scheme, polished Jaisalmer red stone floors, heavy duty granite shelves and kitchen surfaces, tasteful simple furnishings and traditional whitewash finish. 

A walk up the stairs to the flat roof takes you to another vital space. As you gaze around at a sea of uneven roof top cubes  (and into the courtyards of your close neighbors) you realize that the rooftop in India is more than a place for restaurants. For us it was an opportunity to casually observe the home life in an Indian urban neighbourhood; the roof space seems to be an integral part of daily life; Brilliant colours wave from the clothes lines, blankets are sewn by mothers and grandmothers, and kite are flown by, I think, just about everyone. It is kite season and the roofs and sky are crowded with kiters and kites everywhere you go.

 Joan and I were delighted to be the first to sign Jarkas' guestbook. To top it off, we had drinks in the courtyard on New Years Eve with a bunch of her charming friends. 

And through her extensive professional and personal contacts in the region she helped book superb accommodations for the next leg of our trip west to Jodpur and Jaisalmer.

      

The guide book says that Udapuir is considered India's most romantic city. Impressive 15th to19th century palaces, temples and havellis overlook the placid lake with its palace islands (see the Bond flick Octopussy). Ancient narrow winding hillside lanes are packed with colorful shops and decaying guesthouses and the usual cows, goats and donkeys, autorickshaws, people and more people. Unfortunately, as Jarka pointed out as she toured us around the old town, many of the old havellis are being torn down, their antique facades and window frames sold off, and replaced by modern concrete bunkers with a few antique disguises. Udaipur is a place we could spend some extended time.

We hired a taxi to travel the next seven hour leg west to Jodpur (pop 600,000) allowing us to visit Kumbalgarh fort and Ranakpur temple, two A-list sites, not easily seen with public transport. We travelled the winding back roads  through hilly agricultural country and villages and got some sense of the age old routines of farm families. It must be a very hard life at best and with monsoon rains much reduced in recent years, we understand the hardships are even more intense for the rural folk of India who still constitute a majority of India's population. I read in The India Times that an important indicator of population health here is the relative levels of underweight people in the population. Obesity is not a big problem in rural India from what our eyes tell us and from what the statistics confirm. 

People come to Rajastan to see the impressive old 14th to 19th century forts, palaces and temples that rise from the deserts and hilltops of this arid plain and inspire memories of the glorious and notorious pasts of the Rajput warriors, the immeasurably wealthy Mahharajas and Moghul Emporers and the British Raj. They also see the hard life of rural Indians and their religious devotion and fantastic shrines and temples from many ancient traditions. Yes, the place is often dirty and frustrating, but for my money, one of the best places to travel to see a full scope of human experience in a hard but thrilling geography. If you want to spend a bit more money (renting a car and driver is cheap), you can even avoid most of the dirty and disturbing stuff and just see the historic sites and modern mediocrity. But save a few dollars and try the local bus; you wont regret it. (when you finally get home, that is)

Mehrangarh Fort rises above the Blue City, Jodpur. Inside the fort is an exquisite palace

* Click on photos to enlarge
* More photos at  http://s617.photobucket.com/home/gjmcknzie