The tour of Udaipur was interesting, but somewhat marginal. Khan took me to Maharana Pratap Memorial, Princess Garden, Folk Arts Museum, etc, and they were very nice places, but the event of the day was the lunch. Khan took me to Nataraj Hotel where they served Rajastani Thali. As soon as we entered the restaurant and seated, the efficient wait staffs came one by one and served us. It started with potato pakora, and then moved to dals, vegetable dishes and chapattis. Khan said we had to eat 50 chapattis and I was ready for it. As soon as any of the dishes fell low, they came and added some more. That's what I was talking about!!! This was how Indian eating experience should be.
I totally out-ate Khan. I must have eaten 30 chapattis at least and two servings of rice. I couldn't remember how many times they came to refill my plate. I was in food heaven. The down side of the food heaven was that I couldn't do anything afterward. Khan took me back to the hotel and I rested for an hour and half before I could move. I went for a walk to less touristy area of the city. The small streets were filled with shops selling everything and there were no hassle. People still reacted strongly to my hair style, but I could handle that. I enjoyed being lost in the market.
Eventually I found a large street, which was familiar. I stopped at the Tibetan Bazaar. It was strange because I just came from Dharamsala, which was supposed to be a little Tibet, but the people at this bazaar looked like they just came from Tibet. The Tibetans in Dharamsala were so westernized that most of them didn't look like they came from Tibet. People at the bazaar were looking at me funny, because I might have looked like a Tibetan.
On the way back to the hotel, I stopped at an art gallery because I was impressed by the display outside. The artist was working inside the store, which was also his studio. His prints and paintings resonated with me deeply that I had to buy some small prints from him. There were many artists in Udaipur, but most of them did the traditional miniature paintings. They were such intricate works of art, but they were everywhere and I was sick of looking at it. I was so happy to meet the artist and get his works from him that the hassles on the rest of the way didn't even bother me.
On the next day, Khan took me to a picnic at a small lake, called Tiger Lake. It was surrounded by small hills and it was very peaceful. Khan cooked lunch for us and we ate sitting by the water. It was the Election Day in Rajastan and some of the tourist attractions were closed, so I went back to my room and chilled.
Khan took me to Jaisamand Lake next day. It was the largest lake in Asia and it was amazing. We rented a motorcycle (Royal Enfield Bullet 1967 model) from Munsi Baba and Khan drove it. The scenery outside the city was just incredible and driving through hills, farms, forests and deserts on a motorcycle was just blissful to say the least. It was the best day in Udaipur. The lake was on top of a hill and there were a couple of palaces on the mountaintops. The lake was calm and clean. Khan said when it was dry, the water from the lake was supplied to the whole Udaipur.
We took a boat ride. The lake was vast and the land, which I thought was the edge of the lake, was only one of many islands in the lake. There was a hotel resort on one of the island and we stopped by. The place was big and okay looking, but there were almost no one staying in the hotel. The place was so expensive and remote that not that many people came to stay. Also, like in many tourist areas in India, the Mumbai terrorist attack and the problems with the world economy were hitting them really hard.
On the way back, Khan took me to a dhaba where we had dal bati, a famous Rajastani dish. A waiter (if I call him that) brought a Thali with 4-5 billiard ball sized balls of dal and flour in it. They were baked in a wood oven and looked pretty hard from outside. The waiter started to crush them one by one on my plate and poured ghee all over it. I was already so excited at this point that I almost forgot the questionable hygiene condition of the dhaba. Further more he poured a hot dal on top of it. I mixed them thoroughly, squeezed lemon and ate with raw onions. Oh boy, it was tasty! I really didn't care if I get sick next day. It was well worth a stomachache.
We also stopped at Khan's friend's place. He was a farmer and lived in a mud house with his wife and daughter. He was a gentle mannered man, who welcomed a strange foreigner like me. He served us a cup of black tea with salt and sugar. It was interesting.
By the time we got back it was almost 6:00 pm. I was happy but exhausted and I went back to my room and fell asleep. Raju told me next day that they were having a huge party on the rooftop restaurant, but I didn't hear anything and slept through.
The last day in Udaipur started quietly. I sat and watched the lake from my balcony until the checkout time. I left my luggage with the front desk and went to visit the City Palace. The view from the palace was beautiful and the history of the place was fascinating. I also visited Jagdish temple. Khan brought some chicken and Raju cooked for us. Khan, Munsi and I ate lunch together on the rooftop. They looked a little uncomfortable being surrounded by their customers who were already drinking in the middle of the day. I spent the rest of the afternoon chatting with Raju.
In the evening, some of the Israeli tourists showed up and it was getting loud. I felt that I was ready to leave. I said goodbye to Raju and went down stair to wait for Khan. Khan was late because he had a customer who was watching a performance nearby. Khan finally showed up and took me to the bus station. We had a cup of tea there, but it was time for him to go home. He asked me to call him when I reached Jaisalmer. He was such a nice person. We only knew each other for a few days, but he treated me like a friend. Maybe he treated all tourists like that, but I doubted. Most tourists were just interested in themselves and their friends. They paid little regard to an auto driver. I knew that I might never see him again and it was difficult to maintain our friendship, but the memory of people in Udaipur will always stay with me.