Day 146, Lake Palace, Udaipur [Saturday 26th April 2008]
Previous day: Day 145, Udaipur, Rajasthan [Sunday 25th April 2008]
Next day: Day 147, Udaipur to Jodhpur, Rajasthan [Sunday 27th April 2008]
The sun reflects off the lake and across our ceiling, waking us up. Outside by the lily pond a man plays morning ragas on a flute. For breakfast we have eggs benedict and fruit from a sumptuous buffet. The service is friendly and impeccable. Afterwards we sit by the pool, play Sorry! and Scrabble, try out both the hot and cold jacuzzis, order club sandwiches and drink iced tea and ginger ale with lemon and cardamom.
The City Palace, and the whole shoreline, looks beautiful with the golden setting sun shining on it.
We have more cocktails in the candlelit courtyard (Dirty Martini, Manahattan, Campari and soda, Bellini) and watch more Rajasthani dancing, this time to the accompaniment of a violin. The girls are dressed in exquisite clothes, veiled, with bells on their ankles.
Dinner is gorgeous, although neither of us is feeling very well or has much of an appetite. I have a tandoori quail followed by lamb curry. Kate has stuffed cherry tomatoes and lightly spiced pomfret. After talking to the chef I find out the quail is from Japan, as it's illegal to hunt them in India. Inbetween courses the waiter brings us the poshest pani puri we've ever had — a shot glass of mint and masala flvoured water, which is chilled, and which we pour in a single puri puff. We pop the whole thing in our mouths, the crunch of the puri releasing an explosion of juice. We love it, but we never eat pani puri on the street because there's no knowing where the water's come from.
Even the Indian white wine, from Nashik, tastes ok. But by the end of the meal we both feeling thoroughly awful I think we both have a bug. We go back to our room and watch 'Salaam Namaste'.
Next day: Day 147, Udaipur to Jodhpur, Rajasthan [Sunday 27th April 2008]
Previous day: Day 145, Udaipur, Rajasthan [Sunday 25th April 2008]