Udaipur, On the Water

Before arriving in Udaipur we visited the largest Jain temple in India. Jainism being a religious offshoot from Hinduism encompasses range from strict aescitism and huge compassion (carrying a broom at all times to sweep ants safely from the path of ones nasty violent feeties) through to a bit of masochistic content such as achieving a bald head annually by plucking each individual hair with the hands. The CD I had the temple photo's on has died and my back-up copy is currently on a boat somewhere on the globe hoping to find land sometime between now and 2017, so they may be seen later.

Udaipur is often described, not quite sure by who - maybe that guy that somebody always seems to know who knows somebody that does - as the Venice of India.

It represented a contrast to other places that we'd been thus far, from mainly landlocked places or small rivers at most, Udaipur is a city on the water.

Large homes, buildings and the sprawling City Palace are all located around the lake. I think from memory that the lake was created articifically and is actually quite shallow despite appeareances, having previousley been dried to the bottom for the past few years before this years monsoon season, so it was a good time to be there.

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This was one of the beautiful ornate decorated rooms within the City Palace. Cleaning has been outsourced to Burma.

In the centre of the lake the Summer Palace and the Lake Palace can be found, used by members of Indian Royalty and also as luxurious hotel accomodation.

We had a free day in Udaipur allowing us to discover the convienent wonder that is the Wishal Megamart. In tracing the evolution of the Megamart, it's important to remeber its less fantastic brethren, the humble supermarket and to acknowledge the new generation as evidenced by the "Hypermarket" I recently saw fly past me in Kochin.

It was nice to shop in the Megamart, with it's garish lighting, thin fabrics AND FIXED PRICES to have a break from having to haggle over the price of oxgen and today's exchange rate for gravity. I've noticed in all different parts of India that the staff who work in these kind of franchised places, take enormous pride in the jobs they have.

Overnight we took a train back to Delhi, the whole group enjoyed the ride with cards, drinks, lots of laughs and the world's sweatiest game of Celebrity Head.

Here I'd like to pause for a moment and thank my sponsors for the ride, Old Monk XXL Rum and Berger Orange Cream biscuits...couldn't have done it without you guys. From left in the pic, Wendy, Sue, Peter, Chow Mein Denis, The Annoying Drunk Guy from the Bunk Above, Sue, Woody, Idris, Keith and Avril

Arriving back in Delhi along the train tracks allowed us to see the local Delhi Morning Show, the similarities in content with the Today Show on nine in Oz were somewhat disturbing...