Steven Raucher's World Tour
2000-12-16 in Udaipur, India
A touch of Glamour
Udaipur is another very beautiful Rajastahni city. (not to forget the scene of Octopussy...)
The drive to Udaipur was quite uneventful and on a relatively unpleasant surface (even by Indian standards). Only 30 kms before Udaipur did the road begin to show some promise, by way of a mountain pass or two, but we were quickly reminded of our own mortality as we passed two lifeless locals on the scene of a tragic motorbike accident.
Arriving in Udaipur is much the same as any Indian city with confusing road signs and even more confusing directions from the locals. Our trusty GPS guided us into the town centre, but this was nowhere near the old city and the hotels. I (Steven), having visited Udaipur before, knew how to orientate myself from the lake that is home to the Lake Palace hotel. After blagging our way past the gatekeeper to the hotel complex we pulled into the parking lot for a quick Sunset snap of the brothers outside the Lake Palace Hotel (see picture). About 30 seconds later we met Izik and Reut who hopped onto our respective bikes and guided us to the hotel where they were staying. Result! A room for Rs200 (USD 4) with an on suite bathroom � The Raj Palace Hotel is very recommended.
The following day we spent the morning inside the Udaipur City Palace complex, which is one of the most interesting palaces in Rajasthan. It has four distinctly different buildings, one of which is still inhabited by the present Maharaja and his family. We met Izik, Reut and Star (an American whom we met on the previous night) for lunch. We dined on the rooftop of a guesthouse with views over the whole of Udaipur and the Monsoon Palace (the villain�s lair in the film Octopussy). The Monsoon Palace, as a result of its elevated position is used by the police as a radio base, and is closed to the public. We thought we would have a look anyway.
This time Izik hired himself a bike and the two ladies (Reut and Star) rode shotgun with us. The road to the Monsoon Palace is a series of hairpin turns and 35-degree slopes making the trip to the top surprisingly quick. After an altercation with one of the officials there, I managed to bargain him down to Rs10 per person for covert entry into the Monsoon Palace. He even agreed to take pictures of us (see below). The view from the palace is really the best in Udaipur.
By the time we had made our way back into Udaipur, Reut had agreed to come to Goa on the back of the bike with me (fast work eh?). After this decision we headed off to the Tibetan Flea Market to buy her a leather jacket. We managed to find a retro style biker jacket and gloves all for less than USD 5. Coupled with the spare helmet and Dainese kneepads I had brought along (just in case J), she was fully kitted up.
We then prepared to leave for Bombay by first light�
 TheBrothers get a quick snap in before sunset |
 The awesome city palace |
 The Hindu temple in the centre of the old city |
 Monsoon Palace: Left to right: Robert, Izik, Reut, Star and Steve |
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