 |
| UdaiVillas Hotel |
With a quick layover in Mumbai, we finally landed in Udaipur, part of the northern state of Rajasthan. Known as the “Venice of the East” and the “City of Lakes”. Surrounded by the Aravali Mountains, Udaipur is famous for its magnificent palaces and scene stealing beauty in the James Bond classic “Octopussy”. Within minutes of landing, the four main lakes of the city surrounded us, as well as the Monsoon Palace, Summer Palace, City Palace, Party Palace and the current maharaja residence palace. Our greeter Tony welcomed us to Rajasthan, the land of kings, a major improvement in his mind, as Kerala is known as the land of coconuts. Tony enthusiastically recommended the best places and dishes in Udaipur, including my soon to be favorite gulab jamun.
We took a sharp turn onto a candle lined street with a stunning palace in our front mirror. Never could I have imagined that this would be our home for the next few days. The UdaiVillas, an Oberoi property, not only wowed in appearances, but we devoured each and every morsel of food at our Indian feast that night. Blended spinach with corn, butter chicken, tandoori lamb and double garlic naan! My eyes opened wide as I just happened to notice the highly recommended gulab jamun on the dessert menu. After some heavy arm twisting, I ordered the Indian staple and my mouth began watering as I tasted the first bite. The gooey fried milk ball is soaked in a sweet syrup, flavored with a bit of cardamom, rosewater or saffron! Believe me when I tell you it is heaven in a fried ball!
Our guide picked us up bright and early, as there would be much to see of this splendidly romantic city. Founded in 1559 by the Maharaja Udai Singh, this naturally protected city overcame attempts by many Mughal rulers to conquer. We stopped first at the imposing City Palace, towering over Lake Pichola and still looking festive from a recent royal wedding. A true structural wonder built with granite and white marble, the palace offers superb views of the city and a quick realization that it is good to be maharaja!
After a few hours of marveling at the palace on the lake, we headed to the Garden of the Maidens. Carved marble elephants lined the pathways, as sacred banyan trees and over 100 varieties of roses leave much to admire. The kids and I enjoyed a productive school session in the heat of the day, as I’m getting spoiled with a swimming pool at the completion of our lessons. The true Udaipur highlight came with a sunset boat cruise on the stunning lake. The perfect afternoon light illuminated the facades of the various palaces and I could only imagine the possibility of a future romantic trip back to Udaipur. Although, Tess is quite the cuddle partner!
For dinner our last dinner in Udaipur, we were welcomed into the home of a local family and cooking extraordinaire! Within minutes of our arrival, eight of us packed into our host’s jeep en route to the local vegetable market. We once again blended with the locals, as vegetable stands were safely guarded by the local cows and goats in the road! After some fresh spinach and okra purchases, we all headed into the kitchen for a play by play demonstration of the Rajasthani specialities—chick pea flour dumplings, stuffed okra, chicken curry, chappatis and spinach! In true Indian fashion, we didn’t eat until 10:30 pm but kept ourselves busy with wedding albums and conversation. A truly great way to experience the culture and enjoy a delightful feast, we said goodbye to our hosts and got back to the hotel just before midnight. 
No comments:
Post a Comment