Yesterday morning, while we had breakfast on the rooftop, the monkeys were gathered on the neighbouring roof. The only thing that really drives them off is the loud music from the weddings.
After breakfast, we crossed the footbridge and walked up to the City Palace. After paying 250 rupees each plus 250 rupees for the camera, we wandered through the palace for more than 2 hours. There were some interesting displays of life for the nobles here back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The whole palace complex is huge. There must be hundreds of rooms linked by narrow little (sometimes claustrophobic) stairways, and various courtyards, some of them quite large.
After we left the palace, we looked at a few restaurants but didn't find anything special. As we passed the steps to the temple near the palace, Anita took a picture of the ladies in their colourful saris. We stopped at the Edelweiss Bakery, recommended in Lonely Planet, for a snack of apple pie and walnut pie. However, neither was very good. Lonely Planet has really over-rated that place.
Back on our balcony at the Panorama Guest House, another wedding unfolded on the street below us. The musicians push a big wagon with antique looking loudspeakers on the top. There's lots of drumming, horns and amplified keyboards. First the bride arrived with her musicians, music wagon and entourage. Then 1/2 hour later, the groom arrived on a white horse with his posse. They all went into the little temple along the water, just across the street from us and in the picture we've shown both music wagons waiting outside. Our Aussie friend John went to the wedding and said the bride had a fainting spell and had to be helped up. She could either have been exhausted from the days of celebration or apprehensive about joining her mother-in-law's household at such a young age. Who knows? Brides here can be younger than 15 while the grooms are often much older.
At dusk, we enjoyed some butter chicken, chapati and beer on the roof-top. John joined us a bit later and we enjoyed talking with him once again. This morning at breakfast we traded emails with him so we now have a connection in Sydney, Australia and he has one in Combermere, Ontario.
As we were checking out of the Panorama, we saw the bride and groom from the wedding that used the canopy near our hotel for the groom's celebration a couple of nights ago. Anita got a few pictures. They arrived in a car decorated with flowers. We didn't know why they were there but they soon left. Throughout the wedding, we always saw the bride with a veil covering her face and it was the same this morning.
We have also included a picture of sunrise from our balcony.
For 800 rupees (about $16 Cdn) we got a taxi for the 45 minute drive to the airport. The Udaipur airport is very modern, clean and quiet, a nice change from Jaipur. It was no hassle checking in and boarding our plane to Delhi. Now that we know the baggage screening procedure, all went smoothly.
After our hour and 10 minute flight, a driver from the Holiday Inn New Delhi Airport Hotel was waiting for us with a sign that said, "William Boise". Luckily we can interpret. Within 10 minutes we were checking in at the hotel, which for one night is costing us more than 5 nights at the Panorama Guest House. But, we get a driver from the airport and back to it tomorrow night and a big buffet breakfast. Being here is like already having left India, except that the staff are obviously Indian. The hotel itself, except for the security, could be in Toronto. It's immaculately clean and very nice but has no character.
The security is very tight. The hotel is completely fenced and there is a guardhouse and bollards that rise up hydraulically through the pavement to stop vehicle entry. Each vehicle is checked and then at the main door to the hotel the guests are checked with metal detectors, wanding and frisking. All bags go through an X-ray machine like at an airport. Getting in here is like going into the US embassy in Ottawa. Our room key will only allow us to take the elevator to our floor, the pool floor or the lobby. However, they've given us complimentary late checkout at 2 pm and we can hang around the pool or lobby until we get driven to the airport in the late evening. Our flight leaves at 12:45 am so now we're just killing time. But, at least we know we're near the airport and won't miss our flight.
After breakfast, we crossed the footbridge and walked up to the City Palace. After paying 250 rupees each plus 250 rupees for the camera, we wandered through the palace for more than 2 hours. There were some interesting displays of life for the nobles here back in the 18th and 19th centuries. The whole palace complex is huge. There must be hundreds of rooms linked by narrow little (sometimes claustrophobic) stairways, and various courtyards, some of them quite large.
After we left the palace, we looked at a few restaurants but didn't find anything special. As we passed the steps to the temple near the palace, Anita took a picture of the ladies in their colourful saris. We stopped at the Edelweiss Bakery, recommended in Lonely Planet, for a snack of apple pie and walnut pie. However, neither was very good. Lonely Planet has really over-rated that place.
Back on our balcony at the Panorama Guest House, another wedding unfolded on the street below us. The musicians push a big wagon with antique looking loudspeakers on the top. There's lots of drumming, horns and amplified keyboards. First the bride arrived with her musicians, music wagon and entourage. Then 1/2 hour later, the groom arrived on a white horse with his posse. They all went into the little temple along the water, just across the street from us and in the picture we've shown both music wagons waiting outside. Our Aussie friend John went to the wedding and said the bride had a fainting spell and had to be helped up. She could either have been exhausted from the days of celebration or apprehensive about joining her mother-in-law's household at such a young age. Who knows? Brides here can be younger than 15 while the grooms are often much older.
At dusk, we enjoyed some butter chicken, chapati and beer on the roof-top. John joined us a bit later and we enjoyed talking with him once again. This morning at breakfast we traded emails with him so we now have a connection in Sydney, Australia and he has one in Combermere, Ontario.
As we were checking out of the Panorama, we saw the bride and groom from the wedding that used the canopy near our hotel for the groom's celebration a couple of nights ago. Anita got a few pictures. They arrived in a car decorated with flowers. We didn't know why they were there but they soon left. Throughout the wedding, we always saw the bride with a veil covering her face and it was the same this morning.
We have also included a picture of sunrise from our balcony.
For 800 rupees (about $16 Cdn) we got a taxi for the 45 minute drive to the airport. The Udaipur airport is very modern, clean and quiet, a nice change from Jaipur. It was no hassle checking in and boarding our plane to Delhi. Now that we know the baggage screening procedure, all went smoothly.
After our hour and 10 minute flight, a driver from the Holiday Inn New Delhi Airport Hotel was waiting for us with a sign that said, "William Boise". Luckily we can interpret. Within 10 minutes we were checking in at the hotel, which for one night is costing us more than 5 nights at the Panorama Guest House. But, we get a driver from the airport and back to it tomorrow night and a big buffet breakfast. Being here is like already having left India, except that the staff are obviously Indian. The hotel itself, except for the security, could be in Toronto. It's immaculately clean and very nice but has no character.
The security is very tight. The hotel is completely fenced and there is a guardhouse and bollards that rise up hydraulically through the pavement to stop vehicle entry. Each vehicle is checked and then at the main door to the hotel the guests are checked with metal detectors, wanding and frisking. All bags go through an X-ray machine like at an airport. Getting in here is like going into the US embassy in Ottawa. Our room key will only allow us to take the elevator to our floor, the pool floor or the lobby. However, they've given us complimentary late checkout at 2 pm and we can hang around the pool or lobby until we get driven to the airport in the late evening. Our flight leaves at 12:45 am so now we're just killing time. But, at least we know we're near the airport and won't miss our flight.
No comments:
Post a Comment