Arrival in Udaipur

We had packed everything in advance, so when the alarm went off, we were ready to jump into our clothes and hop into the taxi that would take us to the airport. We had arranged for the guy who took us on the city tour to pick us up at 3:50 AM so we could catch our flight at 5:50 AM. At the airport, thankfully, our flight wasn't delayed, and we took off on time. Onboard, we were served Indian breakfast, which consisted of an omelet, onions, and something resembling a meatball. It was delicious! After about an hour of flying, we arrived at a very, very small airport. We quickly found a taxi to take us the 25-30 km into the city, which cost 250 rs. We ended up with a very chatty driver who kept talking about all the places he wanted to show us in Udaipur. We were too tired to respond, so it turned into more of a monologue :) The driver suggested a hotel that turned out to be just fine, so we went with it. It cost 1300 rs. We haven't stayed anywhere too backpacker-like yet since the nicer hotels are so affordable. By noon, we were starting to feel refreshed again, so we headed out to explore the city a bit. Udaipur is incredibly charming with its small, winding, and sloping streets. We were really looking forward to seeing the big lakes, one of which is supposed to be sacred. The city is built around these lakes with lots of bridges connecting different neighborhoods. Unfortunately, it turns out it hasn't rained much in seven years, so they were dried up :( Now there's just grass left and a bunch of paths since everyone cuts across the lake beds, so we did too. Luckily, there's so much more to see in Udaipur. The city is known for its paintings of typical Indian motifs. Elephants, camels, and horses are often depicted, each symbolizing strength, love, and power. We passed by a shop where the owner claimed that Prince Frederik had visited and ordered a painting of the city, which they were in the process of finishing. Prince Frederik is supposed to come back in March...you guys back home should check if that's true :) Udaipur is also known as the place where parts of the James Bond film Octopussy were filmed. We visited the locations featured in the movie - Monsoon Palace and Lake Palace. The film has become a tourist attraction in itself, as it's shown every evening at various restaurants. We had also picked out a nice rooftop restaurant where we could have dinner while enjoying the film. Since it's very expensive to get a license to serve alcohol in India, there aren't many places where you can enjoy a cold beer. Our chosen rooftop restaurant didn’t have beer on the menu either, but they managed to get us two King Fishers - Indian beer. The whole dinner, including 2 breads and 2 large beers, cost about 400 rs. Earlier in the day, we came across a man who could read palms and tell you where you had issues in your body. It didn't take him long to conclude that both our bodies were in great imbalance, and we really needed his help to restore that balance. However, we politely declined since it cost 900 rs, which is quite pricey down here :)