Incredible India: a voyage with Robyn and Sara

Day 3: Delhi-Udaipur

Before I tell you about today, I need to finish off the rest of our first day in Delhi.

Better still…. Here are some sights and sounds of the chaos at the Old Delhi markets. (Hopefully you can access the link)

https://share.icloud.com/photos/06dqm_QUUX41VvxnZbsf5JrAg

After the markets experience, we went to lunch at a restored Indian hotel in Old Delhi. We were greeted with the placement of a red dot on our foreheads, a beaded necklace, and a 7-course Indian lunch.

Robyn loved it and it was beautifully presented…… I enjoyed the dessert! (Say no more!)

After lunch, we visited Humayun’s mausoleum, built in the 16th century, the first garden tombstone in India and the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. The builder of the Taj Mahal was in fact the grandson of Humayun’s builder. You can see the influence…

And yes, it was raining heavily so our guide bought us umbrellas from the local street seller. Then to see the India Gate, which is a war memorial for those who died in WW1 and WW2. We saw guards practising for the Jan 26 celebrations

And this statue celebrates Netaji Bose who was said to be responsible for mobilising the Indian army against the British.

By the way, this is our room at the Oberoi in Delhi. We even had a button to summon the butler.

On to today…..Udaipur is known as the “city of lakes”, located in the Aravalli ranges of the royal state of Rajasthan. It is one of the oldest surviving dynasties in the world and was established around 1567. Udaipur is akin to an oasis in the desert state of Rajasthan. It has lakeside palaces,forts, temples, havelis and gardens,reflecting the varied influences of the centuries. It’s also called ‘Venice of the East’.

On the way to our hotel, we stopped to visit a beautiful garden built in 1734 by Maharana Sangram Singh-II for the entertainment of the royal ladies and their maids of honour.

We were then taken to a hotel jetty to board a boat and cross Lake Pichola to check-in to the Oberoi at Udaipur.

OMG, it must be at least an 8 star hotel with a stunning view of the lake and the Royal Palace.