Udaipur has been great. I actually have not had a problem getting a room at all. My first two nights were in different rooms at the same hotel. My second room at the hotel was actually like a small apartment on the top floor with a sitting room with a fabulous view of the lake and of the city. This morning I moved to the other-side of the lake and have a room on lake level looking right at where I stayed the night before. I will be in this room for my remaining two nights in Udaipur.
Indian sections of the James Bond film Octopussy were filmed in the city and at the Lake Palace. Every night many places play the movie and there are signs everywhere advertising Octopussy at 7:00pm. In fact the place I am staying tonight is showing it as I type but I have avoided it. Although as I have entered into a few places I have been welcomed with, “Welcome Mr. Bond.”
Udaipur is trying to be a pollution free city and there are lots of solar panels on the roofs of buildings, lots of signs that say to conserve water, and there are even solar powered rickshaws here. Udaipur definitely seems be trying. But pollution free? No way! Frankly I don’t ever see that happening.
Generally speaking the pollution and funk in India is on a level I could not have imagined. I paid a kid the other day to clean my shoes. I am not talking about a polish. I am talking about things I don’t even want to know about being on my shoe. Normally I would have tossed them in the trash or burned them for fear of contracting or spreading some crazy virus but the kid did a wonderful job. There was no way I was going to do it.
India has been amazing and keeps on amazing. But I must say that I have discovered a level of filth that I did not know existed and did not know that I could exist in. I have acclimated to a large degree. The funk seems to add some sort of sick and twisted charm.
Udaipur is a destination in itself and many Indians are here on holiday. The Indians here on holiday want me in their pictures for some reason. I will be walking down the street or eating lunch and will be approached, and asked to pose with a family. I don’t know what it’s all about but I am going with it.
I am constantly asked where I am from and simply can’t answer all the time since it has become exhausting. I’m sure I am coming off very rude when I don’t respond but there are just too many people asking me and I can’t respond to all of them.
I have been taking lots of walks off of the main streets. When I do this the thing I fear the most now are children. When children are playing together and see me they attack. I am not exaggerating. My first week here I was afraid of the animals but they are the least of my concerns. There is a mob mentality with the children and when a kid sees me, he or she will run towards me and the gang will follow. The next thing you know I have a gang of little kids running towards me all yelling and screaming, “HELLO!”, “PICTURE?”, “PEN?”. When they reach me they start grabbing at me and won’t let go. I have on several occasions turned a corner, seen children, and quickly turned around and walked another way. Sometimes there is no other route and I simply have to hold my belongings out of their reach and walk through them as fast as I can. There simply is no avoiding the ATTACK OF THE LITTLE ONES.
I am staying in Udaipur one more day to spend Christmas here. The next day my plan is to go to Pushkar.