Udaipur, India

Missing Bombay for reasons I would have never expected, but memories last a lifetime and I will always love that city. And I will be back soon, I'm sure. One thing that amused me the most about Bombay that I forgot to mention, is that you can have anything and everything delivered right to your door. McDonald's, a pack of safety pins, BEER, one can of soda, EVERYTHING. It got me thinking, why isn't there a beer delivery service back home? That would be awesome. Or is there beer delivery and I just didn't know it? Might make lazy Americans a little bit lazier, but still. I might have to look into that when I get back. New Year's Eve was at a friend's apartment where I was able to watch fireworks from a rooftop terrace and was able to check out the blue moon, which actually looked even prettier the next night when it was dark orange and HUGE. I realized the other day that for nearly 2 weeks in Bombay I saw a foreigner maybe once or twice. Everyone should have the opportunity to experience the perspective of being a minority- I learned some things while I was in the city and it definitely has opened my eyes a little wider. Thanks to Meena for letting me stay at her home- she is an honorary American who has traveled to and lived in the States several times. It was funny to have traveled all the way to India to learn all about New York City, where she lived for awhile. I guess I really do need to go visit. But mostly, I loved her stories about Indians and Indian history and traditions and religion and she told me all about her friends and family, we swapped books and talked about absolutely everything. Priceless. I met so many genuine friends of friends who have their own stories, but even with the distance and differences in culture, we are all just the same kind of people who like to sit and drink beers and talk about whatever happens to come up. (K- a little gem in a smoggy, chaotic Bombay- see you soon.) I got a train ticket and left on the 2nd, north out of the city, a little bit bleary eyed, just watching everything go by. I finally did see some slums about an hour or so into the ride that really hit me hard. You know when you see something kind of shocking and your hand instinctively covers your mouth? It was like that. Just tarps and wooden poles, trash, trash, trash everywhere, naked children running around in absolutely filthy puddles and mud and I don't even want to guess what else. Very sad. A few times during the train ride I had to cover my nose and mouth- I'm not sure what the stench was, but when it came, it was unbearable. I sat next to a young mother and her 2 little girls, on a bench seat, so they would swap every hour or so to sit next to me. I think it took about 8 hours to get to Ahmedabad. Each train stop has a couple of signs in English, so it isn't too hard to figure out where to get off. No reason to stay in that city, so I went straight to the ticket window at the station to get a reservation to Udaipur, and luckily I was able to get on the sleeper train just an hour later. Oh, the sleeper train. Definitely not for big people and not for the claustrophobic. I think I described the "bed" before. It is just metal with a thin covering of vinyl, only a little bit wider than myself and the ceiling of the train was barely 8 inches from my face when I was laying down. And yet, I was able to sleep for almost all of the 8 hours with my small pack as a pillow and my big pack at my feet. Most of the passengers were foreigners, so I knew that Udaipur must be pretty popular and I can understand why. Very charming city. When I got off the train at about 730 am yesterday, it was raining, which totally took me by surprise because the only weather I have dealt with since arriving in India is hot, smoggy sunshine. Turns out it doesn't typically rain this time of year, and it stopped half way through the day. Udaipur is busy but serene with a narrow lake dividing the touristy part of town. I have an adorable room with a huge window looking across the lake- it isn't a wide lake, I could probably throw a rock half way across. There is a palace and some temples across the water and a footbridge connecting the 2 sides. The streets are as narrow as the width of one car and there are all kinds of fun shops selling arts and crafts. There is so much going on all over the place, that I constantly just have to stop when I am out walking and take it all in. All the locals say, "namaste" and cows are wandering down the streets and rummaging through the trash. Since the streets are narrow and the buildings are several stories high, it wasn't until I had dinner at a roof top restaurant that I noticed MOUNTAINS! yay! not huge, but a gorgeous back drop to the city and with the lake in the foreground, I had a nice treat at sunset. I can't get over how much "stuff" is constantly going on at any given moment...there is just so much to look at. Soooo many little shops, mostly the size of an American style walk-in closet. haha. Tailors, bakeries, art, snacks, everything. I had tea and cake last night at a tiny shop made of bamboo with comfy cushioned stools and chatted with a trio of Aussies- an old man and a mother and daughter. Australians travel everywhere, such friendly people and always fun to talk to. We all laughed when a cow would just wander past the front entry. Today, I just walked around some more and took pictures. I hung out on some steps next to the lake where local women pound laundry all day long and some local boys came and sat by me. One of the boys spoke perfect English because he attends a missionary school where the nuns speak English, so we chatted for awhile. He was only 12, but it was like talking to a little adult, because when he asked me how old I was and I told him, he said, "you're not 30! really? I would say you look like you are 23 and very beautiful." My new best friend. I think I made his day by letting him take a few pictures with my camera. The tourist area is frustrating here because every other local guy asks, "which country you from?" as you walk by, which is just a conversation starter that always leads to "you want rickshaw tour of Udaipur?" Or "you come to my shop, yes?" Just when I thought the only reason the locals want to talk is because they want my money for some reason, I met this funny looking old man who owns a tiny art shop. I was taking a picture right next door, when he took out his cell phone and asked if he could take a picture of me. I said, "one rupee, please." And he started laughing and then invited me into his shop. I was ready to get the full spiel about his artwork and why I should buy it, but it never happened. Amazing. He just wanted to talk and then he went and bought us some tea and brought it back. And then when I mentioned that I have been looking for a guidebook, he went and grabbed his scooter from the alley and took me about 1km down the street to a book store. And I love how before he took me to the book store, he just turned out the light to his shop and when I asked if he was just going to leave the shop all open, he said, "If I do right, then all will be right for me."