Tin Amigos - Udaipur

Udaipur is built on the banks of several lakes in northeastern Rajasthan, just a short hop from Delhi. Tiny streets wind through crumbling Rajput palaces down to the lakeshore, and the town is chock-a-block with artists' galleries. Thanks to the many expats who went before me, I had a great recommendation for a place to stay. Now, bear in mind that Udaipur is home to what is ostensibly the best hotel in the world, the Oberoi Udaivilas. But, I resisted temptation and was super-glad that I did. Instead, we stayed at the much smaller and wonderfully charming Udai Kothi. This was one of my best hotel experiences in India - the staff are great, the restaurant has really good food, the view is amazing, and the price is right.

We rolled into town on Friday afternoon and proceeded to have a very low-key two days. Perhaps the most pleasant surprise was how great the rooftop restaurant was at Udai Kothi. After getting settled, we wandered upstairs to find a charming oasis right on the roof of our hotel, complete with a beautiful view of Lake Pichola and sittar players. The ambiance alone would have made it a fantastic find, but in addition, the Udai Kothi is home to the best ever cheese naan - I still haven't found it's equal, and trust me, I've been looking hard since we left - and really good Butter Chicken. So yummy!

We started our second day observing the troupe of monkeys that were cavorting through the garden of the hotel. Unfortunately, Delhi Belly claimed its second victim of the trip, and Lauren stayed in bed for the day. Shannon, Kevin and I made our way to the City Palace and spent a few hours going through the buildings, and enjoying the view over the city. On the way back to our hotel, we went through a few of the art galleries and Shannon and I negotiated for a traditional painting that depicts Lake Pichola and the Lake Palace. I'm pretty sure I got taken for a ride in terms of the price, but oh well. Converted to USD, it was still really affordable, and much as I hated to admit it, I did pick out one that was clearly better quality. That evening, we made a feeble run at creativity and ended up going right back to our lovely rooftop. This time, we got smart and reserved the cupola table with a mirrored ceiling which overlooks the lake. You could not imagine a more idyllic or romantic spot to have dinner. Just beautiful.

On our last morning in Udaipur, we had a nice breakfast at the hotel and then grabbed our cab to the airport. We budgeted time to visit the Monsoon Palace, Sajjangarh, which sits on a mountain overlooking Udaipur. When we got there, the palace was completely empty, so we had a leisurely stroll around the building and grounds, and watched a family of monkeys bask in the sun by a well. We wound our way down the mountain with plenty of time to spare and made a stop at a craft village called Shilpgram. The place was definitely touristy, but we had a nice guide who showed us buildings and handicrafts that were representative of Rajasthani tribal culture. And, Lauren got to pet a camel (and didn't get spit on), so we were good to go. A quick jaunt to the airport and we were rapidly bumping our way through some turbulence on our way back to Delhi - phase one of the journey complete.