Dream Heaven

The Bus to Udaipur left at 7 so I had ordered - and paid for - an early breakfast but when I went to the rooftop restaurant the guys were still sleeping so I left without disturbing them. I later remembered I should have booked on an Express Bus but I hadn’t, so it was an all stops journey that took about 8 hours, firstly  back through the flat and dry and uninteresting  eastern edges of  the desert  and then through interesting hills that were thickly wooded in parts. Where the bus ground slowly up the winding    hills   I saw monkeys in the trees and once in a deep pool several buffalo cooling off - I  must write about the animals here- they are something that always  makes me smile -  In one town I saw an elephant waiting to pull a cart  getting filled with rubble and at another   merchants yards stacked with massive marble blocks and  stacked  slabs  waiting to be sold.

We drove past yard after yard of these places, for at least half an hour   -  so many places selling marble and  granite, almost all of it white, the occasional grey or green and less often red. The bus was never empty and often there were people – ie women – sitting squashed on the floor, and at many brief stops  men would walk up and down outside  selling food and drinks .   Arriving at Udaipur I had a headache because my side of the bus was facing the sun all day and I was in the window seat.

 I checked into the Jagat Niwas hotel I had  picked from LP -  it was a very elegant quiet place, all white and shiny marble – now I know where they got it from – but the room, for 2000rupees  was tiny and didn’t have a  window, and there was barely enough space to walk round the bed. I took three Nurofen- plus, drank a litre of water and went to sleep.  Later I  discovered that the  hinged grill above the mirror in the bathroom  could be unlatched and folded down to give me a tiny  secret view of the lake if I stood on a chair but  after some food I  checked other accommodation nearby and decided to move in the morning. This place was too civilized for me . And I do love a bargain - which this wasnt.

The games are over and no one was killed! The Indian TV news shows  are reporting it as huge success, ridiculing the people  who were so critical at the beginning and now asking  “Is India ready to host the Olympics?” They are very happy they  came second in the Gold Medal count – their best ever -  after Australia and just in front of   - England?  They, and the papers are also in raptures about Sachin Tendulkar   and India’s series win against Australia. Its widely said that Indians are fanatical about cricket  and they often mention Hadlee and Martin Crowe and sometimes other famous Kiwi Cricketers when I tell them I am a Kiwi, but when the test was on and I asked them the score, nobody seemed to know. I  was really pleased about Geoff Huegills win – what a comeback!

Udaipur is   set round some lovely lakes, and out in the middle of one is a famous palace that takes up a small island. A James Bond movie – well part of Octopussy, apparently- was filmed there and so  everywhere round the touristy  parts cheap hotels  advertise nightly screenings of the film. I might go see it - I mean who remembers Octopussy? Was it Roger Moores ?  Its amazing how  movie making can bring fame to a place – I have seen the same sort of promotion in Morocco where parts of Gladiator were filmed, and in Thailand where a forgettable movie with Leonardo di Caprio was filmed -  “The Beach” and there were also tours advertised elsewhere in Thailand to :James Bond Island – not sure which movie that related to.

I  moved to Dream Heaven Palace Hotel after a leisurely – and expensive   breakfast at Jagat Niwas this morning. I sat in a cushioned alcove directly above the water with a fabulous view across the lake and had several coffees while I finished my latest book – Farewell to Arms by Earnest Hemingway. I really enjoyed it but wasn’t expecting such a sad ending. The few bookshops   run into have the same but quite wide and interesting collection of books. My new room is way up high, very unsophisticated, but quite wonderful with paintings on the walls and a great view for 800 rupees. This afternoon I shall tour the City Palace, and get a new book to read.