7-29-2011 Last day in Udaipur

We enjoyed as much time at the Lake Palace as possible, departing at about 1:00 p.m. On the boat ride to the dock, our captain positioned the boat so he could get a picture of us in front of the hotel. Nice touch. We then arrived at the shore where our bags had been loaded into a Toyota Innova van.
     The Innova is the vehicle of choice around here for hauling tourists. We have enjoyed the Innovas which have plenty of room for us and our luggage. They are also air-conditioned with separate controls in the rear. We pulled way from the Lake Palace dock and made our way through the old city. It is a quite scenic drive through that part of the city and indefinitely the most clean part of the city. I am sure that the reason is because this the rout to the city palace and the Lake Palace, the crown jewels of the city.
     It was our plan to go by Alkapuri to the Singh's houses that Troy could say goodbye to the helpers. As we proceeded through Udaipur we were reminded of the vibrancy of the city. There are particular images of Udaipur that are indelible: the site of women riding side saddle on the back of motorcycles and mopeds, often with small children between them and the driver. No women driving motorcycles themselves. Very few women driving mopeds with the exception of the Muslim women. There were many Muslim women driving their own mopeds. How could I tell? Muslim women don't generally wear saris in the traditional sense. They are more likely to wear pants (sometimes jeans) with a long flowing shirt so as to cover their curves. This usually accompanied by a stylish purse and stylish pocktebook. They also have a hijab but not the kind tha covers their face. However, when riding a moped, the Muslim women wrap their hijabs completely around their faces so they won't blow off. They leave an opening only for their eyes and their eyes are often vortex with designer sunglasses. I must say that they look quite stylish and intriguing. 
     Other observations of Udaipur: there were many more cows about town than we later saw in Delhi. There were also many more dogs. In India there is basically one breed of dog: mutts that have interbred for so many centuries that they look like their own distinct breed. It is interesting to see how the cows and dogs simply plop themselves wherever they want to and are completely oblivious to the traffic,etc. around them.
     As our driver took us across town, it became apparent that he had not been informed about our intent to visit Alkapuri as we were headed directly  to the airport which is about 25 kilometers from town. When we realized this we tried to communicate it to our driver but t turned out he did notu nderstandEnglish. But he got on the phone with the Lake Palace and they got him straightened out. 
     Then we headed for Alkapuri, with still plenty of time to visit and make it to the airport. But then we got a call from the hotel: I had left my iPad at the airport. Not too stupid. So, we visited the Singhs and the helpers. Mrs. Singh shave us some refreshing sweet lime drinks and some roses and then we beat it back to the airport in time to catch the plane. 
     We had a slight hassle at check in but miraculously one of the staff from the Udaovilas appeared out of nowhere and greased the skids for us and we got our tickets no problem. We went through security where iwas detained. My hip replacement was setting off the metal detector. Then they would pat me down and they could not figure out where the metal was. I tried to explain to them that it is inside but they did not understand. They called over the supervisor and he took me into a private room. I pulled down my pants and showed him my scar and I think they figured it out.
     We got on the Jet Airways flight to Delhi. This was another comfortable turbo-prop plane. These planes are not too loud and have a very fast and smooth flight. It is about 1.5 hours to Delhi. The flights seem to always run on time or maybe we were just lucky.

7-28-2011 A morning at the Udaivilas

After waking at the Udaivilas, we took a dip in our adjoining pool overlooking the lake and city. We had the cold breakfast which consisted of wonderful fruits and a number of different yogurts and fresh pastries and juices. The manager, a Swiss fellow, checked on us. The previous day, he had provided us with free drinks at the bar. Later we walked the grounds and talked to Mr. Roop Singh Ji at the animal preserve. Then Troy went into town to turn in his phone to his NGO coordinator and to pick up DVDs that he ordered the prior day. He later told us how when he got to the guy's shop he found out that the the DVDs were at some guy's house so he hopped on the back of a motorcycle and rode to the house and to the DVDs. Meanwhile, Fariba and I hung out at the hotel, getting a tour and seeing an amazing pool and gardens that we had not seen before.
          Troy was about 15 minutes late getting back and Fariba and I started to worry. It is amazing to think that he was there for two months and we hardly worried but after having been there for a few days, we worried when he was 15 mins late. Having experienced Udaipur in all of its chaotic beauty, we started to think, what if something happened to him? We really had no way to find him or contact him, etc. We worried and told the hotel staff to let us know as soon as he got to the security gate. Thankfully he made it back safely and the staff put us all on a golf cart down to the boat dock. 
      By this time, the Udaivilas had already delivered our belongings by boat to the Lake Palace. We went through the very formal check out process at the reception desk and then the hostess walked us to a golf cart for a ride to the boat landing. At the boat landing, a waiter prepared fresh rosewater tea and we got on board the ornate Udaivilas boat for a tour of Lake Pichola. It was just me, Fariba and Troy and our hostess and our captain in this quaint wooden motorboat.
      We saw children swimming and women washing clothes in the lake. We saw workers in the old city building a new hotel. We rode past the lake palace and onward to the Lake Palace dock on the shore.