Each of the seven posts in this series includes a song at the beginning. These songs have their roots in the culture of Rajasthan and are intended to instill in you the same feeling I experienced during this trip. Tip: Use picture-in-picture mode to let the video play in the background while you read the post.
The last part of my solo trip to Rajasthan. This was it.
After several ups and downs, I had finally made it through all the checkpoints from Jaipur to Jaisalmer and was now headed for my last destination on this trip—Udaipur—the City of Palaces and Lakes.
I checked my watch—the time was 1 PM. The train was slowly coming down to a halt at its terminating station. But this wasn’t Udaipur, yet.
It was Jodhpur.
No, fortunately, I did not get on the wrong train or was heading toward the wrong station, although it would have been one hell of a story if that actually happened.
You see, there are two ways of reaching Udaipur from Jaisalmer:
- You either take a privately operated sleeper bus and endure over 15 hours of not-so-cozy travel time. There are no guarantees if the bus will run on a given day since it completely depends on the number of seats booked.
- You go to Jodhpur via train, and then take a bus to Udaipur.
I chose the second option. Not only is it much more comfortable for your delicate back, but you also save around 3 hours in travel time.
I had informed Tej in advance (remember the manager of Zostel Jodhpur who sent me on that shortcut to Jaswant Thada?) about my plan to make a 2-hour pitstop at the hostel before heading further on my journey.
Meeting David: The Digital Nomad from the US
At around 4 PM, I boarded the RSRTC Volvo bus and left for Udaipur.
Halfway through the journey, the bus stopped for a 15-minute break. This was my cue to quickly grab a cup of masala chai to satisfy my evening craving for caffeine.
While taking a sip, I noticed a foreigner standing near the gate of the bus. I had ten minutes to kill, so I decided to go up to him and say hello.
Me: Hi, I’m Dharmendra. Are you traveling alone?
David: Hey, I’m David! Yes, and what about you?
Me: Yes. I’ve been on a Solo Trip across Rajasthan since last week. Started from Jaipur, then went to Ajmer, Pushkar, Jodhpur, Jaisalmer, and am now headed for Udaipur for the last stop. Where are you from?
David: That’s great! Originally, I’m from the US. I’m actually doing the opposite route – I just came from Goa and would be spending some time here in Rajasthan before going towards Varanasi, probably.
Me: That’s nice! How long have you been in India?
David: Well, it’s been a couple of weeks. I first came to Goa and spent the last two weeks there. I might stay here for a while and visit a few places in North India before going to Thailand.
Me: Great. Where are you staying in Udaipur?
David: It’s a hostel called Moustache.
Me: Oh! I’m staying at the same place.
By then, the conductor started signaling that the bus was about to leave so we hopped inside.
From the Jodhpur Bus depot, we took an auto-rickshaw together to reach the Moustache hostel.
Upon getting down, David insisted on paying his half of the fare, but I refused.
“The first time I went to the US, I had just a single $20 bill in cash in my pocket. A kind man that I met on a bus helped me out with directions and also bought my tickets at the Metro station. This is my opportunity to reciprocate the gesture,” I said smilingly.
Inside the hostel, there were very few residents, probably because it was the middle of the week.
After quitting my job, I’d seriously lost the track of the day of the week.
We met again at the rooftop restaurant for dinner, since there was no one else. Our conversation continued.
Me: So how long have you been on the move?
David: Well, I left my home three-and-a-half years ago and only recently went back to see my mother. I’ve been traveling across countries ever since.
I was fascinated.
Me: I’ve read about digital nomads but never met one until today. How do you make a living on the go?
David: I’m a voice-over artist. I carry my equipment wherever I go, do my recordings, and since all my work is online there’s no dependency on the location. So I can work out of anywhere.
Me: Amazing, you’ve got yourself a job that allows you to work from anywhere you want – that’s the best!
Inside my head, I was elated with the concept of working on your job while traveling the world.
One of my primary reasons for becoming a Consultant was to get an opportunity to travel a lot, which I sure did, but up until now, my travels had only been domestic.
This was truly exciting.
We talked about India, the World, the US, politics, food, and much more before going back to our respective dorms.
David: It was nice meeting you. Maybe we’ll see each other again sometime.
Me: Yeah, totally! It was nice meeting you as well. Let me know if you need any help while traveling in India.
David: Of course.
That night, I learned two lessons.
First, that there can be a life beyond the usual grind of 9 am-to-5 pm (or in my case 9 am-to-12 am), and people were living it. It wasn’t about one being better than the other. It was about making a choice—a choice between the kind of problems that you wanted in life versus those that you didn’t.
Second—and this was probably more important—that if the chilli in your thai noodles is wreaking havoc in your stomach, for the love of god please add some soy sauce to it!
Fountains & Palaces
My Udaipur saga began on a rather low note at the City Palace, as the entire monument was covered in construction activities for the upcoming wedding of Isha Ambani, Mukesh Ambani’s daughter.
It was kind of a ruined experience and I couldn’t click any good pictures inside.
So instead of wasting time there, I decided to visit other popular attractions that were slightly far-away from the main city.
I started with Saheliyon Ki Bari (the Garden of Maids), a beautiful garden located on the banks of the Fatehsagar lake, featuring fountains, kiosks, and a lotus pool in the center.
This is where the Queen, along with her numerous maids, would come to relax in the evenings (and spend some me time, I guess).
My only issue was that the fountains were turned off when I went to see them!
Udaipur was certainly not welcoming me the way I had imagined.
Nevertheless, with an appetite in full swing, my last resort was the tried-and-tasted Rajasthani food.
And fortunately, it did not disappoint.
I had a sumptuous Rajasthani Thali at a nearby restaurant called Chhappan Bhog, with Dal, Bati, Choorma, Kair-saangri saag, Khichdi, and Kadhi, and in such quantities that for a moment I thought I should just return to the dorm to take a nice afternoon nap.
But eventually, I booked a cab for the Monsoon Palace (aka Sajjangarh Palace).
Quite interestingly, the number of Uber drivers in Udaipur was so low that every time I booked I got matched with the same guy.
This palace is situated at an elevation of 1100 ft (340 m) above the city (Lake Pichola to be precise) and provides a spectacular view of the city and its lakes from that height.
You can either go up to the top in your own car or if you’re a solo traveler like me, you’ll need to pay at the entrance and wait for the shared jeep to take you there.
The palace had a mix of visitors—young tourists (including couples), children on a school trip, bikers, and other solo and group travelers.
Puppets, Performances & Photography
By the time I came down, it was already 5 PM — and it suddenly struck me that my most awaited attraction in Udaipur was supposed to start at 7 PM.
I quickly hopped on an auto-rickshaw and asked him to dash through (in James Bond style) to my next stop: Bagore Ki Haveli.
Bagore ki Haveli is a popular attraction for foreign and Indian tourists alike, owing to its daily evening cultural show comprising of religious and ethnic dance performances and puppet shows.
While the folk performance in the Jaisalmer desert camp was not too great, this one was amazing.
First of all, the setting is beautiful. The center stage and staircase-style seating area are laid out in the Neem courtyard inside the haveli. People sit around and enjoy the show in a way that makes them feel inclusive and homely.
Second, the level of performers (from the Dharohar Folk Dance group) is simply praise-worthy.
The last performance in the show is the Bhavai dance (a dance performed while balancing several water pots stacked on the head).
The lady who performed this dance for us was over 70 years old and has been performing it for over 50 years now (as of writing this post, she’s the one featured in the slider on the homepage of the Dharohar website).
P.S. The Bagore ki haveli folk performance is my best recommendation for you if you’re visiting Udaipur.
The sky had turned dark now. As the crowd split from outside the haveli, I caught a glimpse of bright yellow lights shining at a distance.
It was Gangaur ghat.
Amidst the cool breeze, and the blanket of a starry night, I witnessed a heart-warming view of the glittering Udaipur palace.
After etching the view into my memory as efficiently as possible, I returned from the ghat to my dorm.
Along the route, I crossed the markets of Udaipur – bright and bustling with a variety of restaurant options for different cuisines.
Udaipur certainly looked like a choice destination for tourists from abroad, and the city seemed to be doing a good job at catering to their preferences.
Back in my dorm, there were very few people.
So as usual, I headed to the reception to find the hostel managers and kill some time.
Mohit, and another guy whose name I can’t seem to remember, young enough to be college graduates, had started by managing the property for Moustache and had now invested their savings to get independent ownership of the hostel.
This made sense, since the property is located at a prime location, is filled with stunning wall art made by its diverse group of residents, and has a regular influx of backpackers from across the world.
Both the guys were very chill and fun to hang out with. Actually, they were planning to go to the movie theater for a late-night show and asked me to join.
Praying in the Temple, Swaying in Lake Pichola
The next morning, I woke up all tired, and a bit disappointed with the fact that the trip was reaching the end of it all.
On the rooftop, I was the only guy having breakfast under a sunny sky, wearing my sunglasses.
Also, I caught a glimpse of a girl secretly talking to her boyfriend on a terrace nearby 😉.
As with every other city I’ve visited before, the second day is always reserved for exploring the interiors on foot.
I began strolling through the markets, taking a look at all the different kinds of shops.
Udaipur is somewhat a hilly region, with several ups and downs, turning the walk into a hike.
My first stop was the Jagdish Temple.
The temple has a large three-storied architecture with beautifully carved pillars and painted walls.
Dedicated to Lord Vishnu (Laxmi Narayan), the Jagdish temple is a monument of significant religious importance for the people of Udaipur.
I stayed inside the temple for a while enjoying its peaceful atmosphere.
After coming out of the temple, it was time to go to Lake Pichola for a boating ride.
Honestly, I wasn’t initially too excited about the boat ride.
I’ve taken so many boat rides in my life, what could be different about this one? I thought to myself.
But it was — it was the view that was different and spectacular enough to blow away your mind.
In the middle of the lake among a group of ducks, the boat made a swirling turn and I captured a beautiful view of the Udaipur City Palace on my iPhone.
The boat went around the lake as we enjoyed the soothing, cool winds blowing across.
I stood on the side of the deck of the boat, taking pictures while carefully balancing and hoping that my phone doesn’t fall off the hand!
It was a refreshing experience and one that I will recommend for all kinds of tourists.
Don’t hold yourself from a regular touristy activity just because you’re a solo traveler – sometimes these rides can be fun.
Speaking of rides, next up was the cable car ride at Karni Mata temple.
Perched Atop The City of Lakes
The Karni Mata cable car ride is a popular attraction in Udaipur, particularly because of the stunning aerial view that it offers.
The ropeway connects Sri Karni Mata temple located on the Machhala hilltop and Deendayal Upadhyay Park at the bottom.
Trivia: There is a staircase to reach the temple as well, but it might be a daunting task to climb to the temple that way.
Upon reaching the top of the hill, you’ll find the way to the temple on the right and a small cafeteria and game zone (yes, seriously) to the left.
Beware of the langurs.
Because of being so far away from the hustle and bustle of the city, the surroundings are extremely peaceful.
Offer your prayers and then spend a good chunk of time enjoying the breathtaking views of the city.
Here’s a glimpse.
By now, it was late afternoon. The bells rang, and I knew what that meant.
It was time to go back to the dorm and start packing up.
I came down through the ropeway to the Deendayal Upadhyay park and sat there for a while, taking one last look at the beautiful scenery in front of me. Then I left for the hostel.
I picked up my rucksack, threw it inside an auto, and sat down to leave for the railway station.
As I turned to my left, I saw the two hostel managers standing on the door, bidding me a warm goodbye.
I smiled, and then asked the auto-driver to start the engine. We needed to go full throttle. Why, you ask?
Because my journey—my journey—had only just begun.
*****
This story was part of my solo trip series—Backpacking Rajasthan.
Check out the entire series here.
