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Tea Index: 16 Rupees (about 18p)
Days away from UK: 51
Days without rain : 51
Weather: 28 C Sunny
Time it took James Bond to go from Delhi to Udaipur via Varanasi (in Octopussy, but rickshaw): 5 minutes
Fresh juices devoured by Cat in 3 days: 7
We weren’t quite expecting what we got in Udaipur. So far everywhere in India was either hyped up and didn’t deliver (except the Taj Mahal) or was bad and proved to be bad. Upon doing our research, the city didn’t stand out. Another stop on the Rajasthan loop, but pretty much described as another city. It was only from the people we met that we realised that it was potentially a hidden gem.
At times we’ve had to remember we are in India as it is so unlike anywhere else we’ve been to. Udaipur has a lot of things going for it:
1. A Bond movie was based here (granted Octopussy and is shown EVERY night in several restaurants)
2. The streets are narrow, so you can walk everywhere
3. The hotels/restaurants/shops actually have a clue what they’re doing
4. The place is quiet (in Indian terms, ie if there isn’t a wedding on, you may get a night’s sleep)
5. It is incredibly picturesque. Set around a lake (with a palace in the middle) with mountains and hills in every direction
6. It has a lot of rooftop restaurants with cushions to lay on (Cat’s criteria)
It has been really quite refreshing. Even the people act differently here. You don’t get relentlessly pestered to buy stuff, take rickshaws or tours and it has felt the most relaxed and holiday like of everywhere we’ve been to.
But don’t go thinking it doesn’t have the unique – this is still India after all – and where there’s tourism, there’s someone trying to provide a service in a hilariously shoddy way. This came in the form of a massage parlour we visited.
In hindsight, Cat probably shouldn’t have chosen this place (or India) to be the place to get a pedicure. When you first get to India you realise that care and precision isn’t a consideration when it comes to painting anything. You’ll see that if something needs painting, everything gets within the vicinity (this includes the 2 tortoises at our hotel). So with this in mind, she probably shouldn’t have trusted anyone to paint something as small as her toenails. The result was that the majority of her toes were painted as well as her nails.
It was clear that her pedicure was something put on the price list which they hoped no one would ever ask for. When Cat requested this, it involved a team effort and some on the spot thinking. They firstly distracted her by putting her feet in a bucket of cold water with Pantene (I don’t know much about pedicures, but this is surely a strange start), whilst the rest of the parlour went through the whole of Udaipur to rummage up everything that was needed. Soon there were several different people bringing in nail files, varnish remover and a whole 1 colour for her to choose from – it’s a good thing she didn’t mind Dulux’s Ruby Fountain Red. The 5 star treatment wasn’t restricted to Cat as I realised in the middle of my massage that my masseur was using 1 hand to massage and the other to text. Class.
We’ve also found the people of Udaipur are refreshingly frank. Until now, we have found that the default answer to most questions is yes, particularly if they don’t understand what you are asking. A typical conversation would be:
Does this place have wifi?
Yes
Great thank you. *buys drink* So what’s the wifi password?
No wifi…..
Yet it was here where we were greeted with a refreshing answer of “don’t get that bus, it is a shit heap. The worst in India, I wouldn’t even get on it”…….. from the man selling the bus ticket. It’s either an ingenious sales technique or someone who just can’t be bothered to lie anymore! Either way, I’ve grown to really like this little city. I’ll be sad to leave.
One Way Ticket 
I really enjoyed that post. It highlights something I have observed time and again in India: any one can improvise themselves to be whatever they want. All it takes for one to be a realtor is the desire to be one, and off you go. Want to run a medical clinic? No problem, you can simply find doctors who do IVF and act as a broker between the surrogate mothers, the doctors and the foreign clients recruited online. Want to launch a restaurant? Do it just the way yo do it at home. The quality of results does vary quite dramatically… but there’s also times when I was surprised to hear about the modest background of the people who have given me amazing service. If the informal sector means you’re never quite sure of what you’ll get in return for your money, it has the positive aspect of allowing a lot of people in India to make a livelihood even if their ability to get formal training is limited.
Hope you find thinner and manage to get that pedicure you want, if not in Udaipur at your next destination! Safe travels!