Udaipur

We drove to the train station and waited for 30 minutes before the train came. I ate batis❤️ (Indian bread) and banana for breakfast. The train came and we got on. It was not a luxery one. It was very crowded with bad smells, disgusting food and one-legged beggers. It was a long 6 hours. I watched some Netflix, listened to music and tried to relaxed but it was the worst train I’ve taken. The seats were just a bench for three and we all shared with strangers. No place to rest your head.

Anyway, we made it, we got there and we were all happy when we got off the train.

We drove to Royal Dezire Hotel, checked in, ate lunch and had a nap before the orientation walk at 4pm. The guide showed us the way to the market streets and took us to an art school. We got to see how they make the famous miniature art in Udaipur and it was so impressive. With the tiniest brush, made of the hair of a squirrels tail, they paint the most incredible and detailed small pictures. Really beautiful work and you have to be extremely patient. The painter showed us different techniques and it was a nice demonstration.

Afterwards we went to the lake for a sunset boat trip. It took us around the lake and we saw the beautiful buildings, the City Palace and all the small cute restaurant islands.

The sunset was beautiful and when we got back it was colder. We went straight to dinner at a very good restaurant. I had veggie curry and roti. After dinner we walked back to the hotel and went to sleep.

Saturday morning I had a sleep in before I enjoyed a nice banana Lassi, cereals and milk. After breakfast I went to the gym for legday. I found a gym called healthline fitness center and it was pretty good. After the gym I ran the 2kms back to the hotel before I had lunch and went out for a wander.

I walked to the market, found a cute top, saw the big city temple, walked along the lake and went to the City Palace.

The City Palace was very pretty and very crowded. I walked quickly through it without guide before I went to the art school we visited the day before. I got nailart for 30kr before I had a palm reading session at 4.30.

I don’t really belive in palm reading but because everyone did it I did it too. He started out with telling me how deep my brain and health line is. An intelligent and active girl, most likely an athlete. He said I did loads of physical training which is quite spot on, but you can probably guess that. Afterwards he spoke about my strength and that I can achieve whatever goal set. Apparently “noone can compete me”. Haha well well. My age is gonna be between 88 and 90 and I gonna have 2 daughters. 2020 gonna be a good year for stability in my relationship and I gonna get married at the age of 26. At age 32 I gonna have a positive period at work and I’ll get a good job with a good income. My relationship with my mum is good which is true but apparently the position of the sun in my palm is not the best. It’s a bit down and I should hold my hand against the sun for three minutes every morning. Plus wear an emerald on my ring finger, hahaha. Okay, bullshit and probs a wasted 60kr but it’s gonna be fun to see if any of it is gonna be true. After the palm reading I went straight to the rooftop yoga with some others from the group. It was a nice session and a beautiful sunset with a nice view of the city. We warmed up, did some basic yoga positions, had some meditation and finished up with some hilarious laughing yoga. After the session we took a tuktuk back to the hotel and got ready for dinner.

At 7.30 we took tuktuk to a beautiful restaurant along the lake. It was so cute eoth lights and decorations and I saw a snake on the way in. Most likely a small common wolf snake. That was fun!

Sunday started out very nice. We left the hotel at 10 ready for a cooking class with an Indian family. We made Chai tea, chickpea curry, chapati, flavored rice, okra stew and potato kofta with creamy sauce. It was all very tasty as long as I made it without cumin cus I’m allergic to that. The chapati was my favorite! Deffo gonna make that back home either just in the kitchen or even outside on a bonfire.

Around 1pm the cooking class was done and the food was eaten. I was so so full. Stephanie and I wanted to go to the gym so we walked there straight from the cooking. Unfortunately it was closed bcus it was Sunday. Stephanie went back to the hotel while I took a tuktuk to the celebration shopping mall for a wander in aircon.

I looked around, found some fancy red pants and did 10 minutes of fish spa. The fish spa was the best decision I’ve made in a while. The fish attacked my feet and got rid of all the dry skin after 7 weeks barefoot traveling.

They were good as new after only 10 minutes to the price of 11 kr. I ate some lunch and took a tuktuk back towards the hotel. On the way back I checked a couple of other gyms but they were all closed so I gave up. Good effort though. I went back to the hotel and stayed there for the evening. I just needed an evening for myself. I spoke to Jake for 1,5 hours and had a chat with my family. I also had a cold shower before I just relaxed and fell asleep early. Missing warm water.

The 25th of February I got up 5.45 to have time for the gym in the morning. I went outside the hotel to catch a tuktuk but it was all dark and no tuktuks in sight. I asked the receptionist but he only spoke hindi. I used Google translate to communicate with him and after a while he followed me to the main street so that I could catch a tuktuk from there. I found one easily on that street and got there before 7. I did upper body for an hour and a half before I walked back to the hotel. The sunrise was so beautiful. The healthline gym is a good gym and the staff is so lovely. A nice start of the day. Definitely worth it to get up early. Back at the Royal Dezire Hotel I had a shower, this time warm, before I ate breakfast with the group. Muesli, yoghurt, banana and milk. Yum! After breakfast, at 9.40, we met in the lobby ready for another day on the move. First up was a 5/6 hours bus ride before an overnight train. Cyaaa