Udaipur is oppulent. It fulfills every oriental fantasy of supple dancing women in ankle bracelets and artisans sitting on cushions under pillars and musicians in courtyards. Just about every house here looks like it was once a palace. Carved wooden doorways flanked by detailed frescos lead to multistoried centuries old havelis. There are countless art shops for the tourist trade selling miniature paintings, leather goods, antiques and tailors. I took in a few of the city's sites including City Place and Jagdish Mandir. But mostly I spent the day wandering the narrow hilly streets taking in the feel of the place, and of course, getting lost frequently.
Tonight I was sitting at a rooftop restaurant in a cool breeze watching a red floating candle rising up to the full moon over the brightly lit havelis reflected in the soft ripples of Lake Pichola. It was a quintessentially Indian moment, listening to the sounds of devotional music from the temples around us punctuated with the honking of horns after downing a bhang lassi.
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