Rajasthan 11 january 2010

Rajasthan 11 january 2010
The drive to Udaipur takes us on to motorway for the first time. Interestingly, cyclists and trucks occasionally use the overtaking lane as if it is the left hand lane of a single carriageway and hence travel the wrong way in the fast lane. Pedestrians walking 3 abreast either way in all lanes add to the mayhem. And nobody slows down for anyone or anything (except cows of course).
Our hotel in Udaipur is on the edge of the lake. We have an 'orientation walk' through the town then a tour around the City Palace. Adjoining the lake, the Palace is built up the side of a cliff and is huge, the second largest in India.
Some of us take a boat trip around the lake, I get some photos of the Lake Palace which is made of white marble and rises up out of the water. The sunset behind the hill on the other side of the lake is striking.
The James Bond film 'Octopussy' was filmed here, so we all gather to watch it in one of the restaurants that continuously play it for tourists. The sound doesn't work on the tele so we all watch fascinated as the waiter inserts a screwdriver into the live television set and connects wires from independant speakers into it. Some of the action and dialogue in the film is very dated and there is much hilarity.
All the Best, John