After landing in the majestic city of Udaipur in the afternoon , i checked in into my hostel GoStops, dumped my bags and started my journey towards the famous Gangaur ghat. You can see the far off lake palace from here.
Since it was already evening, the locals had come to feed the group of pigeons that lived there.
So many people suggested the cultural show, Dharohar, which takes place in the Bagore ki Haveli, and i decided to get a seat for that (They start sellinng the tickets for the show at 5 PM or you can book online). The show was at 7. So i saw got the ticket ( gets really crowded when the tickets start to get issued), saw the sunset from the Gangaur ghat and went for the show. They showed different folk dances from the different parts of Rajasthan and ended with a mind boggling puppet show. It really gave me the feel of Rajasthan, the soul poibt for which i went there.
Left around 8:30am, and booked an ola auto to go to the Sajjangarh Fort or popularly known as the Monsoon Palace. The auto can take you only to the entrance gate, from where we need to take tickets to visit the palace and also for share cabs, which take you to the the palace. Situated on top of a hill, the Monsoon palace has some amazing views. You can see the whole of Udaipur from the top.
The ola driver was kind enough to switch off the app and accompany me through the day (easier money for him), and hence i didn't have to wait for a cab to get to my next location. He took me to the Saheliyon ki Badi, where the queen and her friends used to meet. Its filled with fountains and plants. And later went to the largest of the lakes in the Lake city, the Fateh Sagar lake. Filled with small small places to eat around the lake, it becomes more lively at night.
And i headed back to my hostel as the sun went down for the day.
The plan today was to go to the main attraction, the City palace. Got ready and left around 8, so that i can grab some quick breakfast on the way. The Jagdish Temple was open, so went inside the temple, absorbed the calmness and left, more motivated to spend the day productively. In the small way just opposite Jagdish temple, there is a small shop, which was selling hot samosas, kachoris and poha. Great food for pretty cheap prices. After filling my tummy with some yummy poha, started my stride towards the city palace.
The city palace gives boat rides to go the lake palace / Jag Mandir. Since the tickets prices increases in the evening, i grabbed the tickets fir morning and went first towards the lake palace. The boat ride through the lake Pichola was one beautiful ride. Only a small portion of the Jag Mandir is open to the public. After spending more than an hour there clicking pictures, i took the boat back to the city Palace.
I would say, this is the most crowded place in the whole of Udaipur. So many people and such a huge palace. But once you actually enter the palace, you'll not be bothered by the crowd, because of the beauty, that the palace is. Its colorful, creative and magnificent. You see the Udaipur city as the white city from the balconies of the Palace. The bright colourful glass windows, is truly like a dream. It took me hours to soak in the palace. Tired and exhausted, but immensely satisfied, i left the palace, in search of some "ghar ka khaana" and found right that at Neelam's restaurant. Its a small place, so keep an eye on boards or ask around(The people of the city are very helpful). After eating till i can't walk, i called it a day and went back to the hostel to get some rest.
Once the sun started going down, i went to the Ambrai ghat, right around the corner from the hostel, to see the beautiful sunset. After the sun actually set, the Laka palace, which gets lit, is a sight to behold in itself.
I'm glad i chose Udaipur as the destination for my first solo trip. ❤️