Octopussy

Location: Udaipur
Country: India

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Udaipur has been really good. There are a lot of things to see here, but because I was here for quite a long time, I was able to combine a nice amount of shanty with site seeing.
The sites and activities worth mentioning:
Monson palace – Went up there to see the sunset. The palace itself isn’t of much interest as it is rather neglected, but the view from there is spectacular. It is said to be the most romantic sunset view in Rajasthan (not much use to me…..).

City place museum – Worth mentioning not because it was so interesting, but it is the first museum I have come across in India that actually has the right to be called that.
Rajasthan dance show – Brilliant, I think it is the best thing I have done here. I was expecting something in the same professional standard of the puppet show I saw, but it was great. There were a few different types of dances; each was great with very skilled dancers.
It was at a Haveli, which is like old Indian mansions, which are restored and turned in to museums, or sometimes in to hotels. So the setting was also beautiful.


Yesterday did a half-day tour with another Israeli girl in a rickshaw, just went to all the sites written in the lonely planet that I hadn’t seen yet.
Bhartiya Lok Kala museum was very nice, exhibiting costumes, puppets and masks. It could almost be described as a real museum.
Ended the day at a sunset point. Had to climb up an illogically high hill, but I have to admit it was well worth it. There was an abandoned fort, which we managed to get in to after giving a small bakshish, the view and sunset from there were amazing. It was only the two of us up there, so it was also very peaceful.

I made myself sit down and watch Octopussy. I am no big James Bond fan, but a James Bond film from the 80’s was more that I could endure. I watched the parts that were filmed in Udaipur and gave up soon after. And Roger Moore is so not good looking.

I have now seen most of what Udaipur has to offer and feel ready to be leaving tomorrow.

I want to address the question from my most loyal reader and commenter, Mum.
Cows are holy because they symbolize fertility. They are also knows for raising and nourishing their young ones.
I’m guessing it originates from their importanc to farm life.
Bulls are holy because Shiva (one of the main Indian gods) used them for transport.
Incidentally, snakes are also considered holy (yuck) because they symbolize fertility and prosperity.

I have been doing a lot of reading on this trip, but I feel the book I have just finished deserves a special mentioning – “Angela’s Ashes” by Frank McCourt.
I bought it because I remembered really liking the film, but the book is a masterpiece, it is just brilliant. Apparently I am not alone in this opinion, as it was the winner of the 1997 Pulitzer Prize.
I think Frank McCourt’s own words best describe the book and show the great style of writing:
“When I look back on my childhood I wonder how I managed to survive it at all. It was, of course, a miserable childhood: the happy childhood is hardly worth your while. Worse than the ordinary miserable childhood is the miserable Irish childhood, and worse yet is the miserable Irish Catholic childhood.”
If you haven’t read the book, I highly recommend it.

Strange point 1: Many of the guesthouse signs here have “Paying guesthouse” written on them. Is this to differentiate them from all the non-paying guesthouses?

Strange point 2: Many times when Indians want to know your name, they ask “What is your good name?” what on earth is the word “good” doing there?

Observation: Men in India wear women's earrings and go round holding hands with other men, and this in no way indicates that they are gay.

QuickTip: When you ask an Indian a question and he moves his head from side to side in that annoying manner, it either means he has totally no understanding of what you are saying or he has no idea what the answer is. You should ignore anything he says at this point, as it will not be relevant.