greetings from udaipur

ok, i think i've died and gone to heaven. i'm on day 3 of the solo portion of my travels and am having the time of my life. it was a bit hectic getting out of goa and up to rajasthan but i made it, a bit sleepy, but it worked out just fine. basically i left goa at 5am with a one way ticket to delhi and didn't have the rest worked out (annoying websites not taking foreing credit cards). i was a little scared i might be stranded in delhi with no place to go but i figured out how to get from point a to point b, got my tix to udaipur and i was off (amazing race!). only after staying in the airport for a good 3 hours and eating the best mcdonald's mcveggie burger EVER. why don't we have those????

anyway, i got into udaipur around 4pm. a really nice driver brought me in from the airport chatting the whole way. he invited me to his house for dinner while i was here. so sweet. made it to my guesthouse which i randomly picked out of lonely planet (lots of places were booked so this one seemed ok). it was a beautiful old haveli (big old house with an open middle) with little balcony nooks overlooking the lake. my room was on the top floor past the rooftop restaurant. the room was decent but didnt' have a view which was a bit of a bummer but it would do just fine for the night.

after a quick nap i took myself out to the restaurant for the best chai ever, just in time for the sunset over the lake. HEAVEN I TELL YOU. i was blissed out. decided to take a walk around the neighborhood, feeling brave and confident to be on my own. as i passed by men from shops called out saying hello, how are you, where you from? i just kept walking saying hello as i passed. i wasn't nervous but was keeping my guard up as this was the first time walking alone at dusk. i walked over the bridge to see a different view of the city. twinkling lights from the buildings glowed off of the lake. this must be one of the most beautiful cities ever. i was content.

as i headed back to my hotel, a man in a shop asked if we could talk. he seemed kind so i walked over to him. he pulled out a stool from his shop and we started chatting. that lead to him inviting me to a rooftop restaurant for tea. we talked politics, religion, relationships all in a matter of time. another lovely intro to my journey. i didn't want to give him the wrong idea (just in case) and mentioned my boyfriend. hehe. we chatted some more and that was that.

next morning i switched hotels as i realized my place was quite pricey compared to others (and i wanted a VIEW, a room with a view!). my new place is much cheaper and the room is great. yesterday was a LONG ONE... i really packed it in. started at the city palace which was incredible architecture and history. then took a boat ride to an island palace on the lake. wandered through the narrow streets meeting more shopkeepers and taking their photos. i met 3 sweet muslim boys who became my fast friends. we did a full photo shoot on the river bank with bathing women in the background. they took my to a hindu temple where i watched a mini-ceremony. there were the perfect companions as i was able to see some of the off-the beaten track areas and took some amazing photos of the people hanging around. i can't wait to show you all the pics!!

anyway, ended the night by seeing a touristy but beautiful traditional music and dance show. then had dinner on another rooftop where they were showing "octopussy". apparently you can see it every night as it was filmed here. HA! it was hilarious. i went for one more view on one more roof before heading to bed (i was pooped) and then ended up haing a long chat with an american guy who had just finished the army--pretty interesting stories from him.

let's just say i feel like i've done more, seen more, experienced more in the last day then the whole time i've been away. phew! i'm LOVING THIS!!!!! big thanks to karina for encouraging me to come to rajasthan (i worried about the weather but it's totally fine... hot during the day and cool at night. i can totally deal with dry over humid). i think i'm going to check out mount abu tomorrow but nothing is set. the nice guy at the hotel is going to take me to the markets this afternoon. i want to buy everything (but don't want to carry it). oh the dilemas!

anyway, i know that was way too long. sorry i haven't responding to individual emails but thanks for sending them. it's lovely to hear from you.
missing you all but loving it here.