Day 9 - Udaipur continued
Today was a free choice day in which we could partake in a number of activities or just wander the city. Everyone in the group had very different days!
I chose to join a small group for breakfast at a German bakery. There I had a cinnamon roll and ice coffee (which was actually coffee with a big glib of whole fat ice cream *drool*).
After breakfast, Jill and I wandered up to the city palace, pursuing the shops and market stalls. I bought two pairs of shoes (embroidered sandals and pointy slippers) and some bracelets.
While Jill explored the palace, I went to a local cooking class. I learned the basic Indian spices to have on hand, traditional cooking techniques and that I am very bad at making bread in any form. What we made in class was also our lunch, so we tried our best. We made samosas, palak paneer (spinach and cheese dish), jeera rice, dahl, bhindi masala (okra in spices), and chapati. It was delicious and no, I will never be able to make it right again despite taking diligent and detailed notes.
After class, a couple girls and I went shopping again. I had a custom shirt made in under an hour for under $10 Canadian. I love it and your all sure to see me sporting it soon.
By this time, I had to zip back to the lake to catch our sunset boat ride. Just as we launched from the dock I spotted a flash of vibrant blue. It was a male kingfisher!! I got so excited I accidentally elbowed the girl next to me. I yelled for the driver to please turn around and captured several blurry, low quality photos before the bird flitted away.
When the boat was safely back in the harbour, the girls all went to get cold lassi from a nearby rooftop restaurant. As my cold has now become a chest cough and congestion, I opted to go back to the hotel a little early and prepare for our 5 a.m. local train departure to Pushkar.
Tomorrow is the culmination of a 9-day festival and Pushkar is a holy city, so we have been warned that things might be insanely crowded. It is a strange city to be in for a party as there is no meat, egg or alcohol allowed in Pushkar. Party party?
I chose to join a small group for breakfast at a German bakery. There I had a cinnamon roll and ice coffee (which was actually coffee with a big glib of whole fat ice cream *drool*).
After breakfast, Jill and I wandered up to the city palace, pursuing the shops and market stalls. I bought two pairs of shoes (embroidered sandals and pointy slippers) and some bracelets.
While Jill explored the palace, I went to a local cooking class. I learned the basic Indian spices to have on hand, traditional cooking techniques and that I am very bad at making bread in any form. What we made in class was also our lunch, so we tried our best. We made samosas, palak paneer (spinach and cheese dish), jeera rice, dahl, bhindi masala (okra in spices), and chapati. It was delicious and no, I will never be able to make it right again despite taking diligent and detailed notes.
After class, a couple girls and I went shopping again. I had a custom shirt made in under an hour for under $10 Canadian. I love it and your all sure to see me sporting it soon.
By this time, I had to zip back to the lake to catch our sunset boat ride. Just as we launched from the dock I spotted a flash of vibrant blue. It was a male kingfisher!! I got so excited I accidentally elbowed the girl next to me. I yelled for the driver to please turn around and captured several blurry, low quality photos before the bird flitted away.
When the boat was safely back in the harbour, the girls all went to get cold lassi from a nearby rooftop restaurant. As my cold has now become a chest cough and congestion, I opted to go back to the hotel a little early and prepare for our 5 a.m. local train departure to Pushkar.
Tomorrow is the culmination of a 9-day festival and Pushkar is a holy city, so we have been warned that things might be insanely crowded. It is a strange city to be in for a party as there is no meat, egg or alcohol allowed in Pushkar. Party party?
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