Rajasthan: Udaipur and Pushkar

After weeks travelling through the Thar desert it's a pleasant change to arrive in a city that's not struggling for water.
For the James Bond tragics amongst us, todays stunning panorama puts us in Udaipur, Rajasthans lake city and the setting for the 1980's, 007 movie classic "Octopussy".
Like Roger Moore, this town doesn't sparkle quite like it once did but there is more than enough action to keep us busy for a few nights.

Lake Pichola, Udaipur.

Womens work.

Whump, Whump, Whump and we wake to the sound of washing ladies beating their laundry with wooden paddles as they also go about their morning ablutions in the lake at the front of our hotel. Muslim call to pray over the loud speakers and touts already doing noisy business outside our hotel room. Definitely not the quietest part of town to be in, but certainly alive with activity and always a feast for the senses.

The maze of steep narrow lanes and alleyways that radiate away from the central lake areas ensure regular work for the donkey transporters.

When the heat goes out of the day there are plenty of good rooftop bars to enjoy the sunset happy hour views overlooking the amazing lake palace and hilly surrounds. We managed to catch up with some old travelling buddies that we'd shared drinks with from previous towns and again we share refreshments whilst updating each other with our recent adventures.

After a few days of fending off persistent shopkeepers and touts, lots of walking and too much eating, it's time to venture to the next town.

Pushkar

Looking just like all the other desert town we've visited in recent weeks, Pushkar initially left us feeling a little underwhelmed.

With almost as much religious significance as the Ganges, this is a town that all Hindi people must make a pilgrimage to at some time in their life. Along with the fair dinkum pilgrims there are plenty of european hippies and malingering deadbeats along for the cheap drugs and alternate lifestyle.