Diary: Saturday 11 March 2000

Saturday 11 March 2000

Continued our journey through Rajasthan to Udaipur. If you ever wanted to deck your house out with marble, then this is the place to come. We passed hundreds of enterprises selling marble blocks, slabs and tiles. There were many large marble processing factories as well, so I guess there must be quarries in the area. Marble dust and slurry lines the sides of the roads and penetrates everything. The road to Udaipur took us through Nathdwara and Eklingji, both listed as having sites of interest (temples). We kept out eyes open but didn’t see anything worth stopping for.

We arrived in Udaipur mid-afternoon, the perfect time to take afternoon tea at one of the Palaces! We indulged ourselves with sandwiches, scones, jam and cream (whipped not clotted), cakes and tip quality tea (not chai). We remembered tea with Granny. The tea room is situated in a Palace that still has one wing occupied by the Royal Family. Plush furnishings , opulent surroundings and a stunning view over the lake really brought home the gulf between the ‘haves’ and the ‘have-nots’.