Wander through India : NORTHERN EXPEDITION 2014 : DAY II

#Day 2: Udaipur– Behror sector

#7. The thought process this time was to see the Lake city as well prior to proceeding towards Behror which was at a distance of 567 Kms. Accordingly we were by 0800 hrs embarked on our impromptu Udaipur sojourn. Enroute we were fortunate to meet Mr Prakash who was as much a part of Udaipur as the lakes themselves. He literally waved my vehicle down and introduced himself. The deal was quickly worked out and soon we were following him through the winding streets of the city. Our sightseeing included the famed Lake Pichola , Dudh Talai Lake , Karni Mata Mandir and finally we requested that we would like to sample some culinary delights instead of the standard sightseeing monuments to which he readily agreed.

#8. Dudh Talai is a dainty little lake on the southern tip of Lake Pichola and if one visits the same in the morning it definitely leaves a mark for its delicate beauty. Lake Pichola , one of the more famous pearls of Udaipur definitely was worth visiting especially when viewed from the Karni Mata Mandir situated on the nearby hill top. The Lake has a rich history and is presently maintained by Taj Group .The Jag Mandir in the middle of the lake definitely adds to the charm of the picture frame as the sunlight gets reflected from the pristine white architecture of Lake Palace and the Jag Mandir. Btw as a noting, Lake Palace a part of the Taj Group has been voted as the most romantic hotel in India and the world for those willing to shell out the big bucks needed to enjoy the romance that is generated out there J

#9. After a sumptuous fare of parathas sitting on plastic stools outside the Vintage Car Museum which was thereafter smoothened with a sharp chai in those thick glasses of yesteryears we were ready to say good bye to our guide and philosopher Mr Prakash with whom we indeed did have a wonderful morning. Noon time saw us ready to roll from Udaipur towards Behror. The route involved way points of Chittorgarh , Bhilwara,Nasirabad,Kisangarh,Jaipur bypass and finally Behror. The network of highways involved the NH 76 followed by the NH 79 and finally we meet up the faithful NH 8 again at Jaipur bypass. The going was slow and somehow as much as I tried to speed up the schedule kept falling behind. Lunch was definitely in that segment which will remain etched in memory for having being done in one of those places that are a part of the landscape that we were crossing , even now as I close my eyes I can picture the INDOMITABLE standing outside a small open single roof structure with us sitting cross legged on coir charpoys ( u reading it right , I said charpoys and that too coir matted) and with hot rotis being served direct from the wooden tandoor in the background as the hot Rajasthani sun ensured that we kept downing the delicious chaas served. Ahh what to would do if one does not have memories, life would definitely be so bland!!!!

#10. A note on the traffic on these routes, originally these highways were the Trucker Highways; on my last visit I hardly crossed any light vehicles but this time the number had definitely gone up. But still these roads are a pleasure to drive upon as they meander through the core of Rajasthan state. Tea was served in a road side stall and the guy out there decided to offer fresh tea hence the entire cutlery including the tea jug was first cleaned and the detergent used was brick finely grounded to a fine powder and then put to use as a cleaning agent. Definitely took me back to my childhood days of enacting the children games that we all used to play!!!

#11. The NH 76 and 79 both run on the outskirts of the cities that have been mentioned bypassing them thereby ensuring that one is not caught in the local traffic that builds up as a town/city approaches. RTDC Behror was reached while the clock struck midnight and as we had telephoned ahead of our late arrival so there was not much of a hassle. A lot was accomplished on Day II with a visit of Udaipur city also thrown in, things were definitely picking up. Tomorrow is another long day as I had to reach Mandi in Himachal and that was supposed to start in a few hours of time; but more on that in the next post, for the moment let the visual effects follow J. Odometer at the end of the day stood at 73650.