Udaipur

Sunrise

Everything centres around the lake. Upon arrival we were greeted with welcoming strands of fragrant red roses and tika (not food - but red dots on the forehead) before heading up to the roof for stunning views of the full lake (the monsoon has been good this year) and across to the old town on the other side - and we were still there at dusk. After dinner, drinks were taken in a nearby cafe on the lake's edge. When the waiter headed towards the lake with three empty tea cups, I though he was getting water for our lemon, ginger and honey tea! Thankfully not - although beautiful from a distance, the lake is not to be inspected to closely! I am now sitting in my multi-arched balcony watching the sun as an orange sphere, rise above the domes and triangular shapes of the temples on the opposite shore. Flocks of dark crows and kingfishers swoop overhead as the city gradually comes alive. The pale purple of the early morning gives way to stronger contrasts as the echo of brightly clad women beating cloths at the ghat on the shore is accompanied by ringing bells and chanting.