In Which I Write An Entry That Is Of A Reasonable Length

It was too much to resist, and Evan and I finally gave in to the temptation.

After all, with it everywhere around us, hounding us at every turn, it was bound to eventually break us down and give in to its spell.

Yes, my dear readers, last night Evan and I climbed four flights to a candlelit rooftop under the stars, sat down side by side, ordered some cool beverages and southeast asian cuisine, and deliberately watched Octopussy in its entirety, from the beginning to its action-packed, seduction-filled end. Dinner and a movie, Udaipur style.

It was, indeed, a highly entertaining flick, and quite the experience to watch the cameras pan across scenery that we only had to look a few degrees to the left to see in person. So be careful, everyone. I recommend NOT watching this movie with me pretty much ever, as I'll spend the whole time saying "oooh I've been there! oooh I've been there TOO!!" One of those places happened to be the other floating pleasure palace (you know, the one you don't need reservations to visit), which Evan and I had visited a few short hours before on a sunset boat tour. The movie had it all decked out in Octopussy opulence, replete with scantily clad ladies wandering about in colorful sarees. When we saw it it was more a reminder of resplendence past, still gorgeous, but without the harem-like feel, and instead of a force of devastatingly beautiful highly trained jewel thief circus performers, it was more a gaggle of photo snapping tourists ranging from grubby looking 20-somethings to massive group tours of retirees. Viewing the city of Udaipur from the middle of the lake resulted in yet another series of too many photos trying to capture the magnificence of something a digital camera just can't do justice to.

Evan and I leave Udaipur tonight on an 8:00 train to Jaipur, the capital of Rajasthan and about to become Delhi's equal in population, noise, and pollution. I have a sneaky feeling it's not going to be my favorite stop on the trip... but before we leave this land of lakes and palaces, here are a few jots and jolts I forgot to add...

We ended up switching hotels halfway through our stay, all the way to next door. Hotel #2 had a better room with soft pillows and blankets and a private bathroom for the same price (a whopping $1.50... books cost more than hotels here). Not to mention, Hotel #1 had these huge headless dolls on one of their balconies, dressed to kill in flashy flourescent colors, and gave us a vague sense of unease whenever we were sleeping.

There is a man who runs through the streets here hollering at the top of his lungs. Everyone is quite accepting.

Evan and I found that delicious falafel restaurant that night after a half an hour of wandering through the Udaipur streets trying to find a place that wasn't showing Octopussy with dinner. When we found Shivam Restaurant, it was extremely exciting... on their marquee was As Good As It Gets, which we thought would go down a bit easier with food.

At the ticket booth of the city museum there is a list of prices for different services, such as "entry fee," "camera fee," and "boat tour fee." Also on the list is "soft drink with a crystal touch" and "soft drink with a vintage touch," vintage being the less expensive choice, but both of which are at least twice the price of the entry fee. What are these? What do they mean???? Udaipur, Land Of Mystery...