Udaipur

After our hectic few days in Mumbai, Ron and I were looking forward to leaving the big cities behind. Our next stop – Udaipur.

Thinking it would be better to travel in the early morning when it would be cooler, I’d booked a six o’clock flight.

Getting an Uber in the middle of the night in Mumbai was easy, and even though it was three o’clock when our transport arrived, the city streets were still busy.

The twenty-minute journey passed without incident, and as our taxi entered the airport grounds, passing through yet another checkpoint, we caught a glimpse of the imposing international terminal – the white marble against the night sky giving the impression of an elongated structure something like a hovering spaceship.

It was our first internal flight and our first experience navigating India’s airport security.

I watched as passengers lined up outside the departure hall entrances confused at which we should take.

We opted for a queue where an official in army uniform was checking passports and flight documents.

All went well, and once inside the cavernous departure hall, we checked bags at the Indigo Airlines drop-off counter and then made our way to the carry-on baggage checkpoint.

The officers were meticulously, but this meant a considerable pinch-point in the proceedings, with people frantically trying to grab their belongings once they’d been processed, desperate not to miss their flights.

I also discovered that women have their own line for being body-checked – carried out behind a curtained area away from the men. The search was quick and efficient, and I retrieved my bag well ahead of Ron, whose replacement hip had set off alarms -again!

I watched with amusement as, yet again, he was taken to one side to be body searched (it was now a regular occurrence for him when passing through checkpoints). Once the official was satisfied he wasn’t a threat, they waved him on his way.

Our flight arrived in Udaipur at 7.30 am, and it was a relief to find our driver waiting to take us to our accommodation – Little Garden Guest House. 

I thought we’d have to wait until the advertised 2 pm check-in, but the owners were happy to give us our room on arrival. I wasn’t going to argue, especially as we’d been up since two that morning.

The guest house, on a quiet side road, was accessed via a gated archway. Inside was a large courtyard with a beautiful, old stone building, with a veranda on the ground floor and a balcony above. The owner explained it had been the family home and had been in their family for generations.

Booked into a room on the third floor, I slowly made my way up the stairs but was struggling for breath when we arrived. Seeing my discomfort, the young man who had escorted us called the owner, who readily agreed to give us a room on the ground floor. It does pay to be an oldie sometimes!

Our room was delightful, with a four-poster bed, sofa and bright, modern furnishings. After the whirlwind of travel since our arrival in India, this was just what we needed, a place to relax and allow our bodies and minds to catch up with one another. A chance also to try to shake off the chesty cough that was still causing me discomfort.

Delhi was our arrival city, a chance to recover from our flights. Mumbai was an opportunity to walk in family footsteps.  Our arrival in Udaipur marked the real start of our holiday and I couldn’t wait to get started.