All that glitters... in Udaipur

I’m sitting on the rooftop of our hotel in Udaipur, India’s answer to Venice, waiting for another picturesque, golden sunset to disappear behind the mountains (and for the bottle of Kingfisher I’ve just ordered to appear). It really doesn’t get much better than this.

This is our final stop in Rajasthan before heading to Mumbai, and I daresay we have saved the best til last. The frighteningly eighties Christmas decorations in the rooftop restaurants of Jaipur and Jodhpur are, as they should be, a thing of the past. Instead, miniature paintings, tasteful lighting and Rajasthani windows are the setting for what can easily turn into hours and hours of gazing at the grandiose Lake Palace Hotel* - an island floating on the glistening Lake Picholi, which reflects the former residence of the royal family back into your squinting eyes.

So what makes Udaipur any different to other Rajasthani citites? Well for a start, it’s the first place in India we’ve seen with public rubbish bins in the street, perhaps a contributory factor in the streets being comparatively cleaner than the rest of northern India. I’m not saying you won’t nearly step in cow dung every ten seconds as you walk through the town, complete with India’s trademark: scooter tyre tracks running through each pile, but even the small, local shops (a haven for fellow magpies who like anything that glitters) are better presented than those in neighbouring cities. This is the place that transforms a busy backpacking trip into a glamorous holiday - if only we weren’t wearing backpacks.

Being wooed by this achingly beautiful city can make you unintentionally overlook the stark divide between poverty and downright luxury. The Hanuman Ghat area is packed with absolutely stunning hotels and romantic restaurants (or trendy, laid-back eateries, depending on what floats your boat). Of course, Isma and I almost always feel out of place - whether it’s because we’re the snobs who want clean glasses in the quick and dirty Dosa bars, or the paupers that have to order a soup to share instead of blowing our budget on a Lamb Rogan Josh in a posh hotel terrace. Most restaurants offer spectacular views of the huge City Palace on the other side of the lake, but keep looking further left and you’ll see Gangaur Ghat - the area where many poor women can be found washing clothes and bathing in the lake during the day, which on closer look is actually murky and littered - reminding us that all that glitters is definitely not gold.

Guess what I found out in Udaipur?

1. Udaipur is mentioned in Rudyard Kipling's The Jungle Book - it’s he birthplace of Bagheera, the fictional panther in the King's Menagerie.

2. Because of its picturesque and scenic locations, Udaipur has been the shooting location for many Hollywood and Bollywood movies. Indian sections of the James Bond film Octopussy were filmed in the city.

3. There are many art schools which are worth a visit - you can see how the incredible miniature paintings are created. You’ll see hundreds of reproductions of the traditional horse, elephant and camel painting first produced in the 16th century. The elephant, from Jaipur, symbolises power; the horse, from Udaipur, represents good luck; and the camel from Jaisalmer, love.

4. *The Lake Palace Hotel is a palace that was converted into a luxury hotel. It costs around €400 a night if you can actually reserve a room - the hotel is usually fully booked months in advance.