Fairytale; fare thee well ;)

     As my time in Udaipur drew to a close I became very thankful for change. Despite the fact that Udaipur is stunningly beautiful, I was making friends, and milking cows , they were becoming my friends too, I knew I needed to get out. Some of my irritants were the market vendors who consistently called out to me everyday “look here Madam, how are you today, come inside my shop, where are you from?” You would think this last question was innocent enough but I learned that the vendors want to know where you are from so they know how to sell to you. Every country has a different code and etiquette in regards to sales. Some people shy away very easy and need to be given space, some people need lots of information and details about what they are buying. All these questions come down to the basic fact that you are an object; an item to be used solely for your tourist dollars. Despite the fact that I ignored these vendors EVERYDAY for the 16 days I stayed in Udaipur, they still tried! It became increasingly exhausting.
    Another frustration was the lack of places and spaces to walk. Udaipur is a city. With this city are just congested, busy, dirty streets, full of shops! I missed the green, or white, streets and paths of Canmore where I was free to meander as I pleased with no one, or no thing to bother me. I needed some peace.
    Lastly it was becoming evident that some hearts were on the line. I had the feeling that a couple of my male friends in town enjoyed my company a little too much and wanted more than friendship! With all these things, and needs, in mind I decided to pack up, leave the cows, and dogs, I mean guys (hahaha), behind, and head northeast.
    I will say that my send off was incredible. My favorite café in town, Jheel’s Restaurant, which had the best coffee and lots of flavored variations, employed a lovely man named Rhuba. For whatever reason Rhuba took a shine to me. I think I reminded him of a family member. Her treated me like a daughter more than anything else. Whenever I would arrive at the café, before I could even tell him my order I would have a cup of chai sitting in front of me piping hot! At no expense, of course! He would also pass me pakoras here and there. A very sweet man whose company I really enjoyed. My last full day in town Rhuba had told me to come to the restaurant for dinner. He said that he was preparing a very special meal for a dinner party, so I should come and reap the benefits of what he was preparing. That same day I had been chatting with a fellow traveler from Israel. He had decided to join me at Jheel’s for dinner that evening. What an incredible evening! From the food, to the fireworks, to the conversation, and Rhuba’s amazing presence it was an absolute delight. For a mere $6 we dined like kings and queens. We had a four course meal with an incredible dessert to finish! As India is in a continual state of celebration there were of course fireworks going off everywhere, as well as candle/flower offerings floating in the lake (enchanting), and a wedding processing booming through the streets. We are now in the high wedding season, so there is at least one every night! My Israeli friend and I chatted about life and everything within it. It was my second favourite night in Udaipur. My first was my first evening there which was Diwali ;)
    The next day I went back to Jheel’s to say goodbye to Rhuba. He was so sad to hear that I was leaving. He grabbed me and gave me the biggest hug and told me that I was the best visitor/tourist he had had all year. So incredibly sweet. I think we had a couple of goodbye’s in fact, and at each one Rhuba grabbed me and would again give me the biggest hug I had ever had. Just lovely.
    There were more goodbyes to behold as I had to say “sayonara” to my friends at the Arravali Guesthouse where I was staying and milking cows. Before catching my train to Delhi, Accrams’ sister had prepared a meal of chicken, rice, and a sweet that was made into ladoo. He called me out on to the balcony where he had everything laid out, including a table cloth on the table. I filled up on delicious, homemade Indian food before my long train ride to Delhi. Even more; he packed up all the leftovers so I had food for the train. He also arranged for a ride to the train station, my good friend Jamail, who had initially brought me to this wonderful guesthouse. Jamail had been hired that day by some tourists for sightseeing. But he took an hour out just to take me to the train station. When we got to the train station Jamail, like always, got two cups of chai for us to share together. He also gave me his contact information and told me to call if ANYTHING went wrong in Delhi. He most definitely became my Mother in this instant as he gave me specific directions for the hereafter; don’t trust ANYBODY, be careful with your bags on the train. At night people who get on from different stops will pick out of your bags or just take your bags. He told me “put your backpack under your head for sleeping and hook your legs or arms into your other backpack”. He also called his friend in Delhi to find out which bus station I had to go to get my bus to Rishikesh. He also took me right onto the train, found my berth, and got me water and a treat for the ride. Amazing. I couldn’t have been better looked after if it was my own family. I was so touched and grateful to have come to Udaipur and met all these wonderfully giving and thoughtful people. Incredible!
    To finish the day off there was a young guy in the same berth as myself. He spoke English. We made polite conversation and then I asked if he wanted to play a card game to kill time. I taught him Crazy 8’s, which was an incredible success! His friend, Krishna, everyone in India is named Krishna, got in on the game too. His friend didn’t have great English but he picked up the game very fast! The two of them taught me a little more Hindi, as we all needed to be on the same page with the changing suits. Pan (hearts), eeat (diamonds), tas (spades), and chir (clubs). At one point the man sharing my berth cheated by telling Krishna the incorrect name of the suit, as to suit him and NOT Krishna! Sneaky! 
    All in all amazing fare-thee-well to the fairytale city of Udaipur. An enchanting place full of palaces built for Maharanas, stunning buildings mirroring architecture of Venice, and enough charm to make you believe you are living a fairytale. Thanks Udaipur; amazing time!