Saturday 10th February 2007: Udaipur

Oh God, oh God – my penultimate night in Udaipur! What a day, too… singing lesson at 8.30, then finishing my Delwara report, washing endless clothes, final Natraj for lunch with Zelda, roaming Udaipur for the last time in the afternoon, goodbye visits to Hari, Bablu, Dinesh and others. Seeing Lake Pichola from Bablu’s rooftop, achingly beautiful in this lightly overcast weather, bounded by the endless greys of the Aravallis, Lake Palace serenely unconcerned in the middle. I went down to Gangaur Ghat and saw for the last time what had been my first view of the lake. By now the Palace was lit up and the moist wind was blowing into my face. I knew it was the last time and I burst into tears. Then, the final trip to Fateh Sagar with Prakash and Shiv, intense argument and inane banter for the final time. Now the tropical wind is blowing and the rain is pouring, and my emotions are mirrored perfectly outside.