Udaipur

Arrived Udaipur early yesterday following a 2 hour flight out of Mumbai, again on Jet Airways and again on time, without hitch. Just read an article in Times of India--Jet Airways and Sahara Air are merging and Sahara has an alliance with American Airlines. Could be seeing Jet in the U.S. in the future.
On Ronnie's advice, cancelled reservation at Lake Palace and staying at the Oberoi in Udaipur. Good advise--Oberoi is magnificent spread out structure. Both amazing and a maze. Cant find my room, can't find the restaurant and worried that I won't find my way out of this computer room.

Udaipur is my first itinerary mistake. Nice place but I wouldn't want to visit. Called the city of lakes and it does have three man made lakes and some pretty scenery; Aspen is better. Principal claim to fame is that it was the princely seat of the Maharana of Mewar, the only region throughout the Mugal empire that, although battle scared, remained fiercely independent. The Maharana still lives here but has ceded control to the Indian government. Nice place for a honeymoon, but not without a bride. With no tennis courts and broken racquet, guess I'll go out and buy some more rings.

OCCASIONAL THOUGHTS--1. Indian men don't really shake your hand; they extend theirs and permit you to grasp their fingers, offeriring no pressure or other response in return. Like kissing but not being kissed back. Perhaps it's intended to be a sing of ono aggression. Feels squishy to me.
2. As a group, I find Indians to be the nicest, kindest and most polite race of people I've ever met. How do I reconcile that with the incredible violence that daily menaces this society?
3. This is an armed camp. Most of the soldiers and police carry guns...big ones, and they are everywhere, at the entrances to hotels, all throughout out the airports, train stations, monuments a and shopping malls. I guess there is a lot you can do when you have 1.4 billion people most of whom are unemployed.

4. Indian English is only around 50-60% understandable to me, but .......adding up the populations of the Northern hemisphere, England and Australia comes to maybe 500,000,000. The Indian population, even if only 2/3 speak English, comes to 800,000,000 plus. Maybe it's now their language and we should learn to speak it their way. ("Why hello Max--Thees ees the dawcta")

5. Before leaving for India, I prudently prepared for the disease, dirt, chaos, crime and potential for violence which I had both read and been warned about. I have found absolutely none. Yes, I recognize that I am traveling the tourist route and staying in the very best hotels but I have done my best to cut loose from that dimension and have nevertheless never felt the least bit of danger or uneasiness, with two exceptions. I was hit with on the shoulder with an overhead bird dropping in Mumbai which triggered thoughts of bird flu (recently found around Mumbai)causing a power walk back to my hotel to eliminate the offensive substance. Second, I truly cringe at the thought of crossing a two way street clogged with passing vehicles unless, like a pilot fish clings to a whale, I find a native to shadow.