Udaipur Daily

Udaipur : The city of lakes with not just two lakes, Oh I discovered the other lakes!

Welcome to Udaipur!

Hi Friends, 

I know it is completely illogical for me to start a daily blog when I'm not even able to manage a monthly update. But with new places, new people and new year around the corner I guess it calls for a change. Scroll down to find out our misadventures and mistakes, so that you don't make one. 

Definitely, reading this blog is NOT a mistake. Some photos featured here are by dear friend Pavan Ampolu...Do check out his clicks and profile!

Check out more amazing photos here

Get,Set,Cheers!

Day 1 

With big dreams and excitement we reached this small city of Udaipur. The two day train travel had wrecked our brains and backs. But we were hoping to see all those beautiful places the Ambanis had flaunted. Little did we know what was in store. In fact the freezing winds had halted our brain function.

Little Dev had saved us from boredom. This cute little guy was indeed the best company we had all through the journey. His giggles filled the air with happiness. Ah! I miss him.

Screen shifts to Udaipur Railway Station.

The terracotta figurines all over the railway station walls were a spectacular sight. As we moved towards our hotel, we realised something was not right. 

A remote village, surrounded by marble estates, thank God for the cell reception, and small street stalls. 

We began our hunt for a home, for we were to stay for five months in this city. 

One after other, every landlord and broker turned us down but our high spirits and energy remained the same. That's when we decided to have breakfast. Since it was a Sunday, most of the streets were empty except for the 300Rs Leather jacket stalls, I wonder if ZARA, Versace, Armani and D&G were aware of their products being sold at a 90% discounted rate. Moving on,finally we found a place to eat. And guess what we had ?

VEG MASALA MAGGI at 60/- only. Here begins the story of how we were looted. Our sheer helplessness because of which we had to have this costly Maggi. Our house hunt continued only to face so many rejections in a day, and be looted by every possible street vendor. 

The flat visits turned into ghost house hunts once the society uncles and Chowkidars started to scare us of as if we had asked them to give us their daughter's hand in marriage. That's when we understood how terrible an image students in these localities had. 

The new definition here goes by;

Students : People who party all night, create nuisance, good for nothing, do not bathe, drugs, drinks, narcotics and God forbid, what not.

We decided to call it a day and returned to our hotel rooms. The temperature dropped by the hour and the number of teas we had went beyond our fingers. Once we reached our rooms, we started the next misadventure dinner plans, yay food right! Only to realise that Swiggy and Zomato didn't know the place where we lived. Omelette, Dal Bhatti (local cuisine) and Paratha welcomed us with their warm hands and consoled us. 

Back in hotel, we watched Avengers with the same curiosity and eagerness as we had watched for the first time. With great hopes and aspiration of finding a roof over our head soon, we slipped into a deep dreamless slumber.

***

Day 2 

What else feels heaven than a hot shower as the temperature drops to a single digit. We set out for our breakfast at our new friends' place. Hot Paratha with curd and sauce and flavoured cardamom tea delighted us as we still worried about...a home to stay.

We had extended our stay at this hotel, made a few friends who took care of our hungry stomachs, but this couldn't go for long. That's when we decided to go shopping. 

Yes, if confused go shopping. Surprisingly there was this mall in the middle of this village. As we walked towards this mall, we got some beautiful warm gloves from the very same place that sold 320rs Versace and Armani leather jackets.

Taraka the amazing photographer clicked this!

The mall was surprisingly huge and we did what every person in this century would do when they see something put up with glitters and lights - Selfies !

This seemed to be the only place that knew that christmas was round the corner. Up and down we went and glanced upon all those glass cages with red boards calling out to the inner shopaholic in me with their 50%, 60% and what not.

And then the best thing happened, our broker called. Being a responsible working person...is very irritating and we were alreading panicking. 

It is like a marriage proposal. We give our demands and arrange a meeting. Then if both the parties like each other we fix the wedding..oops the deal!

We set up our meeting at 7.30 in the evening and now everything had to go perfect. Like any other worried and tensed person, we too decided to eat. And there was McDonald's. For everything to go so smooth, this wasn't a film my friend. This McDonalds was the most fake thing we had seen! I still can't get over of how fake those wrappers, burgers, coke and the place felt.We stepped out in disbelief and behold. A traveller with foreigners. This was the first time we saw anybody else other than the villagers and localites.

Fast Forward to the main event of the day. The Meeting. It was love at first sight. The place was huge and grand with a beautiful garden and a swing in the middle; the type we dream of. The landlady so sweet and caring had agreed to take us in. Happiness grew no bounds. We fixed it and did what everyone else would have done. EAT! And what else could make you happy than those yummy Vada Pav! 

Home sweet Home

And did I say how much I miss my dear pals ? I never thought I would be saying this. That out of all these places in the world, I have started missing Vijayawada. Guess what! It is not just me.Back to the hotel as happy souls, guess what we watched. Avengers: Age of Ultron! Day 2 comes to an end with a bang...

***

Day 3

New home new beginnings. We bid a goodbye to our dearest Nashta Uncle and Chai uncle and began the journey. But this is my story, so nothing runs smooth. Guess what?  It seems like it was Ola Cabs turn to reject us. Now we had a home but no cab to go. One after the other, it went on and on until finally some uncle felt pity and took us Home. 

And here we were, happily looking at our palace. A beauty indeed. We stepped in, welcomed by our sweet landlady. We shared a Cadbury Dairy Milk because Mummy ne kaha hai, “start any new thing with the piece of Cadbury Dairy Milk, it will give good result”.

😃

Street foods in Udaipur do have a charm of their own. Dal Batti churma and the street Poori were pure delights. The Chai was the best, it had magic in it.  Did I tell you about the 6 Flavour paani poori...? Each poori with a different paani - Hing, Jaljeera,...I can't recollect any now. Oh you know what was my favourite? - Hajma !

Next Stop : Big Bazaar

Some old guy had said once long time ago that disasters bound to happen will happen.

Nobody warned us that Atta, oil and vegetables costs a fortune. Running house should be an olympic event. It wasn't even Day 1 and we were almost done. We even bought Patanjali goods, just imagine our plight! 

The new packing system of Big Bazaar actually surprised us. Colourful cloth coverings looked out of the world! Each trolley and basket looked like a rainbow. I wonder if they do this anywhere else 

🤔

It was already Day 3 and we had not seen a single lake! That's when the hoarding of India's largest Aquarium caught our eyes. Situated beside Fateh sagar Lake, it was near to us and we decided - Aquarium It Is !

It was around 5 and the beautiful sunset was beyond words. Can't explain its beauty. Excited to watch some fishes we jumped around to the ticket counter only to find a 130 Rs ticket...We were patanjali level broke and walked away in tears. Maybe another day. We didn't even join in the office and were still waiting for the salary day. The khulhad chai and the beautiful lake filled our souls. Well, even though it had two lakes, Udaipur is indeed the city of beautiful lakes.

***

Day 4

Today was the big day. First day at office had to be exciting. We all got ready and were ready to take on the adventure. It wasn’t as easy as you read the first two sentences. It was a nightmare, running around the house, thanking Amma for all that she did so flawlessly over the years, trying to grab a breakfast, understand the mechanics of a heater rod and finding the right temperature, figuring out the easiest breakfast options.

That's my Office

Somehow we managed to reach our office, sharp on time. A huge happy and playful dog pounced and welcomed us. Well, that wasn’t exactly I had in mind. But never-mind. Then came the dreaded stairs to our workspace, greeted by happy and smiling faces only to turn miserable in a few hours. Then came our senior architect. A beautiful lady who got real red hot angry occasionally. She and our chief architect briefed us how beautiful Udaipur was and how angry they usually get and why we didn’t have to worry about that.

As hours ticked by, the occasional teas became our solace. I had a single job. A jaali design which obviously had to take my entire day. 

Since childhood, I’m known for one thing. Talking and Talking. Every PT Meeting the teacher had a single complaint, “She talks and that too talks to people all around. Doesn’t matter if they are sleeping or doing something, she talks.”There isn’t a single time where I haven’t been scolded for talking. So the custom it was. I was scolded on my first day for talking. Well to be honest, I can’t stay quiet for more than 2 hours. When we used to have CBSE exams for 3 hours, I used to somehow finish it and come outside so that I can TALK! Yeah! I have done that.

🙆🙊

Back home we all slept like logs. Too tiring it was and let me spill this out- Office desk jobs suck! Most of us end up doing it, we ain't got a choice sadly... 

***

Day 5

So, our office has this strict policy regarding phones. Interns have to submit their phones as soon as they enter the office. So practically no talking and no phones. I could have DIED! Sometimes you get a lot of time to think. I thought a lot about the air, the colours and counted the panels also. What else do we do when you don’t have your phone ?

Let's shower Love upon Garima

for that lovely Mac and Cheese😍

So there I was doing the same old jaali design reciprocating upon my life decisions and also thinking about something to perform. Wonder what ? Our office has a tradition of Saturday Funday and we interns are supposed to perform or present something which is new to all. All I know is ‘Ghoomar’ and I wonder what I will do! Speaking of which, Ghoomar is totally relevant you know. It is the traditional folk dance of Rajasthan.

After lot of Gaalis (yellings) I completed the Jaalis (Motif screens). And I decided to call it a day. I had already begun counting days to get over with this. Some spice is definitely missing. And these chilly nights are stealing away my favourite sleep. Moreover, I miss my friends. I miss them like hell…

Back on our way home, we got some vegetables and life was smelling like adults. I wanna be a kid again. Oh did I say about the delicious Vada Paav and Chai ? The most heavenly thing in this place is their ‘Chai’. Can’t imagine how to not have these chai s when I go back !

Cooking was fun though, felt like a homemaker. Will you believe me if I told I made Rotis today ? Amma and grandma are gonna be really happy about this. Their girl finally learns to make rotis!

And I am big time missing people...How am I gonna live with this ? Any tips ?

My monkey sister also misses me. I miss us. I miss Home. This is the first ever Christmas we are away from home and it sucks...😢💔

Day 6,7..8..9..AHH!

I lost it. I have lost the count of how many days I didn't write. Hectic won't be enough to put my situation in. I'm not complaining but yeah it would be unrealistic if I were to say that I'm enjoying here. If I had a time machine, I would fast forward these 4 months here. That's how much I miss my family, friends and college.
People in college right now. This is for you. Enjoy these days. You are gonna miss them terribly. And no, Life doesn't get easier after college. It is just a white lie our elders tell us. It is the same lie like,
"Study hard till 10th, then it is full on fun only."
"Pass 12th with good marks and you can have the best time in college singing songs and lying down on lawns like in some university pamphlets."
No...I want my college back. Take me back to my friends!

It is chilling cold here and I'm the laziest person you can find in here. I have even lost the number of socks and sweaters I'm wearing right now.
Another piece of advice - Work in an office with at least 2 days off.
I'm the luckiest person on earth to work in a office where they do not have an off except for Sundays and that's IT! Not even Republic day !

And here I am wasting that beautiful sunday by ranting about my miseries....Sorry Folks!

Now since we do not have any day counts I'll just come up with some random headlines from here on like, 

The time I really died 
or The time a dog really liked me!

Oh did I say about Casper ?
Casper is our office dog, He is this huge 4 year old amazing dog who knows only to love and throw silly tantrums. He loves me or it is just that I think so. Every morning he hugs me and greets me, and for a person who was terrified of big dogs, I love this mate and he is no match to anybody. We have lunch together and let me tell you this- he is a vegetarian dog! Like he has no clue what yummy chicken or bone tastes like. His favourite is Parle G and carrots, I mean what dog is he ?!?

But he is the most adorable one I must say, his tantrums makes the boring and tedious office hours bearable. My fingers refuse to type even now! Can't even think of chatting with a person right now, I would prefer a call under my triple layer blanket castle!

Udaipur is a happening city but only until 9 at night. I mean, you won't find a single living soul after 9! 
Mornings and afternoons just fly off like I don't know what, I even forgot to breathe once! #lameness alert
The hot crispy jilebis make my 2.5 km walk back home eventful.
And the Shilpgram Utsav!
That was one good must watch I recommend. A 10 day cultural fest and exhibition showcasing local talents and stalls from all parts of the country. And me being a shopaholic and lover of cultural events made sure that I attended it in the first few days.
There were several Ghoomar performances and mouth watering snacks and fritters to accompany. Mewari Rab, Lucknow ki Makkan Malai, Rabdi,...hai hai...It is every food lover's dream!
This fest runs on till Dec 31st, anybody wandering around or near Udaipur, don't miss this amazing event!

The sun is out now and I'm finally ready to get out of my warm and comfy bed. Got to do a lot of sweater shopping! Catch up with you guys soon!

***

DAY something: What is a Sunday Morning to me?  

If you are expecting a one liner for an answer then it is;
It means everything to me and since it is the one sole day that I get off it holds the value of diamonds and nobody dare do anything to ruin my Sunday.

Somebody once told me how solitude was bliss but a chatterbox like me wrote it off and continued with my chatter. Now while i stand amidst a crowd, watching people row around in little swan shaped boats and children run around holding strong to their balloons but the fact that they are holding onto the balloons to earn a living is the most saddening part and while these little squirrels play hide and seek; I realize what that person meant. 

Are they offering prayers to the dark lord ?

The burden of these balloons over these little shoulders😟😭

I don't understand why this is the funniest!😅😂Swan rides in Sukhadiya Park

Solitude is indeed the bliss of life. The peace amidst the crowd, the traffic and all those vendors pleading for your attention. I really enjoy it now. And I think a chatterbox like me would have never known this if it wasn't for this place and that someone. I never thought I could stay silent for more than 10 minutes but here I am writing a testimonial for you guys to believe. I do remain silent at times. 

Shh...🙏that's enough of philosophy for today. Let's get back to business. So I work in this very corporate office that doesn't have a life except for my love Casper. Many had wondered and even messaged me thinking Casper was my new boyfriend but hold on I have updated his cute photos for your clarity. And I'm not ready to settle any soon, so stop imagining me getting a boyfriend. 

The best thing that happened this week was a neatly folded packing of white paper with my name scribbled on it. Put your wild thoughts to rest; it was my salary  . Like any other person I decided to buy Nutella😍. Oh isn't that what normal people do? 

With a low key beginning to this year, I expect this year to run normal if not extraordinary. Last year was indeed a roller coaster ride with so many highs and lows that probably if recorded by an ECG machine, it would have exploded. It was more of a seismograph than an ECG .

While I write all this, let me tell you I am hungover from the best pani puri I've had in a while. The 6 flavour magic I did tell you ages ago. Time is very slow here. It feels like ages. 

Ages since I left home and ages since I met my friends. If at all I had a time machine so that I could go backward in time and abolish internship and other rules and laws and come now and meet my friends and go to college like whenever I want to! I think like any other person, don't I?😏

Some good things end before even we get to savour them. Such was NasDaily. The internet is crying over its end and people have gone hayway. But Nas is different. He takes it as the beginning of something new. And that's the attitude I think we all should have in life. Goods and bads like salt and pepper; we need a combo not a solo. Gone philosophical again. What is wrong with me?

Next in line is a request or maybe an order. Lenskart, Fbb, Biba, centero, crosswords and whatever they are...Stop sending me free credits and lure me into your store. I'm broke like real broke. Please don't do this to me. I will cry.

This crying drama worked its magic a ton times when my sister used to do it. It was like her magic ticket and I used to tell here that she was the best at crying. She was indeed a pro at it.

Now let me thank all of you who made it up to the end of this page only to find that this didn't actually have anything about places in Udaipur but only how I'm living in Udaipur. Theenks youu guuuys  (with a heavy accent)!

See you on next parole. Next Sunday I mean!

***

Day:Playlists,songs and everything else

People call me the cheesiest person with an absolutely awful taste in bollywood music. And therefore, I rarely find or maybe never found anybody even with a remotely similar taste. But the long wait is over and it looks like I have finally found somebody! I haven't talked to the person at all like not even a hello. He is the 3D Visualiser in our office and is also in charge of music played during the office hours.We share almost same taste in songs. Every morning I come humming to some song in my head and lo and behold, that track is playing loud on speaker. I can't even tell you how insanely true this is! That's the next good thing in office.

This office work has taken me to an insane and mundane world. Now I see myself pressing the space bar for everything.(AutoCad users can get the reference. For others, let me break it down: In AutoCad software, you use spacebar as an alternative for the enter key after every command.)

Most of our office hours has our senior architect yelling over us. She is a specimen I must say. An oxymoron. Like she is the little 5 year old kid a minute and at the next minute she is your worst nightmare. Your soul gets offended and embarrassed if she scolds and she scolds like every 3 minutes. Everyday I expect this quota and go to work. It feels less horrible when you expect and turn up for work. Today too I had my share of scoldings and then guess what she did?

She played Baby shark and started enacting it. I mean what is she even. I don't understand women!
Well, if you are a fan of poetry and tiny tales, why don't you pay a visit on my ttt handle ?

I'm Rachelle on ttt!

Let's meet soon!


***

Day: My Boss

Day by day I slowly realise how this page is deviating from being a travel blog to my daily diary. Well, life is not so good, let's forgive that bit.

If Chetan Bhagat asked me what the three mistakes in my life were, I have got the list ready. Coming to Udaipur is definitely on the list though it does not top it. Dangerous dave and Mario had easier life. It looks like I bit myself like the snake in snake xenzia.

As I jump into the second month of my training, I thought out of nowhere to add my colleagues and boss as my facebook friends. Phew!, Thank God, for I had received enlightenment. All that I write in my blog would have been used against me. I didn’t see that coming.

If our practical training was meant to teach us how to handle an architectural firm, what i’m learning is how not to handle one. The first lesson definitely being too have an official common language which is understood by all and spoken by all.

There is a movie in Malayalam titled MY BOSS, which is the most relatable movie right now. The entire movie is based on the plight of an employee who has to face the wrath of his short-tempered and arrogant boss. There is a humorous sequence wherein he asks his colleague how he adjusted and managed to continue through these yelling and scoldings. To which he advises him the following. “Every time she scolds you, go to the washroom and scold her and flush it down. If your anger doesn’t lower down, break a bucket or two.” This has to be the most practical advice anybody has ever given. If I were to follow this, I would go bankrupt from buying buckets!

Who is gonna gather some guts and tell her that yelling wouldn’t solve any problem and she should be focussing on analysing the situation. After yelling all day long, she expects us to tell her everything. Now you might think that it is because we trainees don’t know a thing and might be giving her a hard time. But let me stop you right there, three architects left this firm in 3 months. Moreover her antics are quite famous. Our friend’s colleagues asked why we even chose this place. Everybody knew about it except us! Our senior who worked here earlier didn’t even warn us! I wouldn’t want even my enemy to come here and suffer. While all our friends are learning new things and having a gala time in their training period, here we are counting days backwards!

96 days to go!

Have a great day guys!

***

Day : I felt like writing today

I know it has been forever since I updated this page. Things were really going downhill and I didn’t even have time to rant about them. Office got hectic with each passing day and I thought that I had forgotten to smile. That’s when I decided to take a break. On the day, India celebrated its independence day, I set out on my first solo trip to Ahmedabad. Do check out the post where in I have outlined all about it. 

What I had been searching for in Udaipur was exactly what I found in Ahmedabad and being the shopaholic I’m, you must have guessed what I will be doing on my next visit. The purpose of the visit was to meet my darling friend who decided to intern in Ahmedabad with everybody else but ended up alone. But the trip opened several horizons which I had never thought about earlier.

Well, things are changing and I can feel it. My boss came to the office and appreciated me for some renders I had done earlier this week. When he said he was impressed, my face lit up like a 1000 watts bulb (in the words of my very own colleague and room mate). It was after quite long like really long, I had heard somebody appreciate me for my work and that made all the difference. To be very honest, my self-confidence had hit rock bottom in this last month of working here. But this small remark actually huge remark has had a great impact on me. I looked in the mirror after a long time and was happy. Last night, we had attended a conference on sustainability and innovations in cement. Pardon me for this, I went for the lavish dinner that followed. This was the first conference where we all went and dined together. Some things which our Sir told really struck me. He said that he rarely appreciated because it would lose its value if it was showered upon you every now and then. I must say that some thought perfectly synced with mine and I felt better. He also added how we only got to see the hurricanes and tornadoes in the office and had missed all the good times. Well, that ignited a little hope of things turning better.

Sometimes it's perfectly okay to feel low. We all make bad choices and decisions. But that will make us even better people. 

***