We woke up to another beautiful day in Udaipur. Blair & I ordered room service and ate our breakfast on our balcony. We accidentally ordered a vegetarian breakfast instead of vegan, so we didn't get to eat most of it. But, what we did eat was delicious, and looking out at the lake was a great way to start the day. Our first stop for the day was Animal Aid, an animal rescue organization just outside of Udaipur. Animal Aid is a hospital, home and sanctuary for abused and abandoned animals in Udaipur and the surrounding areas. The founders, Erika, Jim & Claire, are an intelligent, kind and generous family, who have lived in India for the last fifteen years. I really admire all the work that they have done and the sacrifices they have made in order to dedicate their lives to saving and caring for animals. Everyone should check out their website and read about their efforts.
Being at Animal Aid caused such a wide range of emotions for me: I felt sad from seeing the suffering of some of the animals, touched by the story of their healing, hopeful for the future of abused and neglected animals in India, and gracious to Jim, Erika & Claire for all that they do. It was an incredible experience to be able to be there and play with the animals, but it was a very draining day at the same time. We were all pretty famished by this time, so we headed to the Marble Pavilion for a picnic lunch. A big thank you to Singhji's wife for preparing the entire meal for us! It was so delicious, especially the dal, which ended up being my favorite dal from the entire trip.
After lunch, we went to the Garden of Maidens, a royal garden with fountains run by gravity. It was built in the mid-18th-century for the ladies of the royal family.
Our last day-time activity was to join some of Singhji's fellow members of the Udaipur Rotary Club in a game of cricket. It was really confusing, but fun, and after about thirty minutes I finally caught on to what was happening. Singhji was the sports announcer, and our drivers played with us, too. I was on Colleen's team, which was the winning team! Landin & I were named the MVPs of the game; Landin because he scored a million runs for us, and me, because I scored the winning run! Yay! At the end of the game, we were all given miniature cricket bats that we had all signed earlier. One of Singhji's friends came by with some street food samosas for us. They were definitely swadisht and a perfect treat after the game.
After this fun but exhausting day, Landin & I shared a bottle of whiskey on the porch of the hotel, while Blair had a massage at the spa. After we were good and sauced, it was time for another tuk tuk ride - this time to Singhji's house for our rooftop goodbye party and dinner. The party was perfection: great folk music, colorful dancers, free henna from Singhji's niece, a gorgeous view of the Royal City Palace, plenty of drinks, a delicious dinner prepared by Sinhji's wife [one last taste of that dal!], and, of course, a group of incredibly beautiful people who had become a family of sorts. Once again, it was a night full of a mixture of emotions: happiness and excitement from the party, yet sadness at knowing that this was our last big night together. The trip wasn't quite over yet, but it was coming to a close soon, and we all were dreading leaving mother India and each other.
breakfast [blair stirek]
animal aid [jennifer turner]
the pig area [colleen holland]
jim [jennifer turner]
mud [colleen holland]
erika [joel kraut]
donkey with cast [jonathan dipratna]
this cow was obsessed with kathryn [blair stirek]
some of the workers [jonathan dipratna]
dog in tub [jonathan dipratna]
minnie! she only has two legs but she's the happiest dog [jennifer turner]
blair with one of the puppies [blair stirek]
this man has polio and says that gives him a deeper connection to the sick animals [joel kraut]
the puppy i wanted to steal [blair stirek]
a sign at animal aid; the family are all vegans [michael lu]
Being at Animal Aid caused such a wide range of emotions for me: I felt sad from seeing the suffering of some of the animals, touched by the story of their healing, hopeful for the future of abused and neglected animals in India, and gracious to Jim, Erika & Claire for all that they do. It was an incredible experience to be able to be there and play with the animals, but it was a very draining day at the same time. We were all pretty famished by this time, so we headed to the Marble Pavilion for a picnic lunch. A big thank you to Singhji's wife for preparing the entire meal for us! It was so delicious, especially the dal, which ended up being my favorite dal from the entire trip.
the marble pavilion [michael lu]
where we ate lunch [michael lu]
laundry [jennifer turner]
singhji & family/friends with our picnic lunch [jennifer turner]
amandy with her lunch [colleen holland]
lisa & jennifer with their lunch [colleen holland]
landin & the view [jonathan dipratna]
a very proper monkey [jennifer turner]
After lunch, we went to the Garden of Maidens, a royal garden with fountains run by gravity. It was built in the mid-18th-century for the ladies of the royal family.
hin-glish [colleen holland]
fountain with elephants [michael lu]
all run by gravity & with water from monsoon-fed lakes [joel kraut]
flowers [joel kraut]
more flowers [jonathan dipratna]
azaleas [jonathan dipratna]
white marble fountain [joel kraut]
black marble [joel kraut]
Our last day-time activity was to join some of Singhji's fellow members of the Udaipur Rotary Club in a game of cricket. It was really confusing, but fun, and after about thirty minutes I finally caught on to what was happening. Singhji was the sports announcer, and our drivers played with us, too. I was on Colleen's team, which was the winning team! Landin & I were named the MVPs of the game; Landin because he scored a million runs for us, and me, because I scored the winning run! Yay! At the end of the game, we were all given miniature cricket bats that we had all signed earlier. One of Singhji's friends came by with some street food samosas for us. They were definitely swadisht and a perfect treat after the game.
waiting to play [jonathan dipratna]
joe & amandy at bat, laura catching [jennifer turner]
amandy batting, laura catching [jennifer turner]
singhji announcing [jennifer turner]
michael receiving his bat [michael lu]
our mini cricket bats [jonathan dipratna]
yummy samosa [jonathan dipratna]
this picture makes me sooo happy; singhji & zacji on a motorbike after the game [jonathan dipratna]
After this fun but exhausting day, Landin & I shared a bottle of whiskey on the porch of the hotel, while Blair had a massage at the spa. After we were good and sauced, it was time for another tuk tuk ride - this time to Singhji's house for our rooftop goodbye party and dinner. The party was perfection: great folk music, colorful dancers, free henna from Singhji's niece, a gorgeous view of the Royal City Palace, plenty of drinks, a delicious dinner prepared by Sinhji's wife [one last taste of that dal!], and, of course, a group of incredibly beautiful people who had become a family of sorts. Once again, it was a night full of a mixture of emotions: happiness and excitement from the party, yet sadness at knowing that this was our last big night together. The trip wasn't quite over yet, but it was coming to a close soon, and we all were dreading leaving mother India and each other.
the view of the City Palace from Singhji's rooftop [joel kraut]
our gracious hosts in auspicious red [michael lu]
the dancers were beautiful [jennifer turner]
they tried to teach some of us how to dance [jonathan dipratna]
ladies man [blair stirek]
our bartender-in-training [jonathan dipratna]
josie & the folk musicians [joel kraut]
indian joe [colleen holland]
amandy getting henna [joel kraut]
some of the better henna from the night [michael lu]
the ones in black [jonathan dipratna]
the moon that night [joel kraut]
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