Udaipur's Lake Palace

Udaipur is considered one of India's most romantic cities. In the middle of the placid Lake Pichola is the famous "Lake Palace". This beautiful white building (once the royal summer palace, now a luxury hotel) appears to be floating in the water with it's edges completely covering the small island it was built on. You may have seen it in the James Bond movie Octopussy.

Towering over the east bank of the lake is the City Palace, Rajasthan's largest palace. It is very well maintained and had many towers, cupolas, and balconies to explore.

I enjoyed a tour of Jagdish Temple, a Hindu temple known for it's black stone image of the Hindu god Vishnu, lord of the universe. It's exterior had very interesting carvings showing animals, kama sutra positions and people playing various musical instruments.
I returned in the evening for the music and chanting taking place at the temple. The locals there were very welcoming but giggled at me when I joined in by clapping along.