Nomad Diaries: Workation from Udaipur
Udaipur was my final destination in the month-long workation in Rajasthan. I booked my flight tickets in October 2022 to land in Jaipur, cover Jaipur, Pushkar, Jaisalmer, and Jodhpur, and return to Hyderabad from Udaipur. Google Maps :)
Also, the weather in Udaipur in February is pleasant and bearable, and I can’t withstand cold temperatures. Due to this reason, too, I had Udaipur towards the end of the trip.
After a hectic bus journey of 6–7 hours from Jodhpur, I reached Udaipur on 11th February. I reached there late at night, around 11 pm, and reached The Hosteller, where I booked my stay. The Hosteller is in the old city, within walking distance from The City Palace, lakes, and several ghats.
I was excited to be in Udaipur for multiple reasons, including Instagram reels and pictures. I had planned a 5-day trip here, reaching Udaipur on the 13th and leaving on the 18th.
Due to the change of plans when I was in Jaisalmer, I extended my stay in Udaipur by leaving Jaisalmer two days before and covering Jodhpur during the weekdays so that I could travel and explore Udaipur on weekends. I reached on 11th, Saturday.
Since my stay there was extended, I wasn’t in a rush to cover the places there the very next day, i.e., Sunday, 12th February.
City Palace
I woke up late, at around 9 am. Refreshed and had breakfast (yummy Maggie at a roadside stall). Unwillingly I started towards the City Palace, which is within walking distance from my hostel. Even before I walked for 2 minutes, I realized I needed rest, and the sleep wasn’t sufficient to roam around.
Went to the hostel and slept. When I woke up, I realized the folks inside my dorm checked out, and new people had checked in! It was around 2:30, and I had lunch at the famous Village Cafe and Restaurant beside The Hosteller.
After having lunch, I walked towards The City Palace.
The Udaipur City Palace is beautiful. I was in ‘awe’ while walking inside the palace from one building to another, wondering how craftful and artistically inclined they were.
It took me over 2 hours to complete the visit to the Palace, and I felt the entry ticket price was worth it, unlike the Jaipur City Palace. If you’re visiting with family, you better hire a guide at the entrance to get the context of most of the things there. I walked slowly and read the text beside every painting, armory, and beautiful interior hall.
I returned around the evening and found a family (a lady with her two kids) from Norway on the way. The kids (aged 5–7) were asking their mom to stop at all shops to purchase toys. It was fun to watch, remembering my childhood when I used to cry in front of any shop where I liked a toy to block my parents from moving further.
I briefly spoke to the lady, and she mentioned they were on a trip to India for two weeks, and she and her kids absolutely loved India.
On my way back, I visited the Jagadish Temple, near the City Palace. It is good. The architecture and the carvings are too good to miss. It is one of the good temples I’ve visited on this trip.
After returning to the hostel, I met a fellow hostel mate, Navaneeth, who was in Udaipur for a two-day trip.
He just came from the City Palace and was thoroughly impressed. We spoke at length for almost two hours, and his friend studies at IIM Udaipur. He got a couple of recommendations from his friends — where to eat, what to visit, etc.
Since we had a late lunch and weren’t hungry, we walked about 2.5 km to a popular eatery called Natraj Dining Hall and Restaurant, where the Rajasthani Thali is famous. We had a stomach full of dinner and returned to the hostel, vaguely planning for what to do the next day.
We both really were in sync, narrating each other’s experiences of education, work experience, and movies. Navaneeth narrated his experience of working with a meat-delivery platform during his MBA Internship and how he had a great learning curve in understanding the business. He even accompanied the delivery agents several times to learn what their daily job entails. I had a good time listening to his story.
Monsoon Palace, Lakes and more
We both decided to explore Udaipur and return by lunch, as Navaneeth had a train in the evening. When in Udaipur, it’s better to rent a bike because you’ve places in around a 10 km radius, and it’s easier to rent a bike when you have a person accompanying you so that you can travel on your own accord.
We rented a bike near the Hosteller (I forgot the bike rental place name!). Then we headed to have breakfast and planned to visit the Monsoon Palace (Sajjangarh Palace).
We had breakfast, turned Google Maps on, and followed the Google Maps instructions with the utmost attention. We reached the entry point of the Monsoon Palace, where there was a toll to pay for the entry of vehicles.
We didn’t know the view we would witness from the top and were just talking on our way up the hill. The Sajjangarh Palace was used as a place of residence during monsoon, hence the name Monsoon Palace. It is atop the hill with a beautiful view of the mighty Aravallis and the calming Fatehsagar Lake.
We took a couple of pictures there, and the place exceeded my expectations. I’d strongly recommend visiting this place soon after the rainy season to witness the breathtaking greenery surrounding the Palace. Perhaps if I visit this place again, I’ll ensure I go there only in October or early November. It was a pleasant experience for both of us. Loved the scenic views.
From there, we decided to cover as many places as possible before lunch. For lunch, we thought of visiting a lake-view restaurant near the hostel. Coming down the hill, we headed towards Fatehsagar Lake.
We didn’t stop at the lake but were circling the lake on the bike. It was around 12 pm, but the Sun wasn’t angry with us.
We covered Fatehsagar Lake and would recommend visiting it either early in the morning or during sunset. No middle ground 🙂
Navaneeth already had a list of places in his mind, and we were going from one stop to another without even rethinking.
From there, we visited Saheli Park, a floral park with historical significance and maintained well. It was a beautiful place again, but not like something we hadn’t seen. We walked inside and covered almost everything inside that park. There were families who came with their kids, carrying food and enjoying the moments with their loved ones in a place covered by greenery and serenity.
We were hungry, and without further delay, we went to the famous Udaigarh Restaurant, a lake-view side restaurant with good food.
Apparently, a Hollywood movie starring Dev Patel was shot at that restaurant, and they have the film poster on the restaurant walls (The Best Exotic Marigold Hotel). The food was okayish, not matching the ambiance they had.
We returned to the hostel and rested for some time. In the evening, I bid him farewell. Though we had known each other for less than 24 hours, it felt like a longer acquaintance. We spoke a lot, walked on the roads for a long time, roamed around the city and surrounding places, and had a good time.
I had heard that there was a Tibetan Market near the station and went there hoping to purchase winter wear. To my surprise, they closed for the year. They roam around the country and open their market in major cities for a month or two. They started shifting to Kolkata and mentioned they’ll open again next year. Hard luck!
I was there for the rest of the week but haven’t visited other places as I was alone and had loads of work. I had plans to visit either Mount Abu or Chittorgarh Fort but couldn’t go there due to bad health and discomfort.
Since I was on a workation for more than three weeks, I yearned to return home and have proper food — rice and regular breakfast like Dosa or Idli or Vada.
But I visited new nearby places, ghats, lakes, or temples every day. Since it was mid-February, the temperature slowly started to increase.
I was happy with my stay at Udaipur and would definitely visit the place again during the early Winter season to witness the greenery and cover the surrounding places that I couldn’t complete this time.
Thanks to Shubham at The Hosteller and my friends on Instagram, who made this trip awesome by suggesting places to visit in Udaipur.
Udaipur is one such city that has high-end malls and narrow roads. It has all major multinational restaurant chains and is famous for its street food. It has a rich cultural heritage and monuments while preserving the lakes and natural heritage. It has my love!
You can visit Udaipur alone, with your partner, entire family, friends, or colleagues. It has a lot to offer to everyone visiting the place.
Happy Travelling 🙂
Until next time…
