Welcome to Udaipur

It’s been about 2 weeks since I arrived in India and in Udaipur, but I haven’t really processed the fact that I’m here. Since the moment I got here, work has been an all-consuming adventure. Briefly, what I’m doing is working for an American company that plans and operates volunteer trips and internships at NGO’s. As the site director, my job is basically to take care of the volunteers, plan their schedules, and take them on some trips. So far, I’ve been extremely busy, but I think it’s going well.

I have one co-worker here. I have requested he not call me “Priya, ma’am” anymore. He takes me to work on the back of his motorcycle and helps explain all things Indian. We get along well.

It’s really hot here. It’s hard to do anything, including sleep. Rumor has it the monsoon will start on June 22^nd which will make things cooler, except when it’s sunny, then it’ll be hot and humid…

Due to the heat, the so-called city of lakes is currently lacking. The lakes are 75% dry and are mostly inhabited by grazing cows and children playing. Because of this and the heat, the city is also lacking in tourists. I’m currently staying in the old city (aka tourist area), but half the store fronts are closed and most of the hotels and restaurants are undergoing renovations.

That's supposed to be a palace in the middle of the lake, but there's no lake:

Udaipur and Rajasthan are definitely a different India than I’m familiar with. Udaipur is much smaller than Kolkata, here there are no buses, trams or taxis, just auto rickshaws, cars and motorcycles. There are also lots of cows everywhere and I saw some monkeys and peacocks. There are some elephants and camels around town too, but they’re not wild, they’re brought here for tourists.