From the 13th to the 15th we were in Udaipur in Rajasthan, staying at another palace — the Lake Palace, where the Maharana of Udaipur used to entertain guests.

In pictures, the water comes just a couple of feet below the windows and the hotel appears to float upon this idyllic lake, the magnificent City Palace shining a short quarter mile away on the shore. The reality is that goats, sheep, and cattle now graze on the bottom of the dried up Lake Pichola. Locals tell us that the view is spectacular, but that there hasn’t been water in the lake for a few months and it hasn’t been full since it last rained fifteen months ago.

That seems to be about normal for our trip to India. Irony aside, we really enjoyed Rajasthan. We saw some incredible, historic buildings; eaten some tasty food (on occasion); talked to some very friendly Indians; and bought some nice things for ourselves and others.