Every city in Rajasthan has its unique aura and each one is deeply connected to the other through the distinctive Rajwada (royal) architecture. The same can be said about Udaipur and the beautiful structures embellished across the city. What set it apart from the others are the numerous man-made lakes. The most outstanding one is Lake Pichola which has the City Palace set on its edge and the stunning Lake Palace right in the middle. This 18th-century palace is now a luxury hotel which ferries its distinguished guests via speed boats. We reached the lake city in the evening and, thanks to the ultra comfortable cabin of the A6, still had plenty of energy to venture out for some night photography and, as always, try some local cuisine.
The next day started with the customary stop (for most car enthusiasts) at the Vintage and Classic Car Museum which displays Rana Sriji Arvind Singh Mewar’s collection of well preserved cars and wagons. Another place worth your time is the hilltop Monsoon Palace from where you can get a breathtaking view of the city and its splendid water-bodies. Our final shoot destination was the Fateh Sagar Lake which has some amazing rock artwork on display.
There was still so much more to see in Rajasthan but, sadly, there’s never enough time. So, leaving some destinations for another travelogue at another time, we decided to head back home to Pune. Still under the spell of the sights and sounds of Rajasthan, we entered Gujarat and settled for the night at Bharuch on the bank of the river Narmada. Keeping to the habit of starting before sunrise, we were comfortably home in Pune around lunch time. Back to reality. The fantasy land of the Maharajas seemed far away now.
The least we can say is that this over 2,000-kilometre road trip wouldn’t be half as enjoyable had it not been for the supremely comfortable Audi A6. The luxurious cabin combined with the super smooth diesel motor and Audi’s incredible reliability made us feel special and nothing less than blue blooded royalty. There’s an urge to set out yet again in this German chariot to conquer new territories and realise new dreams.
