Back into the present, here's a brief update on the world as I know it right now.
Right now (What a strange word. My now is past as soon as I type or say it, and your interpretation of my now, done in your now, is even further removed from the moment. Thank you English A1 HL for that thought.) there is a big fire in the Biodiversity Reserve. The Fire Service team, which consists of a bunch of students who use it for the A component of CAS, are out there in the midday heat battling the flames with large, metal spade-like things with t-shirts over their heads. It is slightly worrying, but it has happened before and will only get worse as the season wears on. Already much of the surrounding hillside is brownish and dry, and the heat is set to up several notches too.
Tonight is the Dance Show, and the mocks start for the second years. We're really getting into our last term now, with the UWC-NL final interviews happening as I type and the exams looming around the corner. Some people have their 'zero' years already, and there is some excitement on campus. Yesterday the Danes got theirs and began to proudly point out on a map of Denmark where each was from. The Americans are receiving emails from nervous applicants and the INC (Indian National Committee) interviews are happening next weekend on campus.
It's odd to remember how I felt this time last year, especially as it simultaneously feels like no time and yet all the time in the world has passed since then. Something that is really throwing off my measure of the year is the lack of seasons. It feels like it has been summer since the August when I got here.
Returning to the thread of the tale, though:
SUNDAY MARCH 7TH
We woke up to the rattle of the train and the rush of wind. Sitting up, straightening out and clambering down from the blue-plastic, narrow bunks, we looked out of the barred window with amazement. Whilst the night before we'd been in a fairly standard, village-speckled landscape, we were now riding through a dune-like scrubby scene. There was not very much beyond the train, some temples, a bunch of cows and the sun as far as we could see, and it was stunning. I think it was one of the first times in India that I have truly seen space.
A couple of hours later we pulled into the station. Throwing ourselves into the crowd heading towards the exit, we began to spot a lot of tourists. There was some sort of conference going on, and Rajasthan, known for its vibrant colours, culture and camels, is quite a tourist trap. The exit of the station was 'guarded' by two men, dressed up in supposedly traditional garb, sitting on camels (or, as I remember from Dutch class, dromedaries, as they only had one hump) holding red flags. This was rather a change from Ahmedabad, which was low-key and mainly consisted of Indians.
We got into the city of Udaipur itself, and were stunned for the second time. It was a terribly cute city full of slightly narrow, curved paths flanked by hippie shops and buildings atop which were rooftop restaurants. Udaipur is next to a lake, in which there is a white palace. The centre of the city boasts a large palace as well, with lots of intricate designs and architectural features. It reminded me of Aladdin, what with all the slightly sloped streets and pure-white palaces. (Later on in this project week, Osnat and I began to practice our rendition of A Whole New World, partially inspired by this place. That's another story altogether though, and will appear in a couple of days I guess.)
We started with a very relaxing and scenic breakfast on a rooftop. After that, we visited the palace in the city, which was beautiful. There were so many buildings and centuries of art, and even the gangs of elderly tourists in their holiday clothing did nothing to detract from the amazing atmosphere there. Our plan was to head out to the palace in the lake, but being the tourist attraction the place was, the prices were hiked up beyond our student-budget means. Instead we found out about a garden just outside the city, which was rather pretty with its fountains and white stone elephants.
By the end of the afternoon we caught a bus out to Mount Abu, the highest hill station in Rajasthan. The bus took us along a rural route, which was enjoyable due to the lovely semi-barren desert-ness of the area. We got there around eleven, so the ride up to the town on the mountain felt mystical and exciting. This was to some extent counteracted by the first thing we saw when we got there, as this was a replica of the Eiffel Tower (around 5m in height) which was rather odd.
(all of the pictures are of Udaipur)
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