Our fourth and final day in Udaipur, India was filled with relaxing walks around the grounds of the incredibly gorgeous Oberoi Udaivilas where we were staying, spending time by the pool, delicious Indian cuisine and an elephant ride on a 50 year old elephant.

After arriving at the fantastic Udaivilas, we knew we wanted to spend some time just relaxing at the hotel and taking in the incredible scenery on the hotel grounds.  We knew we’d have a few hectic days ahead traveling to Cambodia and Thailand, so we took the time to relax and unwind on our final day in India.

Nick woke up early and went for a sunrise walk around the grounds and I’m so glad he did, the photos he got are truly stunning and some of my favorites of the trip.  I stayed in our cozy 4 poster bed and woke up when the sun was coming up and spent my morning in bed with tea and a view out to our pool and patio, with Lake Pichola shimmering in the background.  Our time in Udaipur was full of moments like that, pure peace.

We spent the rest of the morning exploring the hotels grounds (which are huge) and I know we’ll be back to this incredible hotel many times in our lives, it’s just simply stunning in every possible way.  I felt so much peace during our time there, it was really difficult to leave it, not knowing when we’d be back.

We enjoyed lunch in our room, relaxing and taking time by our private pool, watching the boats on Lake Pichola and the City Palace in the distance.  We took in the peacocks, spotted deer and birds in the wilderness sanctuary behind the hotel and breathed in the gorgeous landscape, committing it to memory.  After lunch we changed and headed out front of the hotel for our elephant ride.  I knew before going to India that one thing I wanted to do there was meet and ride an elephant.  My dream came true in the form of a 50 year old elephant, painted for a wedding it was going to later.  He meandered down the grounds of the hotels and it was an experience I’ll never forget.

We spent the rest of the evening in our room, taking every last minute to soak up this amazing experience in India, not ready to leave beautiful Udaipur and talking about how we’ll most definitely be back.  We watched our last Indian sunset as it dropped below the horizon and tried to get ourselves ready for the next stops on our trip.

There are very few places in my travels that have spoken to me on such a deep level as the “Venice of the East” as Udaipur is known, speaking to the many lakes that the city is built on.  Romantic, peaceful, lush, sparkling, historic, spiritual… these are just a few of the adjectives I can think of to describe this place that touched me so deeply.  In the years I have traveled, I’ve seen many places, experienced cultures on 4 continents and countless countries, yet only a handful of places stand out in my mind as some of the places that I hold close in my heart, Udaipur is now one of them.

I cannot say enough how much this city captured me, how much it brought to life all the things I love about India, all the colors, all the landscapes, all the markets, all the palaces, all the architecture.   I cannot say enough to how much peace came over me here, a peace I have never felt anywhere else while traveling.  Udaipur will forever be a place in our hearts and a place we’ll meet again someday.