We arrived in Udaipur on the main day of Diwali, the Hindu festival of lights. To show us some of the traditional decorations, our driver picked us up at our hotel and walked us in a circle around the city at dusk. Candles flickered in small clay pots on every street, and lights were strung up on shops and homes, surrounded by garlands of golden flowers.

We knew we were just seeing hints of the vibrant celebrations, and that behind every door were families and friends dressed in their best and preparing to feast.

Diwali from the city streets

Udaipur Palace

The next day, we visited Udaipur City Palace, an opulent and sprawling complex situated next to a lake.

Our final proper stop on our India trip was an art shop where a local painter talked about common imagery and colors used in Rajasthan based painting – and introduced us to his pet turtle!

Then it was a 13 hour drive back to Delhi (through the horrifying post-Diwali smog that made headlines globally) where we boarded a plane to Thailand!