Udaipur, India

The beautiful city of Udaipur, home to half a million people and set 577 metres above sea-level on the shores of Lake Picchola, is presided over by the present Maharana, the 76th in an unbroken line of rulers stretching back 1443 years to AD 566 making the dynasty of the Sun Kings of Mewar the longest running royal family in the world. They call themselves Maharanas as they believe that they are mere earthly representatives of their true king, Shiva.

The city of Udaipur itself was founded by the 53rd monarch Udai Singh II who had escaped assassination as a baby at the hands of his uncle when his nurse, warned seconds before the traitor burst into the nursery, switched the princely baby with her own. She then watched grief-stricken as her own child was disembowelled seconds later.

Udai reclaimed the throne when he was 15 and hopefully rewarded the nurse handsomely. He founded the city of Udaipur five years later in 1557 when a holy man told him that a city on the banks of the lake would never be defeated and his line unbroken. Being the only Raj city still ruled by the same family, I wish that holy man was still around to predict next week's lottery numbers for me. We'll need it when the bill for the Lake Palace comes in.

Our guide for the day is Satyendra Singh, a tall man with gold earrings in each ear, chunky silver bracelets and lots of rings. He reveals he is from the warrior caste, so relatively highborn. And obviously a touch flashy.

We meet him back on the lakeside in the City Palace gardens and he tells us that our first sightseeing activity is a trip around the lake. Various boats pull up at the jetty, with maybe 10 or 15 people clambering on or off. Satyendra sits patiently on the pontoon until a motorboat pulls up, just for us. Seems we're to get a private tour. Obviously no-one messes with a Warrior.

He tells us to call him Sunny and then, as with every other Indian male we've met, asks if we're married. To save time we say no. "Ah, you're Krishnas." Really? "Yes, you have thousands of girlfriends! Lord Krishna is a naughty god. You are like him." A hearty. chuckle. Later as we bicker over who's taking the better photo and wrest the camera from each other, Sunny must realise that we're not much like Krishna after all.

The lake tour is enchanting, a beautiful sea of tranquility high in the Aruvali mountains - "the oldest mountains in the world", Sunny claims. Boy, they don't half give Udaipur the hard sell here. But it's worth it, as pretty as the Italian lakes and with much better weather. Constant year-round sunshine and a delightful 32 degrees today. We've been reading of the Arctic chill gripping the British Isles and with that in mind we could stay in this idyllic, sun-drenched gem for quite some time.

As we glide around the lake we see locals on the ghat (steps) washing clothes and having a quick bath themselves. We stop at Jag Mandir, like the Lake Palace another grand building on its own island (both owned by the Maharana), primarily used for weddings and banquets. There are flags flying from the palace walls - red, white and saffron; bravery, peace and luck. We are told that the domed portion of the palace was the inspiration for the Taj Mahal. Strange, as back in Delhi they claimed that Humayun's Tomb was the blueprint. Why let the truth get in the way of a good story?

After Jag Mandir we sail back to the City Palace, one of the most impressive structures we have seen and resembling nothing so much as the Grand Casino in Monaco. A yellow stone construction with fountains and well-manicured gardens, it's very different to the fortress style palaces we've seen in other parts of Rajasthan.

Great paintings of elephants and horses adorn the walls and a big moustachioed golden sun grins down on the population from on high. Inside mosaics, mirrors and paintings make it a colourful place, whilst trees dot courtyards on various levels. Gods and goddesses abound with shrines to Ganesh (luck), Lakshmi (money) Dunimata (fire), Durga (some kind of tiger wrestler, judging by the pictures), Vishnu (protector) and Lord Rama. We learn that Rama was in fact the seventh incarnation of Vishnu. The eighth was Krishna and the ninth Buddha.

There's also much more recent history here with photos of British officials, various items of furniture and even kitchens and bathrooms furnished as they were at the turn of the century.

The Victorian theme continues at our next stop. Sahelion Kibari Gardens is a 19th Century botanical garden, built for royal ladies to relax in and features five fountains, beautifully presented and full of palms and mango trees.

We are due to continue on to a painting 'school' but wise to the ways of guides we grill Sunny hard and eventually he admits, yep it's a painting, textiles and general bric a brac emporium and it's all designed to part us with our money. We decline and sadly Sunny's commission goes up in smoke. As does his sunny disposition. Oh dear.

Instead we go for lunch. Aroma restaurant is essentially a lawn dotted with tents and awnings. No building or kitchens seem to be in evidence and Sunny makes himself scarce reappearing to ensure we make it back to the hotel and he gets his tip.

After a relaxing afternoon by the pool we stupidly wander into the hotel gift shop and there before us is the most incredible carved wooden elephant, decorated with spectacular paintings. Coman and I fall in love with it, but then we see the price tag and almost faint. I insist we leave the shop and go for an evening cruise around the lake, so we can forget all about buying it. But it weighs heavy on the mind and eventually we return, and with some very hard bargaining we manage to just about make the purchase, shipping and customs payments seem worthwhile. It's the most expensive impulse purchase we've ever made. Especially as I was originally happy with just a fridge magnet!

Night comes and with it the threat of another gut-busting and bank-breaking meal, this time in the glamorous Indian restaurant Neel Kamal, the final eaterie at the Lake Palace Hotel situated next to the Sea of Nectar bar. Meals are prepared in full view and every last detail is delivered with a flourish, "presenting majestic cuisines of Rajasthan and the North-West frontier", cooked in claypots on wood fires (plus an assortment of very up-to-date woks and saucepans from what we can see). Traditional musicians and dancers add to the flavour. We choose the Royal Palace Thali menu, 12 dishes to share (and a canny way of keeping the price down). The china plates are put before us and they are exquisite. We flip them over and sure enough on the bottom they say Versace. Blingtastic!

To take full advantage of our final night by the courtyard, we are seated by a window and over spicy food watch as a honeymooning couple have their photos taken by the moonlit lily pond. Oblivious to the watching diners they start snogging the faces off each other in a quite sickening display and then her hands start groping his bottom with almost pornographic fervour. Get a room!! Eventually she leads her groom upstairs. Please God don't let them be in the room next to us!! We need a good night's sleep before our early morning flight south,

As amazing as Rajasthan has been, it has reached its peak with Udaipur and the constant travel and high-living is about to end. We're ready to hit the beaches of Goa, hook up with friends and chill out for a week in more relaxed dwellings before diving into the craziness of Mumbai. Palmtrees, sand and a new set of adventures lie before us tomorrow.