Living and Volunteering in Udaipur

Cherry Kat

Hi there

I have been travelling around India for some time now, and am just about to undertake several months volunteer work in Udaipur where I will need to find accommodation. I haven't been to Rajasthan yet so it will be all new to me.

I was wondering if anyone knew of any places that offer long term accommodation (with cooking facilities etc) or how to go about finding them.

I was also trying to find out if it is possible to have mail sent to post offices in India. I have done this in other countries but wasn't sure if it was reliable or possible here.

Any advice/information greatly received.

Thanks

Nicky

machadinha

Assuming this hasn't changed, sure. Should technically work anywhere in the world.

Have your mail sent to

Mrs. X
Poste Restante
GPO <placename> (Can use specific post office address instead if known)
City, State
India

In a city, you'll then have to figure out where the General Post/poste restante office (not always the same) is if you haven't already. In a 1-post office place, this will be it. You may need your passport to collect mail.

It helps to have people use only your last name, or write that down as your first name, and/or have them underline it. Either way you may find yourself going through the entire stack of letters looking for any possible name combination just to be sure. I think underlining the poste restante bit and the GPO bit also didn't hurt.

As a rule of thumb, allow for something like 4-6 weeks for arrival, before email I'd pass on the next address by then (in case of touring around). Would normally arrive in a timely fashion I should add, say 2-3 weeks.

Moving on, you can instruct the post office to forward your letters to your next destination even. It's a hit-and-miss affair but I've had very few gone missing really. Ah have people write down your home address as the return address, a letter that I never received in Varanasi was returned to me that way a year after the fact (!) (And can't help but to recount once more that Pushkar classic: Postman answering my worried queries about forwarding my mail with a twinkle in his eyes: "But Pushkar is a very big town sir! We have two postmen now!!")

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Cherry Kat

Thanks for all the information, I will see how I go getting some sent.

anjuli

there are always serveral possibilities of finding accommodation in Indian cities. Why don't you ask the organisation with whom you are working to arrange something for you. Homestay is one possibility, many Indian families are more than happy to earn extra money in renting out a room. Otherwise you can first get accommodation in a hotel and then try to find a place when you are in Udaipur.
I am also living in Udaipur myself. If you are keen on a cup of tea/coffee and some talks, you can send me a private message.

Candyji

Hi,

There was a place which advertised very resonable rates for only long term stay guests. It was out of the tourist area and in the main market area I think near the clock tower.

Saddly the name escapes me though it did have a name which seemed to refer to some other town. They have leaflets around Rajasthan advertising. I found one in the Om shiva restaurant in Pushkar.

Hope this helps sorry for being criptic but I have a terrible memory for names.

Candyji

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