Intro
Every great journey begins not with a ticket, but with a choice. For us, it wasn’t me who chose Udaipur — it was Udaipur that chose us, through a game of envelopes, a little drama, and a promise of long-overdue time together.

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Prologue — The Envelope of Fate

This trip was long overdue. I owed my wife a proper getaway, just the two of us, and finally decided it was time to make it happen. Like any husband trying to redeem himself, I began planning.

August seemed perfect. The monsoon season would bring life to the hills and lakes, and although our budget was tight, I started researching options. Slowly, three names rose to the top of my list: Udaipur, Coorg, and the Andaman Islands. Each had its charm — lakes and palaces, coffee hills and mist, or blue seas and beaches. I didn’t want to tell my wife. I wanted to add a little drama.

One night, during hospital duty breaks between patient care and paperwork, I assembled three envelopes. Inside each was a simple itinerary I had researched — not rigid plans, but enough to give us a sense of what to expect. I shuffled them until even I didn’t know which was which. Then, back home, I placed them on her pillow.

My parents already knew what I was doing and supported me fully. They sensed how much we needed this retreat. My wife, on the other hand, looked at me with that half-smile — amused, teasing, because I’m not the “surprise” type. Yet there was a sparkle in her eyes. She hovered her hand over the envelopes, making me wait, then finally picked one.

It was Envelope No. 1.
We opened it together.
Udaipur.

The City of Lakes. Palaces mirrored in water, devotion carved into temples, stories of valour written in stone. A place we had often spoken of as a “someday” suddenly became real.

From then on, the mood at home shifted. My father, Indrajit, stepped in and booked our flights and hotel on the 5th of July. The date was fixed: 18th August, a Monday. It was circled twice in red on the calendar, a small beacon we counted down to. My wife and I fussed over details — temple clothes, shoes strong enough for the rains, what to pack, how many photos would be “too many.” A suitcase quietly appeared by the wardrobe, and despite promises to travel light, it began to fill quickly.

Meanwhile, I kept reading and planning. I spoke to travel agents, asked friends, and even turned to ChatGPT to weigh itineraries. I knew what Udaipur had to offer, but I didn’t want to turn our trip into a checklist. My father reminded me, “Don’t try to cover everything. Just enjoy the time together.” He was right. What mattered was not how many places we saw, but how much of each other we found along the way.

So finally, I decided to leave the trip open-ended. We had our flights, our hotel, and the envelope of fate that had brought us here. The rest we would decide as we went. Researched enough to know, light enough to breathe.

And so, with expectations in our hearts and bags packed, the day finally arrived. The journey was about to begin.

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Outro / Teaser
The envelope had spoken, and Udaipur was calling. Next came the first step of the adventure — airports, flights, and the moment the City of Lakes welcomed us for the very first time.