It is
not very often that I am in possession of bragging rights – the lines are
rather long to purchase this type of permit – but I believe that yesterday I
have acquired a Sanction of Swank, certified by the royal family of India’s
Gujarat state :D. Sohini is
friends with a prince of Gujarat, Yogi, and invited me to spend the afternoon
with them, sightseeing the city of Vadodara in royal style.
As
this was my first day in the presence of a prince, I naturally had to compare
his demeanor to the common peasants that I usually surrounded me (no offense!
lol) and I have concluded that princes are simply people and do the same things
that us “regular folk” do:
Princes invite you to visit
their home – Now
granted, his residence is the Laxmi Vilas Palace that was built in the 1800s by
a famous French architect, but hospitality can be a key similarity between both
houses of rags and riches.
While Yogi did some royal business in the
residential palace, Sohini and I were given audio guides that recited elaborate
descriptions of the palace’s history and architecture as you walk around the
various rooms. There were 11 numbered signs that corresponded to the mp3 tracks
on our audio guide and also navigated the walking tour; the first three signs
were in the front lawn of the palace to give an overview of the architectural design.
But at the second sign outside on the front lawn, Sohini and I got lost and
could not find sign #3 of the walking/audio tour. We started meandering
aimlessly onto private property, and were furiously hailed by a guard across
the lawn LOL. It became an inside joke for the remainder of our audio tour that
whenever Sohini and I would find the next sign, we would smile at each other
and say, “Oh, here’s the sign!” :D. It also became a joke that
statue butts kept sneaking into the shots of my pictures. See what I mean:
Princes have weird quirks – After Sohini and I were mooned
by enough marble butts for one day, Yogi drove us to the Maharaja Fateh Singh Museum, which showcased the majority
of the palace’s paintings and statues.
In several of the rooms Yogi pointed out that there are some paintings
that he discovered over the years that trick the eye: no matter what point of
the room you’re standing in, the painting looks the same OR the path in the
painting gets wider or narrower, depending on your point of view. He was
thoroughly entertained by my numerous “no way!” moments.
Princes have interests and
hobbies – Yogi
enjoys candlelight dinners and long walks on the beach . . . LOL Maybe that’s
true, but what I know for sure is that he works in the film industry in Mumbai
and has taken up an interest in photography as well. He also exercises in the
empty gym on the palace grounds every evening, preferring to work out alone
rather than in the gym facilities in the city, which he deems as a more of a “fashion
parade.”
Princes listen to great
tune-age – I
had to giggle when music by Ke$ha was being played in the car as we drove to
the various locations of the afternoon. I told Yogi that it was almost like
being back in America and he smiled through the rearview mirror . . . I
completely lost it, though, when I heard the shrill voice of Miley Cyrus,
bursting into a contagious fit of laughter at the fact that Hannah Montana was
traveling with Hannah India.
Princes have a sweet tooth – To end our afternoon together,
Yogi took us to a Chinese restaurant for lunch and we shared an excellent meal
of crispy, honey glazed chicken, General Tso’s chicken, and spicy prawns with
vegetable fried rice. And even though Sohini and I were completely stuffed,
Yogi insisted that we all try the Litchi ice cream, which consisted of vanilla
ice cream with pieces of the exotic litchi fruit on top. Plus, he was an
absolute gentleman and paid for our meal.
But
don’t get any ideas . . . Just because princes have characteristics like us
commoners, I still have some MAJOR bragging rights for hanging out with a
Gujarati prince in India :)
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