Udaipur and Bundi

Wednesday 24th November

It was still raining and horrible today. No sunshine in Udaipur. Still, I took myself up to the Palace which overlooks the lake. I only really wanted to see the view of the lake and managed to avoid paying anything to get that far, just past the small ancient sculptures of Hindu gods. Also up to the Jagdish temple. Walked with Irish Ciaron to other parts of town and to the small lily-covered lake. Sat around chatting at the hostel most of the afternoon. Had dinner at the Lotus cafe, where I thrashed Ciaron at Connect4 before losing to a French girl.

At 8:30pm we got tuk-tuk to the bus station; well, to a bus ticket office. With our backpacks they made us walk across a big intersection and down a dark road, past some pigs and cows sharing a newspaper for dinner, and some men urinating, across another road to our bus. We had sleeper seats again, and although we had been warned it was a very bumpy road to Bundi, it really wasn't too bad.


Thursday 25th November

Bondi in Bundi. We arrived in Bundi at 4:50am. Only tuk-tuk drivers there to meet Ciaron, Irish Eimeir and me so at the mercy of the drivers and whichever guest house they will get a commission from. But of course, thats better than no-one being there. We got to a small guest house and three in a double bed. Had to pay for that night even though it was 5:30am; fair enough i suppose. A few hours kip then went to look for a better place to stay.

Found the Elephant Stables guest house, where they still had large stones with holes in on the lawn where the elephants would have been tied up. A bit cheaper and we can sit outside. There is a kind of festival in Bundi and we went with a Swedish couple to meet the special Tourist Safari. The local tourist office put on a promotional tour for tourists, whereby they took us around some of the main sites, in small minibuses, for free - it was pretty random! First we went to the Parade Grounds, and found ourselves unwittingly ushered into VIP seats behind the honoured guests; not happy about that when the locals have to stand at the sides, but really didnt realise until we were seated. Anyway, there was a brass band, and then a bagpipe band and it was cool - Sikhs in a bagpipe marching band. They marched like toy soldiers with battery packs. Unfortunately there were another 5 such bands after them and it started to sound like a dog being strangled but we couldnt really leave our VIP seats.

Next we were taken in the buses to a small courtyard where they gave us pepsi and interviewed people for the TV, to give their opinion about Bundi and the festival; I managed to stay away from the camera. Next they took us to a Classic Car Collection and to and old disused cinema - very random. Then they took us out to an old Hunting Lodge, with monkeys, and then to a viewpoint at the side of the lake. Finally they took us around to another side of the lake where there was singing and dancing. Again they were ushering the white people to the VIP seats so i just stood on the wall with the locals. I couldn't see much so being right-on didn't do me much good. After, they ushered us all onto one big bus to take us back to our hostels. They dropped us off halfway across a bridge!

In the eveing had dinner at the Rainbow cafe, same menu as the place where we had breakfast. Sat chatting with the Swedes and 2 Israeli girls and English Lizzy and the owner.

Trying to find a train ticket to my next destination was a bit tricky. The trains are very busy.


Friday 26th November

At 8:45am, went to get train ticket for 2 days time but already sold out. The guy said "I told you to come at 8am"; well I don't think he did, but I will try again tomorrow. Had 2 samosas and a chai for breakfast then Cairon and I climbed up to the Fort. The fort has not been maintained so is overgrown with only a few poorly defined paths, and some monkeys, which made a welcome change from the touristy forts we have seen so far. No signs or touts and you have to work it out yourself. We reached the top, and the views of Bundi were great. A couple of aggressive monkeys around, so glad we had taken big sticks with us.

4 of us then headed away from the tourist guest houses to get lunch where the locals eat. We found a small tin shed establishment and got thali and 3 chapatis for 30 rupees, less than a dollar, which would have cost at least twice as much in town. We then went for a long walk, headed out of town, sharing the road with huge trucks, in pursuit of some grog. With some local help we found the grog shop and I got a small bottle of whiskey for 60 rupees ($1.5). We walked back into town and stopped at a Chai shop. Lizzy poured some of her rum into the chai and it tasted good, that might be a plan for my whiskey (once i have checked that it really is whiskey!). So Bundi is a lovely little town, and not touristy. The locals have been friendly and helpful and not trying to drag us into their shops. Happy to stay here a couple more days.

For dinner, Ciaron and I went for local Thali again. I guess it is mainly sauce and lentils and chapatis, but they actually bring more of it around as you eat which is cool. On the way back we joined a marriage procession. The groom rides through town on a horse, surrounded by a crowd of maybe 150 people. There are mobile floodlights ahead shining on him, and his friends dancing on the street. They tried to get us to dance at the front but we were having none of it, it was just fun walking along with them for a while.

Bundi has a curfew. To cut a long story short, the hostel said we had to be back there by 10:30 at night because the police have such a rule for the whole town. Well, other travellers in other hostels said they had not been told that, so we ignored what the hostel said as we were having a great time in the Rainbow Cafe. And guess what? At 10:50, one of the guys from the hostel came and got us! (They made an educated guess as to which cafe we were in). It was ridiculous, but we three grown adults had to go home to our beds at 11pm.


Saturday 27th November

Finally managed to book my train. I am 42nd on the waiting list, which, I am told, means I will get a seat, well, a bed. Lots of people always cancel. I wanted to go straight to Aurangabad but that wasn't happening, so I have to go to Mumbai and double back a bit towards to Aurangabad. Oh well.