12th April - Bundi

There is loads to see in Bundi and so we decided to stay for a day and push on tomorrow. I am used to getting up early at the moment and woke up with the light at about 6.30. I got up and faffed with my photos and diary for a while whilst having coffee and cereal with fruit and yogurt for breakfast at the hotel and then decided that I was still tired and so I went back to bed for a nap from 10 to 11ish.

Alan who had slept till 10 headed off for a wonder round town and so I did the same once I had woken up and showered etc. It was lovely to have a slow relaxed morning rather than jumping on the bikes straight away.

I had lunch with Alan on roof top restaurant. There are loads of western style places in town (well in a small tourist area within town) and so there was a big choice. It was strange for me to be in such a place after so long in non-tourist India. I loved the change. I had pita bread and humus but it took ages to arrive. It was very tasty though.


In the afternoon we went for a walk round Taragarh Palace and Fort. One of the first things you notice is the thousands of monkeys. There are many guards with sticks who's job it is to chase them off!


Alan was feeling very manly with his stick fighting off the monkeys!


This is the view from the top of the Palace of the town below. It looks very pretty with all of the blue houses.


The palace is well preserved and the art work can still be seen clearly. Alan did his usual of reading out the history etc while I took photos. I can remember the photos - but not so much of the history....


Alan still not feeling great and so he headed back. I carried on up for an explore of the fort above the palace. The views were really great.

When I got back in the late afternoon I spent a few hours on the internet uploading photos. I wonder when I will get bored of singing "Ner ner ner ner ner" to people in the UK in the winter?


I really do seem to be very lucky in India with being at the right place at the right time. Just as I had ordered pizza from a restaurant we where told that there was a big festival on today and that we should watch from the street. It was really fun. A big procession through town with people riding on camels, flashing lights, bad music, singing and dancing. The guys in the restaurant kindly bought the pizza to me to eat while we were watching.


One of the most interesting things of the whole procession was the old men pushing along generators made from tractors parts on carts in order to power the lights and music etc. The only problem was that on a downhill slope the carts kept on running away from them and they had to try very hard to stop the carts from hitting the floats.


There were loads of fireworks going off in the street. In true Indian style there were no health and safety considerations and young lads where standing about 1m away when the fireworks exploded....


This lad loved break dancing to the most terrible music I think I have ever heard.


After spending some time on the internet until 11.30 I walk back to the hotel. The streets where dead and the views of the fort all lit up were very beautiful. This is the view from right outside the hotel.