Well, Well, Well it is Bundi

Bundi is a small (ish) town with the standard Rajasthan sites, a fort and a palace. The pace and way of life is a lot different to the bigger cities, of Udaipur etc. and we took full advantage of the slower relaxed atmosphere. We had three days here but you could easily visit all the sites in a day. So with the declined pace we split the sites into three and took our time.

The fort is situated on top of a hill with a steep and dangerous pathway leading the route. We had to take a stick with us to bang on the ground to scare the macaques away if they started to get aggressive! The stick also came in handy for bashing the over grown plants out of the way and then providing a brake for the steep descent. James and I found the fort the most enjoyable part of Bundi as we were the only two at the top and with its overgrown plants, angry macaques and crumbling walls we felt like true explorers!

The palace, with two sections was pretty and had some good views but the most interesting part for me was the bats sleeping on the ceilings. Both of us thought we were back in the underground river in Philippines when we smelt the droppings and looked up to see the cute bats fast asleep.

We were going to hire a motor bike on the last day to see some of the outlying villages and the Jawa lake. The only place you can rent bikes from in the town had a boy who would not budge on the price for a day, even though we only wanted the bike for a few hours, so for the sake of £3.00 and our principles, we walked! The lake, from the fort was beautiful but close up it had a lot of rubbish floating in it. The people in the area were so friendly that it made the walk worthwhile, although we were a bit scarred as we saw a dog relishing two cow carcasses.

James wasn't too convinced when I suggested a walk to the other side of town to look at a few wells. When we got there he did not regret it. The ornate giant wells were once a hub of village life and played an important part of everyday life. With plumbing in most homes and smaller, easier to get to wells these were not in use anymore but are impressive monuments.

Bundi is a beautiful stop off if you have the time in Rajasthan or an alternative to the more touristy cities.