Bundi

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We are staying in a lovely old guesthouse with a view of the extremely green lake. It is run by an old man and his wife (who must be in their late 70’s) and their various younger relations. We walked along the narrow Brahmin - blue lanes and havelis to reach Bundi Palace - a decaying palace that has recently been cleaned up and opened to the public. Entry was through a huge marble elephant gate - it was magnificent and peaceful. Chitrasala is next door, with a beautiful garden and several of the rooms are covered in paintings. Behind the palaces is Taragarh - another huge fort (India loves forts the way Europe loves cathedrals!). The fort is a rambling heap but has great views of Bundi and the countryside. We were convinced that we needed a big stick for 10 rupees to scare away the monkeys - they were quite big!

New Years Eve was pretty quiet. A few people were around town, and we chatted to some locals milling around, but in the end we chose to retire early. Plenty of fireworks (or more like explosions) at midnight though, so we didn't miss it at all!!!

On New Years Day we hired some bicycles and went for a ride out into the countryside. It was relaxing and quite beautiful. We stopped for some chai tea and tried to chat with the locals hanging out at the chai stand. They didn't speak much English, but we had plenty of fun hand waving!!

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