Bundibundibundibundi!!!

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All packed up and ready to leave Pushkar, we met on the ground floor of the hotel with our bags and our fondness for this little town in our hearts. We said our goodbyes to our very friendly hosts and made our way to the bus stand. on the way to the bus i turned around to see our hotel manager pull up on his scooter to say farewell and wish us luck on the way. The bus was full when we arrived at the stand so we put our luggage on the rack and got comfy on our bags on the roof. I really enjoyed riding on the roof of the bus, plenty of leg room, open air, comfy seating, a pleasant view of the journey and a party atmosphere around us. Plenty of laughter, fresh fruit and the occasional branch smacking you in the side of the head made for a good trip. Unfortunately we were only allowed to stay on the roofrack until some seats became available which was a bit dissapointing and after a little bargaining and argument we reluctantly made our way inside the vehicle. The rest of the journey went pretty easily and before long we were pulling into Bundi. Routine set in when we arrived and a hotel was sought. After a few hotels and a little walking, a hotel was found and we bedded in for a whopping 200rs a night for a double room(2.90gbp).

We stayed in Bundi for 6 days and to be honest did bugger all! We spent a day in the fort and palace which was absolutely fantastic as there was no one else there, we had the entire place to ourselves! However, due to the fact that there is virtually no one else there, the palace and fort and both overrun with monkeys. At least three different species too, only one though is potentially aggressive, so we had to walk around the place with sticks and an air pistol(not loaded of course as shooting an incarnation of Hanuman might be seen as a little culturally insensitive) to scare them off. Apart from the fort and palace complex, there isn't a lot to see in this relaxed little town but sometimes it does you good to have nowhere to be and nothing to do for a while.

The hotel in Bundi was quite nice other than the facts that the buildings stairwell and landings were all marble so they echoed like a tunnel. The staff although they had the right intentions, didn't speak much English and could only remember one item from an order so getting food took hours. Apart from that we had a great time at the hotel. We learned a game called Karam(not sure on the spelling) which is basically like pool with discs on a polished wooden board that you play by flicking a sort of puck and very addictive. One night in the hotel the atmosphere became very tense and a little while later a lot of indian guys turned up. There had already been a rumor through the group that the hotel owner was some of gangster or mafia type and many stories circulated about his nefarious actions, all made up by us. Shortly after the indian lads showed up, a guy came into the chillout area we were in to 'keep us company' which sent our imaginations wild. The fact that he was there to keep us out of the way because a big money poker game was going on with some big players in the kitchen and on the roof at this point didn't surprise us until James went in the kitchen and actually saw what sort of coin was being splashed at this game... The entering price was 50,000rs(almost 3 years earnings for an indian guy) at which point our suspicions about the owner were fully realised and accepted.

The day came when we all said "so, where to now?" and the idea of moving on was planted. We agreed to do it the day after next which seems to have become a standard in our travels so far. We spent the next day tieing up loose ends and packing then paid our bill and, thoroughly relaxed and at ease with the subcontinent, we set off for Udaipur.

Bring it on Octopussy!!

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