Blogs from Bundi, Rajasthan, India, Asia

While Bundi town lacked the charm we were expecting, the seventeenth century palace exceeded expectations. For a mere hundred rupees each (about £1) we were able to wander round virtually on our own. The palace was deserted for over forty years, during which time it fell into disrepair and was quite heavily vandalised, with visitors scratching their names into the delicate murals and stealing many of the fittings. There has been little attempt at renovation so far, though we were told that an English student from UL had spent the last year researching what materials the murals were painted in and how best to restore them. The building itself is severe from the outside, with high blank walls topped with battlements and just a few small balconies and windows. But inside, there are spacious halls and ... read more

The bikes pulled up into Bundi after about an hour of night driving from Kota. We asked around and then found a guesthouse called Taragarh Heritage. Monty greeted us at the door, and seemed like a natural host. "Shanti, Shanti my friends" he said. He came across as instantly zen. In Hindu, Shanti means peace or tranquility or rest. I had my own room and Dylan and Oli shared one. It was dirt cheap. We went up to the rooftop (yes yet another one) and met a few other travelers, who were drinking and smoking. A few of them were Israelis, and we had heard they're all over India, but they were the first I had encountered. We joined them and all of a sudden it was a social event. Monty asked if we wanted a ... read more

HE SAID... We were leaving Ranthambhore and travelling south west to Bundi. We woke early at 5am, turned the small fan heater on and tried to avoid the cold marble floor as much as possible. The music was still going at the massive wedding celebration next door, but it was far more subdued than the previous night. The shower head fell apart when I turned the water on, so I had to kneel on the marble floor and scoop water over myself from a bucket. Thankfully the water was warm. We checked out of Raj Palace Resort at 8am, jumped into a minibus and set out on a three and a half hour trip to Bundi. It didn’t take long to get to the outskirts of Ranthambhore – the roads narrowed, the traffic thinned and the ... read more

Bundi This morning we had a nice long lie in following yesterday's early rise. This did unfortunately mean that we were out and about in the mid-day sun. Well, you know what they say about Mad dogs and Englishmen... From our hotel window you could see the fort and palace rising up from the hillside. From the level we were at it didn't seem to far a climb, but past hiking experiences told me that looks can be deceiving. Armed with sticks “to protect from monkeys” we set off up the hill at a steady/slow pace pausing every 100/200metres to drink more water. The ticket office had informed us that it would only take 15 minutes to reach the fort. I can only say the old man must have had wings. It took us nearly 45 ... read more

wht a buetiful place it was just loved the beauty of the place.... read more