Tommorrow never comes/dies (Bundi)

SO I’m in Shimla! Delhi was great but too much too see little time fart arse about.

I’ll carry on where I left off because I will feel guilty missing out Bundi which was an Incredible place.

Bundi/insert name of any rajasthan city is a smallish town in Rajasthan with an incredible palace and fort. I arrived from Jaipur by a hellish pothole ridden trunk road going through a selection of small nothing towns including Tonk. I picked a hotel at random in the lonely planet bible which to my fortune was full by the time I got there. I was recommended his cousin’s place called the Elephant stables which were in fact the palace’s converted Elephant stables so technically I think I can say that I have stayed in a palace during my journey.

‘What part of the palace did you stay in Charles?’

‘The main bit.’

‘That’s a tad vague was it where the maharaja used to sleep?’

‘Not quite.’

‘Oh so must be family or servant quarters?’

‘Well I suppose they are servants of a sort.’

‘Who are?’

‘Elephants, I stayed in the Elephant stables.’

‘Not really the palace is it.’

‘welllllllll….’

The family who ran the guest house were lovely, Raj the husband, was a brilliant host even letting me and a couple other guests join in with the last of his Diwali fireworks and lighting a small fire every night to huddle around. His wife Neema cooked every night, it was great not having to decide from a menu and eating amazing homely thali different every night.

The Palace can be described as stoically beautiful because of it’s level of disrepair. Kipling described the palace to look like it had been the work of goblins rather than that of humans. With descriptive powers like that Kipling could have been a writer as well as baker of mini Battenberg cakes. Some of the rooms had exquisite 14^th century murals others had a large collection of bats. Win win. The view from the palace and the Chittisala gardens above the palace were amazing, a view through the corridor of hills surrounding the city.  England really needs to do better at these good viewpoints, mind you I have yet to go up The Shard for a browse.

Bundi has everything your typical Rajasthan tourist town should have -lake, palace and fort: the Rajasthan blockbuster trilogy- but with less tourists which means less hassle from auto drivers, shopkeepers, tailors, police, whores, dogs, pigs and deer. Met an English couple from Brighton the second night I was there, James and Jess were the first British tourists I had met who I actually enjoyed talking to so that was nice. (Most British people seem to be dicks). Conversations about Bidets, radiolab and men pulling Trucks with their penis were very welcome. Having met them I regretted already booking my train ticket but too much to see etc.  

I’ll say something about Shimla another time, in short it is incredibly beautiful, cold, extremely colonial and the YMCA has table tennis and snooker.

LOVE YOU BYE.