Maharaja Palace Hotel Kota

... thing happens often in India. Indians are very curious people - and they lack our concept of privacy and personal space. So they don't hesitate to get right up in your face in circumstances in which it seems to us to be totally inappropriate.

Related to this, Gregory and I were returning to our hotel late in the evening, and a couple of curious locals stopped us on our walk home and asked us right out which hotel we are staying in. A bit taken ...

... cut, so it was sweltering hot, and no water for showers, so not as relaxing as we hoped, but we were sorry to leave, and had one last meal at Arvind's restaurant.

We really liked Bundi, the lake, the pale blue painted houses, the decrepit old fort and palace, the cows and pigs and monkeys wandering the streets, but most of all the people, who were so warm and welcoming after Jaipur.

Well, that's us up to date. I will write more from Udaipur.

... should not be there. Because at this stage there was no possibility of me standing up as there were far to many people standing we stayed where we were to wait until I was asked to move. The conductor (a man resembling a skinny Indian long haired Santa clause with no teeth) saw me and said nothing so I got comfortable (as comfortable as you can) about an hour later I had dosed off and was woken by a ranting ...

... rupees, including room, food and internet access. Amazing how these things pile up... Didn't have enough rupees for Mama, so I had to see an unofficial money changer (unofficial meaning he couldn't give me an encashment certificate). His rate for the day was 45.5. Told him that I would exchange double the amount if he gave me a rate of 46. So he did. Even 45.5 was better than what I got at the Indra Gandhi Airport. Plus, there was no commission charge. Paid ...

... French couple, the cook's son Nanu, 2 Australian girls (one being seriously hot) and good old me... The French couple were having something called "Dozo". It looked delicious. This had better be good, because I hadn't eaten much in the past 2 days. The Dozo had a pastry-like cover made of chickpeas. On the inside was spicy potato mixed in a bright yellow sauce. There were some ketchup, red onions, tomatoes and coriander on the top ...

... ve got three on each! Riding through the countryside, just like in Pushkar, is a great way to see stuff you'll never see staying in the towns. People are always friendly and everyone waves. Stopping in a village is always bound to draw a crowd. As Romeo put it, it's "hollywood"! We leave Bundi having loved the place. Bus to Kota then train to Mumbai. Our train to Mumbai is a slick express in AC3 class and is on time and inexplicably arrives on time - **** me!

... and interesting to explore. I stayed to sunset, chilled with the monkeys then made my way back down the hill and all unscathed by any monkey attacks. Time to get on the road again and after 4 nights in Bundi I check out and get given the bill with the room rent of only 125 rupees per night (Ł1.50)! One of the nicest places I have stayed in, for its find, its courtyard and the dawn and dusk activities all for a price of a Sunday newspaper....what a winner! Next Stop Udaipur......

... my při "ceremonii u svatého jezera v Pushkaru". Oni tím nuceným pozehnáním prosli hned jak vystoupili z autobusu po 10-ti hodinové jízdě z Dillí. Řekli nám jen, ze svatý muz a jemu podobní je obrali o větsí částku peněz a tak se rozhodli, ze si ten provázek nechají jako varování před dalsími, kteří z nich budou chtít vyzdímat peníze. Myslím, ze je to skvělý nápad, nechám si jej na zápěstí a bude mi to připomínat, abych se ...

... facce nere in tutto lo spazio verde coperto di arbusti che si stende tra Taragarh ed il palazzo. Nell'avventurarmi con circospezione in una costruzione, mi sono imbattuto in scimmie che litigavano tra loro, e sono stato molto felice ed irrazionalmente rassicurato nell'accodarmi ad un gruppo di arzilli vecchietti inglesi (con guida indiana), che mi guardavano del tipo "ma che bravo ragazzo che ci fa compagnia". La vista da quella rocca, proprio all'ora del tramonto, era ...

... A big guy, I think I saw that one crawling on the floor of one of our guest house in Lima in Peru. It may just be a distant cousin! The people of Bundi are very friendly, here if you feel like socializing it is quite easy. I spent my evening sitting down in shops and stairways with local men. I met some extremely interesting characters others were shocking.. It is India contrasts are everywhere. The common sights of Rajasthan cities was part of our stop ...