From Ranthambore to Bundi

Happy people getting a lift 

Great Balance

Spice Shop

TV Repair

Wedding Bands

Holy Cows hanging on Temple Steps

After breakfast we sadly checked out of The Oberoi. To go to Ranthambore is a one time event for us. We saw our tiger, stayed at an absolutely 1st class hotel and enjoyed our time in nature. It was a great  way to recover after the bustle of Jaipur.

It was a 3 hour drive to Bundi through the lush landscape of Rajathstan. We saw fields as far as the eye could see lush green from young wheat. Other fields were bight yellow as mustard grew in the fields. We passed through many tiny, dusty villages and could only wonder what the people's lives were like. Probably most of them would never venture more than a few kilometers from their home in their entire life. Women still balance jugs of water on their heads  as they walk from pump to home.

The roads were filled with motorcycles, bikes, cars, trucks, cows, bullock carts and people walking in the emptiness between villages.

On the drive we passed a group of people on a pilgrimage to a Temple. Music was playing, they were happy and dancing in the street. This is the way we love to think of India.
You can see a short video clip below.

We arrived at out hotel in Bundi, It is without a doubt the finest hotel in all of Bundi. It is grandly named The Hadoti Palace. The elevator doesn't work, wifi in lobby only. It is a long way from staying at a Taj or Oberoi. Luckily figuring we wouldn't be able to get good wine in some of these more remote places we stocked up in Jaipur. The hotel freaked us out at first, but actually has kind of a ramshackled appeal. We will be fine here.

Sometimes it is better to be lucky than smart. Yesterday we mistakenly believed we had two reservations at The Imperial Hotel in Delhi. I hopped right on it and called to cancel the reservation. Mission accomplished.  Today I had to call back and make new reservations at The Imperial. To my delight rates had gown down. I was able to get a better class of room for less money. Lucky us!

We went for a long walk through the old town. Narrow streets, crazy motorcycles, very occasional car. Tiny stores dot both sides of the street. They are roughly organized (as in much of India) by what they sell. Tiny store after store selling just locks, then a group selling pots, then a group selling musical instruments. I don't know how any of them make any money. We wound up walking into a poor Muslim neighborhood dotted with mosques. Everyone was friendly, many waving their hands, smiling, saying hello or wanting me to take their picture.

You can get a sense of the craziness of walking in Bundi, by the short clip I made here of us walking down the narrow street.

We took a tuck-tucked pack to our somewhat downscale palace, checked out the wifi in the lobby, then retired by the pool to read. Not so bad after all.