Bumming in Bundi and Loving It!

Last year as we began organizing our big trip, we decided to spend Christmas and New Year's Eve in India.

"India! How random! Yes!" We thought.

Turns out, spending Christmas and New Year's Eve in India is not at all random for the millions of travelers who come here during the holidays to get away from their own cold climates and to take advantage of India's mild season. Americans go to Florida... everybody else comes to India.

Furthermore, if you want to spend Christmas on an Indian beach, you're in for large crowds and high tariffs. Our original idea to lounge somewhere on a seaside hammock in the southern state of Kerala at the end of December was scrapped, once we saw what we were up against ("sorry ma'am, booked solid"). We wanted to find peace and serenity during our holiday away from home, not a swarm of package tourists.

So we decided to stay in Rajasthan and Brendan zeroed in on a little town called Bundi. It's the kind of place that's mentioned briefly in guidebooks as a "still undiscovered" alternative to the bigger, more tourist-oriented cities, and travelers write about it on internet message boards as "the best-kept secret in Rajasthan". So we went for it, arranging to arrive on December 24th and leave on January 2nd. That's kind of a long stretch, but we figured that even if we were disappointed and a little bored in Bundi, we'd still be glad we erred on the mellow side.

We were so right.

For the first time since we've been in India, I felt like I had gotten somewhere pre-tourist explosion. Bundi is really beautiful, despite its size still retains a traditional village lifestyle and is almost completely devoid of tourists (it's not that I don't like other tourists, but put too many of us in one place and something is lost). The old palace and fort, which loom on a hill just above town, are awesome and afford great views. Locals are friendly because they're friendly, not because they want you to buy something. After being accosted around every corner for the past month, Bundi was the welcome change we needed, big time. It took a few days to let my guard down, especially around all those monkeys.

There are very few actual restaurants outside of guesthouse kitchens, which range from really good (I highly recommend the thalis at a place called Shivam), to really bad (Kasera Paradise's kitchen must have the worst food in India...unfortunately it was also our hotel). We got by. Brendan became addicted to peanut brittle, and we also discovered world's best samosa/sweets joint in the bazaar. If you see these guys, you'll know you're in the right place. Don't leave without trying the carrot pudding. You'll thank me.

Christmas was a a bit of a letdown for me, only because it was so un-Christmasy in Bundi and I missed my mom, but that was to be expected. I got over it. New Year's Eve was also uneventful and we were asleep well before midnight, but that was ok too (though it did mark Brendan's and my fall from the grace of sobriety... we'd been dry for six weeks and having a celebratory beer seemed like the right thing to do).

Two bicycles got us out to the desert countryside, where life is still pretty simple and everyone wants their photo taken. One thing I noticed was how hard the women work. In one village where we stopped for cups of chai, I was the only one in sight not performing manual labor... the men were drinking tea and playing cards, and the women were out digging ditches. We didn't stay long for fear I'd eventually be recruited. On the way back into town, Brendan got a flat tire. An hour and 20 cents later, he was back in business.

Nine days into our anonymous little existence in Rajasthan's best-kept secret (shhhh!), we were ready to leave Bundi's calm and get back on the Rajasthan tourist circuit.  Mark my words, that town will not be the same in ten years. It's just too pleasant to stay "undiscovered." I feel so lucky to be ahead of the curve!

For details on our unforgettable train ride into Udaipur, read Brendan's play-by-play account of the evening.

Your friend in the desert,
s

Comments

[Walter C.]

great wrap-up as always

[John]

Small little towns are the best, and even better after the hustle and bustle of a big city.

-John-

[Landon]

Thanks Sarah for keeping us updated! You guys are the greatest hope to see you again soon!

-Landon

[Text Pirate]

Good stuff. So, is this the "real India" compared to the tours and big city stuff?

I like the backgrounds in this crop of pictures. There's a tiny Brendan growing out of the kids back in these_guys.jpg. And Mister Grumpy Pants sitting with his veggies and his grumpy, yellow shirt in the_welcome_change.jpg. Also, anything with goats is funny.

[Liana]

I'm glad you guys found a place that you obviously enjoyed so much! That picture of the guys at the samosa joint had me cracking up when I spotted Brendan in the back - classic! :)