Udaipur continued + Bundi, Pushkar, Jodhpur

Udaipur

Our last day in Udaipur was not all that memorable. We packed up our gear, checked out of the hotel, and took the obligatory boat trip before wandering around town. Bascially we spent the day killing time until we had to get on the train to Bundi. The most interesting part of the day was when we stumbled across a gun manufacturing factory.  Being male I was naturally curious about how guns were manufactured so we decided to take a look inside. It turned out that the company made fully working replica antique guns and shipped them all around the world. The workers in the factory were super nice and kept handing us guns to hold and pose with.

Working replica-antique guns made by hand

Kiersten wanted to buy this and carry it for protection

Bundi
We arrived in the small town of Bundi at 11pm, checked into the nearest cheap guesthouse, and went to bed. We awoke the next morning to find ourselves in a wonderful little city where most of the buildings are painted pale blue and a massive fort towers overhead. We spent the morning exploring the massive fort(s), which there is actually two of within a massive walled complex. One of the forts is significantly older than the other and inhabitated by hundreds of monkeys. You are told in the guidebook it's a good idea to bring a stick for protection.

First fort

Courtyard in the first fort

Bundi from the fort

Painted dome ceiling in the fort

Elephant gate

Blue Bundi

Area of the fort traditionally reserved for women

One of the thousands of monkeys that patrol Bundi

Bundi was roughly populated as follows: Humans-50% Monkeys-15% Dogs-15% Cows-10% Pigs-10%. You were never out of view of some member of the animal kingdom. Monkeys were craftiest of the bunch and would hang around roof-top restaurants waiting for a chance to steal your chapati.

Sneaky as a snake

After exploring the forts we spent the rest of our short time in Bundi wandering through the small blue streets and alleyways of the city. Bundi's large market reminded me of Jaipur in the way shops were organized by the products they manufactured and sold. The large fruit and vegtable market was especially fun to wander through. We spent some time in a sliver shop, where I chewed paan with the owners and Kiersten browsed the wares.

Overall we really liked Bundi and could have probably spent a bit more time there. It had a lot of character and was less touristy and more laid back than some of the other places we had visited. We only spent two nights there but could have definitely stayed longer.

Like many things, bike shops in India are slightly different from bike shops at home.

Cookware block

The pink house had to be different

Silver shop

Piles of peppers

Fresh produce market

Sneaky little monkey waiting for his chance

Sweet Shop

Pushkar
Our next stop was the lake city of Pushkar, an old hippy hangout famous for its holy lake. Pushkar, located only 10km from the much larger city of Ajmer, was a small laid back town that, although even smaller than Bundi, attracted way more tourists. We stayed in a small quiet hotel a good distance away from Bundi's tourist strip and spent our time checking out the lake and relaxing. It seems like biggest reason Pushkar is so popular is because of its abundant supply of bhang and comfortable places to chill out. I didn't think it was as cool as Bundi but it was a nice place to relax in nonetheless.

The lake in Pushkar

Yummm sweets

More lake action

View of residential Pushkar from our hotel restaurant

Jodhpur
After just two nights in Pushkar we boarded yet another bus and traveled to Jodphur.  After sampling both modes of transportation, I have decided that while train travel is more comfortable, bus travel is both cheaper and more convenient. The bus is also arguably better for taking in views of the countryside. It does have its downsides though, the primary one being that government-run buses will pile as many people as humanly possible into the bus at one time to maximize profits. There were so many passengers cramed into the bus that  when we stopped I had to climb out of a window in order to quickly piss on the side of a building before the bus took off again.

Jodhpur is similar to a larger Bundi: a pale-blue city with a massive fort. We did the same thing we've done in all the fort cities, explored both the fort and the city. Both of which were suitably impressive in Jodhpur. The fort was well maintained and there was an audio-tour included in the fort entry price. I don't have much experience in the audio-tour scene, but I have to say this audio-tour was excellent. Awesome music and a eloquent British narrator. Jodhpur was another city I could have spent more time in.

View of the fort from our hotel

One of my favorite things about India: rooftop restaurants

More Rajasthani blueness

I could have taken a million pictures of this city

Kiersten with some cenotaphs and the fort in the background

Bus station action