We are now in Bundi! This is a much smaller town (around pop.100,000) several hours south of Jaipur. Getting there was a grand time. We had bought train tickets earlier in the week (rp340) and arrived at the train station in a tiny rickshaw (tiny b/c we took the small guy’s offer of 35 after much barter). This meant 4 of us and weekend bags were crammed into the little vehicle with a tiny muslim man and his dignified white beard. The driver was so excited that his rickshaw was able to pull us all the way to the station he let a whoohoo which we repeated in cacophony.
Getting on the train turned out to be less enjoyable. We knew we were on a sleeper car, a type of car that usually has the names of the passengers posted outside by the door. But our tickets said we were in SE2…well there were many S#’s but no SE’s. It wasn’t S2 so we resorted to walking u and down the platform asking everyone imaginable by pointing at our ticket and looking thoroughly confused (which we were). In response we got about 10 conflicting pointed directions. After walking back and forth several times and dwindling our extra time down 10 minutes before departure, we spotted our names on one of the only cars we had not already checked. Oh well. Off to Kota. The ride took about 5 hours.
We arrived around 9 at night and walked from the station into the street to find a reasonably priced rickshaw (rp. 30) to the bus station. This turned out to be a deserted alley with old buses in it but we were quickly ushered onto the bus Bundi Bundi! A man on the bus befriended us when we got confused about ticket prices (rp. 20) and thought he would be a friend for the rest of the ride. He even got us a reasonably priced rickshaw to our Haveli (old house converted to hotel) and wanted to meet up the next day. Polite no thanks.
The RN Haveli which we had picked out of our guidebook turned out to be a delightful 20 year old home with painted walls and the typical Indian layout of two floors and a central courtyard. The place is lauded (among tourists at least) for being an entirely female run business, notably by ‘Mama’ a proud old fat lady who introduces us to her ‘daughter-in-law’ and son who turn out to be an older British couple staying for a couple days. We sooned joined by some affectionate puppies off the street who play with our backpacks while mama ineffectually attempts to chalo them out.
We have two small doubles. The beds—and rooms—look a bit suspect in cleanliness, the bathroom is a tiny combined western/squaty potty that flushes only intermittently and we can hear the mice squeaking to keep the floor company in the dark. But Mama gives delicious ginger chai and an extra blanket for the cold night the place has character. This for the equivalent of what I would pay for a cup of chai in the US (150 rupees or $3 per night!).

written by  Drie on February 2, 2008 from Jaipur, India
from the travel blog: Adventures in Hindustan
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I can relate to that feeling of confusion and panic on the train station. I am sure you know but cars are posted on the station wall, so perhaps there was something that looked like SE2. also youcould have looked for the station master perhaps.
In any case, how exciting.
Mom

written by  peggy.cuciti on February 8, 2008

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