Rajasthan Road Trip 5 Udaipur Bundi

Delhi – Pushkar – Ajmer – Chittorgarh – Kumbalgarh – Ranakpur – Udaipur – Bundi – Jaipur – Delhi
Total Distance (233 kms)
Time Taken – 6pm – 12:30pm

Room at Shivam Tourist Lodge: 700 and 550. The phone booking procedure for hotels and guest houses in Bundi is time consuming. Be prepared to answer a long set of questions right from Number of people, where you are arriving from etc. The moment you mention you are Indian, the voice on the other side takes a new role and the questions become more direct and specific. We said we were two couples, so one of them how we are travelling together. There is a certain dislike for Indian tourists in Bundi.

Food Items Tried – Pyaaz Kachori, Daal Kachori with special Heeng ki Chutni. A must try when you are in Bundi.  Krishna ji ki Chai – You get the creamiest of Chai’s here along with lots of gyaan from the owner. The walls of his shop are covered with some innovative and funny paintings / graffiti

Bundi is picture perfect. It lives up to the image of Rajasthan that has been painted for years. The locals are not used to seeing many Indian tourists, so when you are there, everyone knows you. Most cafes have a stunning view of the palace and food is pretty much the same. Our top pick was the Tom and Jerry Café. We went there on both evenings in Bundi. It is run by two brothers who call themselves Tom and Jerry and roll out fairly good pizzas using a non-stick pan.

Sight Seeing :

1. Local Pottery Village. You need to drive out 15 odd kms from Bundi to get to this village, and most guide books have a mention of this. This can be clubbed with a visit to the Shiva temple. The eagerness with which the villagers welcomed us left us surprised. We found out later that this was due to the high number of foreign tourists visiting the village. There was a set of activities which are demonstrated to the tourists, from live demonstration of making pots, getting pictures clicked with the kids and elderly men, selling some miniature pots and then some baksheesh.

2. Bundi Palace and Fort: This one you will remember for a lifetime. At the ticket counter, you will first be told that you can only visit the Palace and that the Fort is closed to Indians. At arguing and persuading that you have come all the day, the ticket seller will agree like he is doing you a favor. The catch is that you can only enter with a foreigner’s ticket.

The Palace lived up to our expectation. We spent a good 4hrs. Our guidebook said that Bundi has the finest collection of paintings in the whole of Rajasthan. The Gallery is the last section of the fort that you visit and you couldn’t leave the place on a higher note.

Our Verdict : Bundi is a must visit on your trip to Rajasthan, can be clubbed with a visit to Jaipur. The treatment from guest house owners may turn out to be the only downside of your trip.

Expenses :
Bundi Palace Entrance – 25 each
Bundi Fort Entrance – 100 each
Guide for the Fort – 300
Food – 3200 (4 people 6 meals over 2 days including drinks)