Mr Raj's Exceedingly Good Tour

Thursday 15th May

- Akota village
- temples, waterfalls and monkeys
- Rudyard Kipling's Sukh Mahal
- Philippa gets mehndi'd

it was only a short skip down the road from the guesthouse after a wonderful masala chai before we met Enrico next to a rickshaw. the driver turned out to be a real find. almost inevitably called Raj, he had met Enrico when he first arrived, and then again without plans to do so the next day. he'd agreed a thoroughly reasonable charge for the morning's expedition that, split three ways, amounted to a very cheap tour.

we all clambered into the rickshaw, but it became apparent within seconds that - with Philippa on Edd's lap by necessity and lack of space - the journey would be somewhat lacking in comfort. however, Raj turned around and, within seconds of seeing the lack of light through his rear window, was offering us the trip in a mini-van at the same cost. his younger brother also tagged along to look after the van when we were out and about. unlike the younger brothers of other men called Raj in Bundi, he was polite and engaging.

in significantly improved comfort, we were off once more. our first stop was to be a local village called Akota. we weren't sure whether sudden extra tips or charges would be demanded, such as had been our experiences on a number of occasions, but our concerns proved thoroughly unfounded as the village trip and tour as a whole rebuilt much of our confidence in tour guides and organised expeditions. Philippa thought that Akota had something of the feel of a model village. it did seem to be a well organised, basic and simple place, with brick and mud buildings branching off from a new-looking road.

don't worry, it's quite a common reaction when asked by locals for a photograph in India for the beaming souls who requested it to suddenly go all serious for the snap, and then spread into beams once more immediately after the shutter closes!

the people of the village were incredibly friendly and clamoured good naturedly for photographs. many of the children (of both genders) were very striking, sure to grow into heartbreakers.

we slowly toured the village, taking in pot and chapati pan manufacture, meeting places and residences, skirting heard of skittish water buffalo and grinning, brightly turbaned men keen to be digitally immortalised.



it was a smiling combination of laughter and open greetings. one boy in particular followed us all of the way around, pulling a charming small-wheeled toy fashioned out of chicken wire and a two disparate wheels. we asked another where he was from, what was his country? he joyfully replied, at volume, 'Akota!' it was a fun place to be.



won over by Raj and his easy manner, we journeyed on through the half-cultivated countryside to the destination that Enrico had most wanted to see, a temple in a marvellous natural setting, replete with waterfall. we already knew that the falls would be dry at this time of year, but it was apparent that Enrico really wanted to see the place and we were more than happy to tag along. the shrine is a site of pilgrimage for Sadhus in particular and is deluged with worshippers at the time of the monsoon. at this time of year, however, it is a tranquil, steep sided, almost dry wooded valley with a babbling stream at its floor, home to only a few resident Sadhus and visiting pilgrims.

the air was filled with birdsong as we walked up the gentle steps to the waterfall area, passing wiry Sadhus bathing in the stream. groups of black-faced monkeys seemed to especially lord it over the area, interspersed with the occasional pink-faced macaque, definitely in the minority here. while Raj had a monkey stick, he didn't really need to use it - even the larger adults' attitude ranged from disinterest to only mild curiosity.

Raj led us on to the waterfall area, a plummeting drop from a source high up on rocky cliffs with beehive crowns. a trickle of water was falling down what at other times must be quite a torrent. where it reached the floor, a deep pool remained, slowly flowing into the beginnings of the stream.

Sadhus and other pilgrims were bathing and washing their few clothes. passing groups of young men were keen for photos and greetings, while one family passed with their just newly shaven-headed son. we understood from Raj that it was something akin to a Christian first communion. occasionally, a deep and unidentified hooting howl spooked all of the resident monkeys a little, contributing to the mysterious but welcoming environment.

picking our way back through the monkeys, we entered the rather new looking main temple building, still unfinished and constructed in response to a large surge of pilgrims during the monsoon months in recent years. legend has it that a Sadhu staying in the region had placed his hand into hole in the rock and been rewarded by Shiva with milk to sustain him in the wilderness. word quickly spread and a shrine was soon dedicated. you can still place your hand in that hole, its sides worn smooth by the hands of countless thousands of pilgrims. on closer inspection, the rock appears to be calcite or chalky in nature, so maybe the milk-bearing rock had a more mundane explanation, but it would be one lacking in any magic. inside the hole, the roof of the cavity even seemed to form a sort of teat, adding a little unnervingly to the mystery. the monkeys watched our behaviour from their positions astride stone oxen or cavorted playfully across the floor of the space.

it's not just the monkeys that find the pace of life in the temple all too much.

Raj told us how he enjoyed walking into the woods at the weekends with a bhang lassi (made from cannabis leaf and, therefore, legal in India) and communing with nature. he even claimed to have seen lions and panthers on such jaunts, which is not actually impossible, although almost all of India's lions and panthers are now in reserves in Gujarat. we couldn't help wondering what the women of his house were doing while he was gallivanting around half-stoned.

we left the waterfall contented, Raj getting us all a chai on the way out. as usual, the chai came with a free side order of about 50 flies per person, true value for money. our penultimate destination was a former hunting lodge of the local maharajas. the visitor is not able to go inside, but you do get a good sense of the scale of the lives such people led. the impressive lodge was originally set up to provide them with an artificial watering hole around which to shoot tiger, panther and so on. no wonder there are so few left.


our last stop on Raj's tour was the Sukh Mahal, most famous these days for being where Rudyard Kipling wrote much of The Jungle Book and Kim. the mini-van retraced its tracks towards the Targarh Fort, on the horizon beneath the radio mast. we finally approached Bundi's outskirts and came across the large Jait Sagar tank (or lake), its entire surface at least half covered with huge numbers of sizeable water lilies.

us and Enrico, Jait Sagar, Bundi

The Sukh Mahal sits at one end of this watery expanse, a pretty structure built to a more human scale in picturesque surrounds. we seemed to arrive when the holder of the all important key had gone to lunch, but we soaked up the view across the lake and admired the henna bushes and mango trees. it was an apt way to end an entirely relaxing morning.

the expedition had in fact run well into lunch, so we really got our money's worth. we all grabbed yet another drink and said goodbye to our excellent host - one to use again next time we are in Bundi (provided that we already have a route out of town before we come!).

we tried a bit of blogging on the internet, but yet again could not upload any images properly, at which Edd got unnecessarily frustrated, especially considering that the morning had been so enjoyable. we managed to find one of the slightly more expensive hotels that were able to do us a great lunch, with the first fruit lassis and fruit salads we had been able to have in nearly a week, since leaving Udaipur in fact. the owner said that he was going North to the Punjab for a month to escape the heat and wait out the off season. the routine afternoon nap was followed by a walk around the town in a long but eventually fruitful search for an ATM.

the main road temple, Bundi

our time in Bundi came to a peaceful close in the courtyard of the elephant stables, enjoying another of Neema's endless variations of excellent thalis. we had to act in tandem to rescue some washing from the clothes line, stolen by a butch and aggressive macaque, Edd with a stick and Neema more successfully using the old chapati lure technique. Raj spoke more of the ongoing extension works to the guesthouse, which had been going on during our stay. concrete had been laid and steps built up to an area that would be a cafe above two additional rooms. he'd clearly been quite concerned during the main construction but was now visibly relaxed and justifiably proud. he had put a great deal of personal time and effort into the guesthouse; we were sure that it would prove to be a fine success.

the evening concluded with Neema demonstrating yet another talent, as she mehndi'd Philippa's right hand and forearm on both sides. on her suggestion, she added our names to the design, endearingly misspelling both. it was quite good work, carried out in one fluid session with no little skill. we said a last good night to this lovely place and retired to pack and sleep - as soon as the henna on Philippa's hand had finally dried!

at times in Bundi we had let other factors distract us from the considerable delights of this little town sitting off the main tourist trail. but, as we drifted to sleep, it was fair to reflect that its unquestionable treasures had acted as a more than adequate counterbalance. tomorrow looked certain to be a long and trying day, but tonight we were only thinking of bats, monkeys, palaces and forts.

much love

edd & philippa