a life in words: tom & jerry. the bachelors of bundi.

BUNDI - 28th October - 2nd November 2011

We have spent five nights here in Bundi and the reason for our extended stay was that Julien and Lilly have been struck down by some horrible virus which has had them firmly planted in either bed or on the toilet... thankfully I've escaped with just the cold I caught from the Udaipur rooftop drinking sessions. Still no dysentery... I'm about three weeks into the trip now and all sense of time has started to fade away to the point that I'm not even sure what day of the week it is anymore and now time seems to be divided up by when I arrive in a new city and when I leave. For this reason (and also because internet is not always available) I've realized that it is going to prove impossible to update this blog on a day by day basis and so instead I'll divide the posts up by city and describe the things I get upto in each place whilst introducing you to some of the people I meet.

Arrived in Bundi on the 28th in the early evening and was recommended the Govindam rest house by this eccentric hippy-looking couple who flew by on a Hero Honda motorcycle. Seeing as the French made straight for their room clutching their stomachs I decided to take a stroll into town to see what Bundi had to offer. On the corner of the street I came across a cheesy cartoon sign advertising the one and only Tom and Jerry restaurant. Naturally I had to investigate and after climbing three flights of stairs came out on the rooftop terrace restaurant and was met by the incredible duo of Tom and Jerry. They were two brothers who are both cooks/proprietors of the establishment and they couldn't have been happier to see me. An enthusiasm they employed towards all their customers and the place has been the only place I've eaten in since I've been here. The reason for their constant happiness was soon made obvious as it appeared Tom loved to smoke the hashish whereas Jerry was the more sensible and business minded of the two but still equally merry. Breakfast or evening, the moment I walked through the door I was greeted by their eager greetings and Tom's appearance of constant joy was made even more enjoyable by his fantastic mustache which seemed to be taken straight from D'Artagnan of The Three Musketeers. The restaurant was set under a wooden lattice cage which seemed a little enclosed but the reason was soon explained to me by Jerry one morning. Monkeys were the root of the problem as roaming gangs traversed the various rooftops of the city and it was essential to have some form of protection for the tables, cushions and hi-fi which the cage housed. Tom told me it was very important for him to lock the kitchen at all times as well, even if he was just popping out for a second, as one time he returned to find a monkey rummaging through the fridge for some snacks! Cheeky blighters!

One evening whilst having dinner at T&J's I got talking to a couple from Canada by the names of Ben and Paula. They were doing some travelling for about three months and like us, were having a break in Bundi. We exchanged stories of how crazy India is and they told me that they had been invited to an Indian couples wedding in December! As the saying goes, anything in India is possible! Another interesting if awful thing that had happened to them was that the previous day whilst strolling along the road minding his own business, Ben had been attacked by some crazy dog. The little bastard had bitten him on the leg and had drawn blood! Worked out ok as locals directed to them to a pharmacy where they could give the necessary jabs but what a nightmare! I'l be giving all dogs a wide berth from now on I think! By this time Julien and Lilly were feeling slightly better and they had heard from some other travelers about a waterfall which existed about an hours drive from town and so I invited Ben and Paula along. We all met at 10 the next morning in the square opposite where Julien said we could get a taxi to take us out to the waterfall. Predictably this plan failed as much of the time in India you are told one thing and delivered something completely different. Instead we commandeered a large rikshaw which could take the five of us and headed out of town to find the waterfall. As suspension is non-existent on these rikshaws the next hour was a bone shaking trip made even more hectic by the large speakers our young driver had mounted on the back, which for the duration of the journey blasted out tunes. The journey took far longer due to the fact that our delboy of a driver slowed down everytime a local girl passed by. Lad number two but nothing on Mr. Cool Raoull. The long rikshaw journey although very hot, sweaty and uncomfortable only made arriving at the waterfall even more triumphant. A parched landscape suddenly gave way to a deep ravine where several tributaries joined to form a powerful cascading waterfall. A narrow staircase had been built which led down to the base of the waterfall where the water was fit for swimming. Swimming over to the base of the waterfall it was possible to swim through the cascading water and sit on the rocks below. After the sweaty drive the cool water was incredibly refreshing and we spent the rest of the afternoon relaxing by the water.

Bundi, not bad. Not bad at all.