February 23

Yesterday was a laid back day. Jeff has had a cough lately with phlegm so just wanted to take it easy for a day, to see if rest might help it go away. Breakfast was muesli with milk, chopped fruit, and tea. Lunch we finished off the jelly, making PB&J toast/PB toast. Now supper was different, we went out to get non-veg as they label it. We wanted Meat!! We had found a few places. We decided on the Shahi Nonveg Hotel (again this is a restaurant, not a hotel). We ordered a whole Chicken Roasted Fry and x2 Roti!! It was so good. We were given a small plate of sliced red onions, pickled red bell pepper, cucumbers, and tomatoes. We have been wanting some meat for awhile. This really hit the spot. The chicken was seasoned with a rub of so many different spices. Anyway, after we finished we went back to our Zostel Hostel, watched sunset and had another brownie with ice cream (it wasn't sizzling as the one we had on our first night here), but was still good. Bed by ten.

This morning Jeff woke up, having slept a bit better, but still very coughy/congested. He went to get our scooter, but the manager wasn't around. So we went on to breakfast. We both had Poha, fruit plate (apples and papaya today), and tea for Jeff, I had coffee (because the kitchen area was locked and I could not get hot water for my own coffee 🙁 ). We waited around until 10:30, but still no manager/scooter. We set out on foot, going to the Garh Palace & Taragarh Fort. We arrived, and bought a combo ticket for the palace and fort. (The ticket included another place, but did not go to it.) Now the trek up. Whew! It was a steep incline up, not steps. I think I prefer steps!

Then, WOWZA, the entry gate was fantastic! It had two large carved elephants helping make the arch! Pretty cool! The gate opened to a quaint courtyard with the walls of the three-storied palace itself, being the focus. The palace is in a deteriorating state, so a bunch of it is not open for tourists. There are traces of tile work still up on walls that are hard to reach. One pillared room, has carved elephants at the top of the those pillars. (Elephants seem to be a focus in this palace – this made me think of our new friend from the Netherlands.) Another room had elaborate paintings, and some more exquisite tile work. Next room was even more over-the-top painted, literally. The ceiling was so colorfully decked out it was hard to get a good picture! Then, Jeff found some 'floating stairs' in another room. In another court, there was a huge arch that was just there, in the center of the courtyard. Now the palace opened to a bigger outdoor courtyard with a stepwell in it. Also a beautiful bougainvillea was all abloom here, giving the courtyard a brilliant highlight. Right off this courtyard was another stunning painted room. Then around here we found some great outlooks to view back over the city.

Now we hiked out and uphill to the Taragarh Fort. (We ate a snack of nuts and cookies in a shaded spot on the hike up.) At the fort, there were some more great views including the other side of the hill, and another stepwell that still has water in it. The fort is pretty run down compared to the palace. We exited and took 'the less traveled path' back down into town. We stopped at a restaurant that has is on the edge of the Nawal Sagar Lake that we walked around couple of days ago. We just got drinks – Coke, Limca, and water. They were overpriced but worth it for the peaceful setting.

Now we were walking back to our place, but Jeff steered off to see a Dr. for his worsening cough. He was seen and given three medicines for $6!!! He was diagnosed with bronchitis. We arrived back at our place and cleaned our CPAP's, did a last bit of hand washed laundry, and showered. Then up for sunset and supper. We had Cream of Mushroom soup; the Hummus with Roasted Veggies, and a side Salad; and a Rich Bread Basket, which included Garlic Naan, Stuffed Naan, Lachcha Paratha, and Missi Roti. It was all very good and filling!

After supper I went out to the common's area that all hostels have. I blogged some. (Jeff stayed in the room to rest.) An Indian couple came over and we struck up a conversation with help from Google translate. They were very pleasant, friendly and exuberant. They are a young couple from a village one hour and a half drive away from here. The village is Dooni. We exchanged WhatsApp numbers. Then we bowed out, my computer was dying and we were tired. It was fun to meet and talk with them though.

What a good day in Bundi. Tomorrow we should be getting the rental scooter!