A Bundi Birthday for "ILAY 24"

First of all thank you to those who wished me a happy birthday, I really appreciate the love.

My birthday was great and I spent the first half of the day relaxing and learning to cook Malay Paneer; fried cheese balls in a thick masala sauce. The second half was spent riding a motorcycle through the surrounding Bundi region. I rented a Hero Honda while my Israeli friend Ophir rented a TVS scooter (the funniest looking bike I've ever seen). We set out first to explore the lake area and chill in some gardens. After we found a deserted site of Cenotaphs (tombs) which house the corpses of all the past Maharaja's (Kings) of Bundi. All the carvings were spectacular and full of detailed stories of love, battle, and worship. As we were heading back to the guest house, we notice a massive set of staircases that led up over a hill. We were intrigued so we pulled over to climb the steps to the unknown. It turned out to lead us to a powder blue temple just over the top of the hill. It was very peaceful. Monkeys, dogs, and goats were roaming the complex while inside, locals sang, prayed, and played drums. When we began to head down, we were approached by kids that had found plastic bottles that they turned into sleds. They would sit on them and slide down the concrete railing on the steps like a massive slide. We spent the rest of the ride just getting lost in the farm lands and cruising down single lane roads enclosed by tree's. It was a beautiful ride and super relaxing.

When we returned to the guest house, Mama-Ji was very excited to tell me she had bought me a cake and was about to begin making rice pudding, goya (a guava chutney), and paratha (vegetable pancakes) and she wanted me to help. While we were cooking in Mama-Ji's kitchen Vijay, the other chef, was in his kitchen preparing a Thali (small buffet) of dishes for the Birthday feast. I was very lucky to have a full guest house packed with great people from all over the world to celebrate with. When dinner was finished we made a fire in the garden and drank some beers and rum to close out the night. Just before bed Mama-Ji broke out the cake which had written on the top, "Happy Birthday ILAY, 24." Everyone busted out laughing while Mama-Ji blushed and said" Oh?! What happened?" She was so embarrassed about the spelling error but quickly got over it. The cake tasted like soap which was not exactly enjoyable but the effort made it all ok.

So all in all, a great and special birthday in Bundi.