Chaotic and intense do not apply in this town, with words such as tranquil, laid-back, enchanting and extraordinary much more appropriate instead.

Picture a large desert hill, with a small town nestled into its base, a town with hundreds of narrow lanes creating a maze of homes, shops and temples, most of which are painted a mesmerizing shade of pastel blue (a sign of royalty). From almost any vantage point, the impressive Bundi Palace looms overhead.

Incredibly, the usual fears associated with traveling in India – pickpockets, being ripped off, endless scams – are nothing to worry about at all here. We stayed with a family in the center of the old town, in a traditional guesthouse decorated with bright coloured walls & stain glass windows.

Jay who we had met in Varanasi left us to head home for Christmas on our second day. So in the end it was just the three of us celebrating Christmas in the entire town!

Christmas for us was a little unusual this year, there wasn't any roast dinner or even an inclining of Christmas in the whole town. So we managed with curry & chapati, with the touch of Christmas made thanks to Niamh who surprised us with a plum pudding a mulled wine spices from home. We spent Christmas Eve attempting to fly paper lanterns and Christmas day desperately attempting to fly kites. (Its far harder than they make it look!) We spent five whole days in the town, enjoying the peace & quiet, knowing it wouldn't be long before we were back in the madness again.