Today we headed for Chittorgarh with mixed feelings about leaving Bundi (and the pool at the hotel) behind us. But onwards we must go, and without a shadow of a doubt we'll be back soon...

Along the way, we stopped off at the Bijdia temple complex about 50km before Chittorgarh,  close to a small town called Nemal.

The temples are the last remains from the summer palace built in the 11th century by King Prithviraj Chaugan. From the debris and ruins, efforts have been made to reconstruct parts of the temples, evidenced by numbers on some of the stones – many of which lie in piles around the site. The Shiva temple was almost completely reconstructed and restored and is now a listed monument. Although a lot of effort was obviously put in to the task of recreating the structures, in places there were signs of a more Heath Robinson approach to things – bits of buildings mismatched or out of place, but it added to the character of the place and was (for us) an amusing example of the Indian way of doing things. The site is still a place of worship for Hindus, and as we witnessed a popular pilgrimage site - a band of joyous pilgrims playing drums and dancing inside one of the temples.

Our next stop was Bijaipur, where we would spend the night in yet another converted palace. The road took us through yet another variation on the landscape with tall date-palm trees and greenery, followed by more green and then to very dry and rocky. Before we entered the palace courtyard we passed a paddock with Marwari horses, including two foals. The breed is characterised by their ears which are curled at the tips and has been the pride of Rajasthan for centuries.

The occupying British Army preferred its own European breeds which also became popular with Indian royals and as a result the Marwari almost became extinct. Today they are enjoying a new wave of popularity, and you can now find them even in the furthest-flung corners of Rajasthan. The hotel owner of Castle Bijaipur has been breeding them for years. We didn't exactly have warfare on our minds, but riding through the surrounding area was quickly arranged and after check-in and a refreshing drink we got in to the saddles and set. The backdrop of the setting sun over the rolling hills was quite something.

Being the only guests in a hotel might be unnerving for some, but for us it was quite a treat. Dinner was served in the main courtyard but although the cuisine was great, it was unavoidably diminished by the star-filled sky that came in to focus as the lights were turned out. Enjoying a bottle of wine under a sparkling sky...just another part of our adventure!