Being back in Bundi seems strangely like being somewhere you've known all your life. Not that I can claim to have been here more than once prior to this visit, but still. Last time we were here we fell in love with the palace. This time, it's the Taragarh Fort. Perched along a ridge, high above the palace, it's lit up at night and from the pool of our hotel was already looking inviting last night. Even though we'd promised ourselves a lie-in and some quality pool time, after lunch we'd already committed to seeing at least the fort before sundown.

Now, I mentioned that the fort was perched, but I wasn't exactly prepared for the climb that this particular perch involved! Definitely not one for the feint hearted, but by the time you reach the top a whole other world unfolds in front of you and around you.

It's virtually a ruin, but with enough intact that you can visualise its' former glory. You've paid to get in, but there's no-one there to check your tickets because it's deserted. The entrance is a small door in a gigantic wooden gate (complete with Elephant spikes) and on the other side - you enter a lost city.

The feeling was a combination of being a child again, and being Indiana Jones, like you're discovering something that no-one else has ever seen before. Slightly deluded thinking perhaps, but as you clamber over bits of rock, negotiate your way around dilapidated stairs and across the ramparts, it's hard not to get caught up in the moment. Spend enough time there and you uncover small rooms or temples with traces of the original wall paintings, very fine carvings and other treasures – and although they may be comparable with other forts and palaces in Rajasthan, it's just completely different to uncover things this way. Each corridor or turn reveals something new and from every corner of the fort the views are magnificent.

And of course, no fort (or ruin) would be complete without the obligatory colonies of monkies. In the cooler months these particular simians spend their time lounging in the courtyard of the palace (we saw them last time around) and are in fact depicted in 17th century wallpaintings in one of the rooms. But with temperatures loitering around 43 degrees C, the stepwells in the fort provide adequate water supplies – and entertainment for the adolescents. Did you know that monkies can swim? Did you know that monkies enjoy diving? Well, you do now. It seemed to be an evening ritual and was highly amusing to watch the youngsters behaving pretty much like human kids – pushing and shoving each other in to the water, dive bombing and generally enjoying themselves.

So, there was no audio tour and no explanations of the different spaces, but then that's the charm and uniqueness of the Taragarh. As Bundi increases in popularity with tourists, there are bound to be changes – safety measures, educational programmes, etc - but for anyone who has taken the trouble to climb up there recently, it will be a real shame to lose the magic of being free to explore and let your imagination run wild.