To Kota or not to Kota?

puppydogben

Hi,

I'm wondering what other forum users who have spent time in Kota think about the city? I recently spent some time there with work last month and have to go back there at the end of this month.
Sadly, I found the place to be one of my least favourite spots in India so far, the town was particularly run down, and the people particularly unhospitable.
For example a good friend of mine was taking a rickshaw late at night and she was assualted and I had a very bad time at the train station reservation office with people surrounding me, pushing me and asking for money in a threatening way.
Also, other than using the town as a base for the impressive Bundi, did anyone find anything else of interest going on?
Any help would be appreciated, I have to spend five days there.

Thanks

__________________

Range after range of mountains
Year after year after year
I am still in love - Gary Snyder

Up the Owls!

machadinha

Apart from some interesting sights I didn't enjoy myself much there either no (some time ago mind). It's also fairly spread out the way I remember, involving more trundling about than we had expected.

One vivid memory is of sitting down in an attractive park and being pestered (mostly stared and chatted up, the usual fare really) by some young locals like you wouldn't believe, getting up several times and being followed around by them, leaving us with no option but to pack it up again. While this can happen more often in India, these guys were particularly annoying about it. I always figured it was our bad luck and it might have been different any other day, but maybe not.

So, sorry, no real word of encouragement. Our govt. guesthouse being rundown with the most indifferent of staff won't have improved our overall impression (this may well have improved again mind, the setting itself wasn't bad at all); I later figured staying closer to the station might have been a better choice, where there were at least a few eateries around, if I'm not getting two places mixed up now. The lake is nice, and we stumbled into some forgotten small Shiva temple on the way there that was kind of interesting. Hardly 5 days' worth of excitement though

__________________
Reading tips, all picked up at IndiaMike : INDAX's A Comprehensive Guide To India / Dinoj Surendran's Desi Humor / ITHVC on Culture Shock & Travel Health / JetLag Travel Guides For the Undiscerning Traveller / India Travel Links