Blogs from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 5

Took night train to Bikaner in style. Still didn't sleep though as the other 2 in our compartment snored like all hell! Less touristed area and still chaotic. Went to see Junagargh Fort. OK but nothing compared to Jaisalmer or Jodhpur. Not even allowed on the alls, so more of a museum. Have realised what cows eat here. See them in garbage all the time. I swear they eat anything! Cardboard, clothes, any kind of organic compost, even crackers from my hand. They sleep in the middle of roads, wherever they want. Too funny! Went out to the Rat Temple. Can't remember the story in full, but all the rats are reincarnated storytellers or something like that. If one walks over your feet it's considered good luck! I had one go under! But seriously, gross rats ... read more

Things observed/noted so far in India… 1) It smells, open sewers are weak. 2) People sleep EVERYWHERE, 3) The centre of New Delhi is sorta modern, and you can relax in the park with only a little bit of hassle, 4) People really want to clean my ears and shoes, 5) Cat Moss is a great name for a clothes shop, 6) Squashing a mossie on the wall and seeing a big red blood splatter is horrific, 7) If you’re English, you must be recognised from sweating in the heat, and then greeted with ‘lovely jubbly’, 8) London the the only place in the uk, 9) Hostel towels are only to be used for one purpose, 10) The logic of a bidet is undeniable, but you are left with a wet bum, 11) Don’t just assume ... read more

Bikaner, Rajasthan 10th to 12th October 2008 Today we moved on to Bikaner which is probably the nearest we get to the Pakistan border 100k away. The desert to the north is now a restricted area. Met 'Henry' our fellow guest at the Vinayak Guest House at dinner tonight. He is from New York and is researching genetics at the Centre for Reseach on Camels which we are visiting tomorrow. Going to get an insider tour and see the camels coming home at 4.00pm! Jitu our host is really great and so helpful. He works at the camel place too!!! His dad runs a charity shop supporting local craftspeople and mum has a dress shop next door. Hope to spend some money at both. This is a real homestay in the middle of the town ... read more

We left Pushkar on Wednesday at 08:30 to make our way to Bikaner, a small desert town in the North West of Rajasthan. We had pre-booked train tickets from a nearby town, Merta, only to later find out that the only way to Merta is to get on the Bikaner bus and get off at the first stop! Sounds a bit back to front, but in actual fact we were quite relieved we hadn’t opted for the 7hr bus journey as it turned out the bus was a local bus for local people! As it was a local bus, luggage space was minimal, so we had to block all major exit routes with our large rucsacks and place our smaller bags in the over head areas. 5 minutes into the journey and one of the smaller ... read more

Mr. Chhalani and his son were there to meet me on the platform as promised. The father speaks in spurts. If you haven’t gotten to know him well enough, you’d think he has a crabby disposition. His deceptive irritability conceals an unconditional, yet forceful kindness. Hanging out with the entire Chhalani clan is an exercise in tag-team hospitality. Once one of them is done strangling you with generosity and consideration, he runs to the corner of the ring and slaps the hand of a brother or the lady of the house; on comes the next to smother you with more. In the end with the Chhalanis, resistance is futile. Their newly built, custom-designed mini mansion is indicative of the name they have made for themselves in Bikaner. Yellowing newsprint still sticks to walls above doorways where ... read more