Blogs from Bikaner, Rajasthan, India, Asia - page 6

Well, perhaps not actually bilked but... From Jaisalmer I returned back down the highway towards Jodhpur until the turnoff north. My destination was Amritsar to see the Golden Temple, but riding it in one day wasn’t possible and I’d planned a stopover in Bikaner. Nothing there really attracted me except the rat temple, plus I needed a place to sleep for the night. Motorcycle acted up a bit. It ran, but hestitatingly. Top speed was 50km per hour. At first I thought it was bad gas because it seemed to be missing, but that wasn’t it. Then I thought the carburetor might be slightly fouled, but that wasn’t it, either. I made it to Bikaner and stopped to see a mechanic on the outskirts of town, who said I needed a new battery. This was Sunday ... read more

We only came here to see the rat temple really, id seen it on TV ages ago, isn’t really worth the 6 bus journey but it was fascinating to see hundreds and hundreds of cute little ratty’s scampering round the temple. The Indians believe they used to be story tellers and were reincarnated into rats after death, they put out lots of food for the little creatures.... read more

As the Tuk Tuk pulled up at the side of a railway station, my eyes followed the track stretching off into the desert. An old rusty barrel dripped water while a railway sign creaked in the slight breeze. As a sand devil built up momentum I looked around at the stunning dunes and deep blue sky before setting sight on three dodgy teenagers racing camels and a cart towards us. As they approached and the dust cleared, it was obvious these lads were going to be trouble. In England we would call them Hoodies, in India they are Slum Dogs. We would later brand them 'The Camel Fuckers'. Yet again the realisation that we had been scammed set in. Originally booking our trip with an official business called 'Thar Camel Safari' we were eventually driven into ... read more

The bus journey to Bikaner was certainly an experience! We left little Diamond Hotel and its nice people with regret and went to wait for the bus. It rolled up looking pretty modern and nice - which it was. There were seats on the bottom and bunks on the top. The bunk was really nice and comfy, only problem was that we were at the back of the bus and the roads were far from smooth! We spent maybe half an hour in hysterics trying to arrange our things whilst being flung at the ceiling by every bump! It was going to be a long night! Needing the toilet wasnt great either with no toilet on board. I went to the front and asked the conducter what to do and he said wait 5 minutes. The ... read more

Mandawa Day 1 & 2 - Rajasthan Tour The sights out of the car window on the way to Mandawa were made up of desert, huge carts piled high with bales being drawn by camels, goats being herded across the road by a women in brightly coloured saris, stray cows and dogs roaming the streets eating rubbish. Family homes being a mixture of tents, cloth held up by branches and concrete block houses. Riding towards us were 3 people on a motor bike, the only unusual thing about this was one was dead; stiff as a board lying horizontally across the seat. A man in his thirties, our driver commented - alcohol. Apparently in India ARAK kills thousands of men a year. The Government distilled Arak is safe, but obviously that is too expensive for some, ... read more