Bikaner

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This morning we finally slept in for a bit, which may mean we're winning the battle against jet lag. We made our way up to the rooftop restaurant at about 10 for pancakes (we can't figure out what Indians have for breakfast) and masala chai, which I'm slowly getting addicted to. So sweet and delicious! We met our guide for the day, Bilal, who showed us the major sights of the city. We had a tuk tuk driver Gopi who wound through the narrow streets. Really, you'd be lost in one minute here without a guide!

We started at Junangarh Fort, another amazingly impressive fort with detailed painting, stone carving, etc. The tour was very efficient - we sped through rooms filled with beautiful painted doors, carved wooden window grates (for women to look through to see what was happening below), ornate bedrooms, and an extensive weapons collection with hand weapons, swords, even a world war II plane! We had a small moment of confusion when our guide had to attend to a personal matter. We were standing in an area filled with a different type of haveli - carved exteriors rather than painted - waiting for him to arrive, not knowing what to do with ourselves. As we waited, we became objects of some curiosity to the local boys, and soon we had 4 or 5 boys trying to help locate our guide. They were rascals, but very sweet and our guide soon reappeared and we continued.

Spent some time walking through the small market here, very nice, and quite relaxed (Bikaner is the road-less-travelled, so less hassle here). The people on the street were very friendly - many smiles and hellos as we walked past, with no strings attached! A much better vibe than the more touristy places we'd been to. Past the market saw a small Jain temple.

Bilal took us to a local restaurant which was very cheap and very good. Best chai we've yet had. Bilal was quite good, we very honest and frank about how things operate - he seemed to be taking the alternate approach of building his own reputation, rather than trying to extort maximum dollars out of every tourist! (Or perhaps he was just the slickest yet! 😉 I left with a very good feeling about him at any rate so would definitely recommend him, but its hard to determine who is ripping you off the most here! We're slowly figuring out what a fair price is for everything. Luckily, even when we get ripped off, the exchange rate is so good that its only a few dollars extra.

I (John) am very white, you may have noticed. Indian men don't wear any headgear, and don't carry a backpack, so I am quite conspicuous and have no hope of disguise.

Garbage and rubble! In the cities, the roadsides are lined with litter, broken bricks and filth. At least by what we're used to by Canadian standards, it is initially quite shocking. The first place we arrived in Delhi, we did not want to step out! Terrible to say, but the truth I'm afraid. Now, we're becoming more accustomed, and less squeamish about it.

Tomorrow dropped off in Jaisalmer, and will be glad to part with our driver by then!

USB seems to be a rarity here, so I'm having trouble uploading pictures still...
- John

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Comments

[Steve]

Awesome photos and hats
Your trip sounds awesome, and your journals are so eloquently composed! Keep it coming. Jenny and I will be watching along from the comfy confines of the 'hood'. Steve