2011 Biking Rajasthan

To Bikaner next via Dungargarh (102km) where we stayed in a hotel so dirty, we were quite upset that the lights came on (India is plagued by blackouts)! They did enable us to evict the resident mouse, however, and to discover just what it was that smelt so bad – a soiled diaper stuffed down the side of the bed. As this had not been removed during cleaning, it was a safe bet that the sheets had not been changed either!

In Bikaner (75km) we marvelled at the elaborately decorated palace within Junagarh Fort, visited a Jain temple built 500 years ago, where the same family of priests has presided for 34 generations, but the incumbent, who has two daughters, will have to pass the priesthood to his uncle or nephew; and dined at the beautifully restored Rampuria Haveli where the very expensive meal had been “dumbed down” for a French tour group and was, to our palates, somewhat dull. We also took a local bus ride to nearby Deshnok to visit the “world renowned” Karni Mata rat temple where mangy rats, revered as reincarnated family members, fornicate while visitors walk through their pee and poop in bare feet or socks; and I spent an hour or so at the Camel Research Station while Charl took to his bed to nurse his cold.