Pushkar to Bikaner

It was a nice drive to Bikaner from Pushkar, filled with little naps and a couple fun stops.  Pretty tired from the camping trip, it was nice to take a cat nap as we drove through the desert.  Our first stop was in Nagour to check out the small camel fair that was going on.  It was a gathering of mostly camel owners, but also horses and cows, selling or trading animals.  There were also tons of vendors selling harnesses, saddles, costumes, and bells for the animals.  They were also shaving the animals down to have silly hair cuts, much like large sand colored poodles.  We grabbed a quick snack, realizing how hungry we were.  Nandhu had a suggestion for lunch, so after another 10 kilometers down the road, we stopped for lunch at a small road side restaurant.  Tadka dal (which seems to be Nandhu's favorite and one of our new favorites as well) and some malai kofta with chapatis made a delicious lunch, and we continued on to Bikaner.  About 30 kilometers from the city, we stopped in a small town of Deshnok to visit a temple.  Famous for its kabas, or holy rodents, the Karni Mata temple in Deshnok is overrun by rats.  It is apparently good luck if rats run over your feet, as well as if you see the elusive white rat.  Neither of those things occurred for either of us, but it was really interesting to see how the temple was built and hear the interesting history.  We got back on the road for a bit longer and arrived at the outer walls of Bikaner old city.  It was amazing to see how intact the old city has remained, with all the original architecture from hundreds of years ago still in place.  The buildings themselves have been renovated on the insides, but the old tiny winding roads barely big enough for a car, beautiful carvings, and old fort doors in every building still remain.  We found our way to the guest house after much maneuvering through autos and persuading of cows, and were welcomed by Manisha, the sister of Preeti from Jaipur.  Her warmth and friendliness was so like her sister's it was incredibly comforting and we felt right at home.  Her husband Anil was incredibly kind as well, and her adorable little girl Tanisha (whom the guest house is named after) continues to peek her head out of a room everytime we're near by and gives us a big wave and silly grin.  After a shower and a little bit of the India vs Australia cricket match we sat down to eat.  We had palak paneer, cauliflower and pea curry, chapatis, rice, onion papad, yogurt and rasgullah for dessert.  Needless to say, we were totally stuffed.  After finishing dinner, Anil took us for a walk around town, which helped us digest a bit.  He took us down the small winding lanes around the guest house, stopping to have us try the local sweet paan he said Bikaner was famous for.  The streets were all lit with beautiful decorations for the Jain holiday that is going on for 9 days in the old city, and it was really nice to see everyone celebrating and enjoying the evening.  We returned to the guest house and Anil brought us up to the roof top terrace that overlooks the entire city.  It was an amazing view, and he pointed out all the sights we needed to see the next day.  We headed to bed after, full and sleepy, really excited to explore Bikaner the next day.

Camel fair fun

Chili pakoras

Karni Mata Temple

So many rats

Guesthouse in Bikaner

With a beautiful view of the city