6 and a half hours after leaving Jodhpur in a local bus, and a few pictures on the way, we finally reach Bikaner which will allow us to get a view over the Thar desert.

After a great night in a static bed, we head towards the climbing wall to meet Dal Singh, a collegue of Keerthi who is a climbing instructor in Bikaner and as well owns a company selling treks and safaris. After a short climb to honour our hosts, we’ll pick up a motorbike and head towards the desert. The road is simply awesome: a straight patch of asphalte in the middle of nowhere. This road leads to the border with pakistan but who knows what is there. That’s too far to check so we’ll just drive 10 or 15 kms inside the desert until we find what we are looking for: a sand dune. My watch indicates a good 44 degrees under the light shade of a tree. The sand burns my feet altough I am wearing my running shoes. Despite the heat we’ll have some fun on the dune to bring back a couple of souvenir pictures Before going back to the city we decide to stop for a cool drink in a typical “dhaba”: a small restaurant on the side of the roads mainly used by truck drivers with an iron stomach and usually not a place where you would order some food (and believe me I am quite used to eating in small village restaurants…)

The fort of Bikaner is supposed to be one of the biggest in Rajasthan. However, it has not been maintained well and sadly a great part of it is in very bad condition. From what I understood, this fort is managed by a corporation, whereas the Jodhpur fort is managed by the maharaja himself. This makes a lot of difference for the visitor: maintainance of the fort, ease and interest of the visit, guides, facilities, etc. Close to the fort is the court of justice which has been placed in a very old building.

We will finish our day in Bikaner by going through the main bazaar in order to find a safar, the traditionnal rajasthani turban to cover the head. Just like every bazaar in India, the one of Bikaner is crowded, the streets are narrow, the noise and smell and colors keep your senses busy all the way through it.

… to be continued

- Posted on Monday 8 May 2006 at 6:42 GMT.
- Tags: India 2006 • Bikaner • India • Rajasthan
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