Day 94 - Fort, Camels, and...

Today we arrived in Bikaner. Bikaner is the beginning of the desert region of Rajasthan, and the landscape has changed dramatically. Because the monsoon is just ending, there is still quite a bit of green in the long, empty sands, but by next month it will be a sea of brown and yellow. Much of the trafic here is not cars or busses, but rather ladies in flowing saris carrying impossible loads on their heads, camel or oxcarts, and people on foot. I had seen photos like this in National Geographic, but could not imagine how it would be in real life. The scale and grace of human life against the sheer vastness of the desert must be witnessed first hand to grasp.

Bikaner rises up suddenly out of the desert. Its skyline is dominated by the fort, which, like the Red Fort, is really a comples of palaces, more than a single military fortification. Bikaner receives very few tourists - to say there were a few french people, a few Brits, and us. The rest of the rather large crowd visiting the fort were all Indians. The French and the Brits had private guides. We somehow wound up in a group of about 50 Indians and a guide speaking Hindi. Luckily, a couple of young guys in the group, and the second guide did speak a little English, and pointed out key features to us. The fort was an interesting blend of East and West, with Belgian mirrors and Italian chandeliers living alongside traditional Rajasthani carved sandlewood.

After the fort, we holed up in hotel. Afternoons in Rajasthan are HOT, and siesta is often observed. After the worst of the heat had passed, we visited the camel research and breeding facility a little way out of town. It is the only one of its kind in Asia, and its camel stock have been exported all over the world. There are three types of camel native to Rajasthan. The Bikaner camel is very strong - one camel can pull up to two and half tons! They are used extensively around this region for hard labour. They also sport the longest eyelashes of any dromedary. The Jaisalmieri camel is lighter in both colour and build, and very fast. These were the camels used by the Indian Army. The third type, I believe is called Goakpur. Goakpur camels produce the most milk. Aside from work within the facility, the center provides its finest stud camels free of charge to the local community. Many people in and around Bikaner rely heavily on their camels, and it is in the area's best interest to keep the breeding stock as strong as possible for everyone.

After the camels, we went a little further down the chain of evolution. There is a local goddess whose animal icon is the rat. Consequently, her temple is overrun by masses of rats. Really, rats everywhere - floor, railings, scurrying up and down the walls....sort of like some neighborhoods in Brooklyn. As my guidebook states "This not for the faint of heart or the sockless". You are expected to remove your shoes before entering the temple. It is considered good luck to have a rat run over your foot. Even better luck if you spot the one white rat. We experienced both, so have high hopes. If, by mischance you should step on a rat, you are expected to donate a life-size gold rat to the temple to atone. Not many tourists venture out there, so we were something of a novelty. Cz and I are now part of few Indian tourist albums rather than the other way around.

After the rat temple, we headed back to our hotel. Where we washed our socks - lots of rats equal lots of rat poo - no shoes...

And ate dinner of delicious local food. After washing our hands. Reapeatedly.