Another superb dinner at a local restaurant last night, a 5minute walk from our wonderful palace. Come to think of it, we almost always eat at local restaurants (rather than in our hotel) on the recommendation of our wonderful driver, Giridhar.
Today, our guide Benti met us on the steps of the palace under a very heavy fog/smog covered sky as we made our way to our first stop, the Temple of the Rats; reincarnation of goddess Durga. There are hundreds if not thousands of them openly running around the temple; fed (as a gift to the goddess) by the people who come to pray. Not a site for the faint hearted, we were very conscious of where we stepped.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the magnificent Junagarh Fort, built between 1589 and 1594. It today houses a museum, displaying the heritage of the rulers of Bikaner. It was also pleasing to see scores of visiting local school students, occasionally getting a tad out of line, much to the annoyance of the escorting teachers. It was all in good fun and added to the atmosphere. Worth a read in Wikipedia.
This was followed by a most amazing ride in a tuk tuk (not unlike a chase in a James Bond movie) through the old city of Bikaner, which also included a couple of walks through the markets. Fascinating, it was fun dodging the scooters, push bikes, the odd tuk tuk, cows and dogs in the very narrow lanes as traders beautifully displayed their colourful fruits, veges, spices and other wares. Loved it.
After a rest in our palace, finished the day off with a visit to a fabric shop, (Ursi, couldn’t resist buying a bed spread and a embroidered carpet to hang on a wall) followed by a lovely dinner at the same restaurant as last night.
Today, our guide Benti met us on the steps of the palace under a very heavy fog/smog covered sky as we made our way to our first stop, the Temple of the Rats; reincarnation of goddess Durga. There are hundreds if not thousands of them openly running around the temple; fed (as a gift to the goddess) by the people who come to pray. Not a site for the faint hearted, we were very conscious of where we stepped.
Next on the agenda was a visit to the magnificent Junagarh Fort, built between 1589 and 1594. It today houses a museum, displaying the heritage of the rulers of Bikaner. It was also pleasing to see scores of visiting local school students, occasionally getting a tad out of line, much to the annoyance of the escorting teachers. It was all in good fun and added to the atmosphere. Worth a read in Wikipedia.
This was followed by a most amazing ride in a tuk tuk (not unlike a chase in a James Bond movie) through the old city of Bikaner, which also included a couple of walks through the markets. Fascinating, it was fun dodging the scooters, push bikes, the odd tuk tuk, cows and dogs in the very narrow lanes as traders beautifully displayed their colourful fruits, veges, spices and other wares. Loved it.
After a rest in our palace, finished the day off with a visit to a fabric shop, (Ursi, couldn’t resist buying a bed spread and a embroidered carpet to hang on a wall) followed by a lovely dinner at the same restaurant as last night.
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