Hotel Harasar Haveli Bikaner

It has to be said, India is not the quietest country in the world, especially at night. Every night we lay our heads to the sounds of incessant drumming from the nearby temples or the constant horns from the rickshaws stuck in traffic outside. However last night was different, last night we closed out eyes enveloped in absolute silence, a deafening silence, because last night we slept in the desert.

This is Bikaner.

The bus journey to Bikaner was so bad it was almost funny. We d...

Unlike many tourists who arrive in India and follow a well trodden path around main towns and cities geared up for the backbacker and luxury class traveller, our trip has cleverly dumped us in at the deep end and taken us first across the tourist free parts of Rajasthan. This has probably made the whole experience more of a culture shock than it is for most. After leaving the small town of Mandawa, we took an early morning bus to Bikaner, a crowded town of around 580,000. The bus ride was not...

I got blessed by a rat, but more on that later. Travelling now on better roads we were able to make greater distances. The landscape is now dryer, and more deserted. We arrived late in Bikaner. The hotel has a restaurant on top with a view of the city. The entrance of the hotel seems to be a former home of a well off person as the walls were covered in hand carving and the ceiling of all the rooms were hand painted, there were all the photos of trophy kills. But the highlight is going to Karn...

First thing this morning we went to visit Mandawa Castle. It was amazingly beautiful with lots of pretty purple flowers around the outside. There was also a huge swimming pool in the middle of the gardens, which we were very tempted to jump into it. Man it is hot here. Oh, I should say that the castle has now been converted into a hotel, hence the swimming pool – I am sure it wasn't there when the castle was still in use!

On the way back to the car we stopped at a few of the shop...

Rajastan - Land of the Maharajas We now enter Rajasthan, a conglomerate of formerly independent so-called Rajput fifedoms ruled over for generations by local kings, the Maharajas. Over the centuries they opposed or were allied with the respective rulers of India, be it the mighty Muslim Mughals or the British, but always maintained their independence. The Rajput were a fearless Hindu warrior people who were renowned for their prowess in battle. Rajputs never surrendered, but, when facing cert...