Bikaner

Oh for those off-roads Tarun!

Roughly 250 kms to Bikaner today and all of it on main roads. That means for a much faster, smoother and easier drive but it's not nearly so much fun. This is desert country and the scenery doesn't change too much. We saw this

And this...

And then wow... A cotton factory in the distance.

Lots of camel carts though and they're always fun.

Unlike the camel we need lots of water. We have to buy it in small quantities here otherwise we're drinking very hot water. Tarun seems to be in and out of shops buying it at very frequent intervals.

 

Speaking of water, it rained last night and we saw huge puddles of water on the sides of the road. There is no drainage system in these towns and the water doesn't seem to seep into the ground very quickly so it needs to wait for the sun to evaporate it. Never thought I would see this in the desert 

Thought we'd get breakfast on the road today but by the time we were hungry there was nowhere much to eat, so it was out with the cashew nuts and oranges again.

We got a lovely welcome at our desert resort hotel, flowers round our neck, cold drinks and towels and even a board in the foyer welcoming Mr Tarun .... Obviously I didn't count :-(

Take a look at  Maharaja Mr Tarun  with his flowers and fancy hairdo. I think a hair cut is going to be high on his agenda when he gets back to Delhi.

It seems like the Maharaja has his palace, including the restaurant and swimming pool, all to himself and his guest, as we are the only ones here......apart from the lizards that are scuttling around the walls and all the birds conversing rather loudly in the vicinity. 

After a very welcome swim and laze around the pool I reminded the Maharaja that he was actually working so off into explore the city :-)

First stop is a rooftop restaurant for a drink. Some of these old buildings are absolutely gorgeous and I love the style of architecture .

..... and that's about as far as we got. Only 4 nights left before I leave and we are both feeling a little tired now. It's been a very busy four weeks and we've done so much, so spending a few hours in a beautiful roof top setting was  about all we had energy for. Tomorrow we will be staying put and doing some touristy things.

Loved the cow and all the dogs sleeping beside our car when we left the restaurant. Often they just sleep in the middle of the road, which probably has something to do with why we see so many dead dogs on the road.