I had a marvelous two days in the desert riding a camel and sleeping outside. It was a civilized adventure, supervised by two real camel drivers who set up a complete camp kitchen, including propane burners, two meals, and sleeping pallets in a stone structure on a hill in the desert. At the same time, it was peaceful and put me in touch with the “real” India and myself. My host, Hiteshwar at Vijay’s Guest House, arranged the trip in
Read moreMy final day in Bikaner found me more comfortable with the people and still acting the tourist. It remained hot. At Hiteshwar’s suggestion, I rode a tuk-tuk to the Junagarh Fort, which dates from 1589 CE. The fort is full of artifacts of the Rathore dynasty of Bikaner. An earlier fort in this same place was taken by Kamran Mirna, the son Mughal Emperor Babur, in 1534 but only for one day. The fort contains palaces, temples (both Hindu and
Read moreI forget that someone reading this blog might not know exactly where I am. So, on Saturday, 20 July 2019, I find myself in and around Bikaner in the state of Rajasthan, India. Bikaner is about 500 kilometers (311 miles) from New Delhi. The train takes about eight hours to make the journey; driving takes about nine hours. As I write, it is 101 degrees Fahrenheit (38 Celsius). A water bottle is my constant companion. I’ve found that showers are
Read moreWritten at the Vijay Guest House, Bikaner, Rajasthan, India I’m near the Pakistani border in the city of Bikaner on Thursday afternoon 18 July 2019. I left New Delhi a little after 7:00 this morning. It was hot and steamy. Gerald and I had breakfast together, and surprisingly, I ate very little. I was nervous. I sweated through my shirts just getting to the train then I couldn’t find where I was supposed to be. A Good Samaritan helped me
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