RATS

Well i visited fort then asked when trains/buses left for different town..........crap, all had left for the day already by 4:00-5:00pm. So i had 2 choices; go to town I had just come from.......or venture further north into desert to Bikaner.
Well, decision was easy. Bikaner it was. Loafed around for the next 4 hours then hopped the night bus and got a sleeper to myself. I actually got to sleep a bit and 323 km journey took 7 hours. Not bad.
Arrived at 5:00am to about 5 men all waiting for me outside bus wanting to give me ride or take me to hotel for commission. Checked into a shithole hotel but hadn't the energy to argue w/driver to bring me to adifferent hotel or walk round in the dark looking for cleaner one. Slept till 930 am then had breakfast and amazingly found a bus station to go to Deshnok....................famous rat temple I'd heard of 5 years ago in India and wanting to go eversince.

www.karnimata.com

Bus was overfull(as usual in india) so I was shown to the roof w/20-25 other men (no women allowed on top...too dangerous) Ahhhh riding throught the desert roads on the top of a bus. Brilliant and worth the long ride up here. Totally worth it. Got to temple...........my god it was like I had heard hundreds and hundreds of rats everywhere. Being a temple you must go in barefeet and I had a rat brush up against my foot........yuck. One little girl started screaming as rat ran over her bare foot............many people laughed at this. Me as well. Yup rats everywhere and big bowls of milk and piles of food for them in the temple. People came from far and near to worship them actually was gross as occasionally u'd step in a tiny wet or squishey spot..........rat shit or piss........but everyone else was in same situation walking in the same..........yeah it was gross.........but unbelievable to see. Crazy how many rats all in one temple.......running after each other and playing and fighting......big ones little ones.. all kinds. Sadly never saw a white one as it is blessing to see one I was told by locals. I noticed one room in the temple w/rats on the bed on sheets and pillows..........everywhere was rats. Local warned me to shuffle my feet and not lift them as if i stepped on rat and killed it would be big problem(like killing an deceased ancestor as locals believe in re-incarnation) I will never be to such a unique place on earth again i don't think.......never! Glad I came!
well, rode on roof by myself on way back(30 kms) There was room on bus but more fun on the roof.....wind in hair looking out at desert and camels and locals. Many children looked up at me squealing/laughing at sight of tourist on top of bus, even saw a little wild deer the size of oversized dog, but nice looking. Everyone here is vegetarian, so animals have little chance of being shot for meat . Actually I don't recall the last time i saw meat on the menu?????days ago.... Meat is very hard to find here......weird!
A rickshaw blew a tire in town and many people cheered out loud then crowded around for 2-5 minutes just staring at the blown tire I kid u not........everyone staring at the blown tire to the point the crown blocked off part of road and police man w/stick came and yelled and gently hit people w/his stick to disperse the crowd. If they stare at blown tire that much.........no wonder they stare at tourists
Had an awesome lunch(4:00pm) this isn't a tourist town so prices are insanely cheap in restaurant. .18 for 2 toast butter jam or .25 for veg. omelet. I had flat bread w/mashed potatoes/onion inside, fried potatoes, another bigger flat bread w/chopped garlic cooked in......i could hardly finish and was .67 1/2 . Crazy. Tastey as well.
Walked down to bakery and had huge rum ball. Very tasty except it was in a glass case, yet the doors were open so it was quite full of flies.. Now why wouldn't owner close the doors?.........Everything india doesn't make sense........no sense at all. A tourist would go mad trying to make sense of this country......i just enjoy it and not try to figure it out. So much craziness.
Went to my room around 6:00pm and crashed, wanted to get up and have beers later, but awoke this morning at 530 am, showered(cold water only in this place, and it was freezing cold) and walking round by 7:00am....streets dead.
Cashed travellers check at bank, only took 45 minutes..Fast for India. I was surprised.
Funniest thing i saw yesterday. A huge cow, 800 -1000 lb.s maybe walked up to a cart that man was selling apples from and the cow just started eating the apples by the mouthful.......the man started yelling and only had a little tin cup on him so he started hitting cow on the head w/cup, but cow continued to eat and eat and eat.......finally cow left but had eaten 1/2 the mans apples and he was furious and swearing in Hindi.. I am laughing now thinking of it......ahhh only in India.
well i am checking out of that crap hotel and unsure what I'll do or when or where next town will be. 1100 am now and off i roam to fort/museum and i think maybe to market. The mangos are sweet as sugar here and very cheap(what isn't cheap in India?> i could just go on binge eating prices so low and actually things quite tasty..........just gotta get out of the tourist areas and go where the locals go..........i prefer it there anyways..........more culture (not about being cheap)
Loving India. I wish someone was here to enjoy it w/me and see all the craziness.
Oh and in some towns are actual palaces that are turned into hotels now.......for 80.00-100.00 US/night you can stay in an actual palace w/marble pillars/statues/balconies. Livign like a king(in a kings house)......back home probably be 1000.00-1500.00/night. There are really some beautiful sights here.......most of u just think dirty and smelly, but so much history and sights to see. I am amazed at actually seeing many European tourists in their 50's-60's walking around reading in a travel book. Good to see.
Well, I think i'll head out and about. Day is getting hotter, plus i may go to bus station now.......unsure