Day 130 Thursday 25 January 2007 Bikaner to Mandawa, Rajasthan, India

Another day another fort, although this one at Bikaner is less spectacular but more intact than many, having never come under attack. This is not, apparently, because Bikaner is a boring place which no one would want to take anyway. We break away from the compulsory fort tour to explore on our own and find some magnificent palaces and even a Sopwith Camel for all you biggles fans. We’re not actually sure its a Sopwith Camel as all these world war one planes look the same but hey this is in the middle of the desert so its got to be. We also visit the museum which has some beautiful embroidered dresses and dinner menus from the days of the Raj.

Then its back on the road heading east to Shikavati, an area famous for its elaborately painted havelis or mansions. Turning off the main road we get lost in Fatepur but are rescued by a young boy who takes us thru all the back streets/alleys, directing traffic and forcing jeeps to back up to let us thru until we can rejoin the main road which has been blocked by road works. From there its a short drive to Mandawa where we arrive at the Mandawa Haveli and are shown to our suite. Its a 200 year old building, built around a central courtyard. Every surface is painted with frescos depicting rural scenes, hindu myths and legends, Rajastani men and women in various poses, surrounded by flowers, leavy patterns and animals. Our rooms have lots of tiny coloured glass windows, window seats with pillows and cushions and lots of alcoves and shutters. Even the bathroom has double doors with gilt and metal inlays. We have dinner on the roof, one of the best Indian meals so far with subtle mix of spices and flavours.

Distance Today: 201km Trip to date: 20,189km