Bikaner, Rajasthan Before we left Bikaner I stopped at the Lall Garh Palace. This massive pile is an extension of the Laxmi Niwas Palace, the entire building being comprised of four wings around two central courtyards. Ganga Singh, the Maharaja of Bikaner started construction in 1896 but the design credit belongs to Sir Samuel Swinton Jacob, the great British architect who skillfully blended Rajput, Mohgul and European genres to create a singular, Indo-Saracenic style for his

Bikaner, Rajasthan Bikaner was small but bustling. The hotel we booked had seen better days - scuffed walls, stained tablecloths, dreary furnishings - everything unloved and unwashed since it had opened, but it was close to town and relatively quiet. As expected, there was no wifi except in the cramped lobby. Still, it was cheap and full of guests and the food looked tasty. And it served Kingfisher - the lovely Indian ale I had grown fond of. Perfect refreshment at any time o

On the Road to Bikaner, Rajasthan We left Mandawa early for Bikaner - the next stop on my tour. Surjit had warned of the bad roads as we left, but nothing could have prepared me for the absolute chaos and traffic we encountered during the first hour. He said "construction problem" but it was more like "destruction". The roads were packed (as usual) with bullock and donkey carts, over-laden tractors from the nearby farms, scooters, motorbikes jammed precariously with riders, (