The night bus was hell. First it took over an hour for everyone to find their seat AFTER having boarded!! I'm not even bullshitting. It made theForeign Registration Office in Delhi look efficient. I just sat there sweating my ass off and thinking "how is this possible, really?" And events on this journey somehow onl
y worsened! We encountered a sand storm in the middle ofthe night. It was bad. And because there was no a/c, or maybe because everyone else is used to it, we rode with windows down. I tried to sleep, but it's a bus...in India. So the horn never ceased and I had bullknucklers snuggling with me. About 5 am I finally get to Bikaner, covered in an unbelievable layer of dirt. I knew I was in trouble when I couldn't find anything written in English. This is also when you know you're off the beaten path in India. I ask around and discover there is no bus to Deshnok, my main destination. Knowing better, I arranged a rickshaw anyway and made for Deshnok. I have to admit to getting a very fair price, making the bus option irrelevant. Anyway, on the way, the sun came up and looked spectacular against the desert plains. We were jamming to some unidentifiable Indian music which I almost always enjoy on a trip like this because it somehow helps me forget the reality of being a tourist. The anxiety that had built up with regards toentering a temple full of rats only increased as time passed. I watched the beautiful sunrise and thought about what I would do if bitten by rats, wouldI get rabbies?, and wondered if I really had enough courage or insanity to re
move my shoes as per temple entry requirements. While pondering this I noticed a not altogether unfamliar stench. Familiar enough that I didn't think much of it at first. But when I looked left and saw the pasture of decomposing carcasses I took note. There must have been a hundred plus rotting cows (?) just laying on the ground producing an odor that would choke any normal person. We continued on. The stench was so thick I could almost taste it. I thought to myself, "what is wrong with me," and laughed.
On the outside the Karni Mata temple looks like any other respectable temple in India with its beautifully carved marble and whatnot. I kicked off my shoes and socks, hand
ed them to an eager shoe dude who, like many people in the area, looked at me as if they had never seen whitey. Gingerly I entered. Rats were scrambling everywhere. Hundreds, if not thousands. They dined on religious offerings, chilled in corners, and ran right up to me. Unfortunately I was not lucky enough to get the auspicious "scamper"over my feet, nor spot the white rat. But they came close enough. I hung out for a bit, talked to a couple of devotees, and bounced. On my way out I stepped directly in a pool of rat piss. Afterwards, I visited the shitty fort in
Bikaner. I was just killing time, and had to suffer through countless bullknuckler handshakes and photo ops. It's the gringo off season, but the local tourist season is in full swing, and so I did my part. I know I sound terrible busting on the 'knucklers, but in all honesty I know that their curiosity in me is no different than mine in them. As I position myself for shots of locals, so they do the same. Still no shower, reeking of camel, dead cow, and rat piss, I boarded my train and slept the 12hrs back to Delhi in 100+ degree heat and no a/c.
