Stopped at the halfway point at a dirty transport cafe with no tables and chairs - just metal beds threaded with old inner tube and a plank of painted wood on each bed (bed and board?) with salt and pepper pot on each board. The men were very amused as we sat down and ordered sweet tea in small metal cups - we were worried about drinking from the cup. but we bit the bullet! We then watched the chap in the corner creating the paratha rounds by patting and waving them in the air and putting them into the gas tandoor with a leather pad -(the naans) and the parathas he fried in oil on the top.
We tried onion ones made with two pancakes patted hard together with lots of chopped onion between. Then he hit it really hard with the palm of his hand and then rolled it with rolling pin and then put in wok like pan and oil. This was served with dhal - in watery sauce and salt- very nice and we are still alive to tell the tale 2 hours later.
On the outskirts of Bikaner we met a level crossing and the train was a long time in arriving - meanwhile the tuktuks vans and camel pulling carts were jostling for position - the train passed carrying coal in 45 carriages - then the chap pulled up the barriers and one failed and fell on the ambulance waiting at the front breaking its blue flashing light. Then there was a manoeuvre to get a small van off the middle of the track trapped between the 2 dropped barriers - at one stage it was along the railway line trying to reverse off - nobody would give way and they were all tooting - nobody took any notice of the poor railway man trying to direct traffic and fix the broken barrier. Eventually with much squeezing we gradually started to move and passed a huge queue of big trucks - Bikaner is a big cement and brick area. They have just brought in a law preventing the bricks from being made in the old way as a huge pyramid just smoldering and givingup fumes - now they have to burn underground with tall chimney stacks like the potteries in the old days.
On the outskirts of Bikaner we met a level crossing and the train was a long time in arriving - meanwhile the tuktuks vans and camel pulling carts were jostling for position - the train passed carrying coal in 45 carriages - then the chap pulled up the barriers and one failed and fell on the ambulance waiting at the front breaking its blue flashing light. Then there was a manoeuvre to get a small van off the middle of the track trapped between the 2 dropped barriers - at one stage it was along the railway line trying to reverse off - nobody would give way and they were all tooting - nobody took any notice of the poor railway man trying to direct traffic and fix the broken barrier. Eventually with much squeezing we gradually started to move and passed a huge queue of big trucks - Bikaner is a big cement and brick area. They have just brought in a law preventing the bricks from being made in the old way as a huge pyramid just smoldering and givingup fumes - now they have to burn underground with tall chimney stacks like the potteries in the old days.
We are staying in the Harasar Haveli whose owner showed Paul Merton around Bikaner including the rat temple at Deshnok about 30k away - sadly beyond our reach on this trip. We have just eaten tandoori chicken and garlic naans and John had chicken tikka masala with banana or pineapple lassis. After a rest we will head off into town and the fort and palace
1 comment:
Gosh, you guys are so brave to eat out like you do! Even I draw the line at somethings. The railway episode reminds me of watching the barriers at the main crossing in Luxor getting trashed lol.
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