Bikaner, Wednesday

0955 In bed (awake, bit grotty) about 940 when knock on door said tuktuk driver was here. Said I'd be ten minutes. FFS.

1017 OK, we left hotel maybe 5-10 mins ago and are now at a chai stand at the station (which does have a sign for a reservation office). The driver is having some tea. I have declined. I wouldn't mind except YOU TURNED UP FIFTY MINUTES EARLY, WE WEREN'T DUE TO LEAVE THE HOTEL FOR ANOTHER FIFTEEN AND *NOW* YOU MAKE ME SIT HERE WHILE YOU HAVE TEA. Why the fuck couldn't you drink yourself sick instead of turning up at the hotel earlier?

Wrt train ticket, since the attention at the hotel has been so effusive/persistent, unless I could have known there was a definite chance of being pressured into them helping me by my ticket and going was absolutely desperately urgent, I wouldn't have had a chance to pop in casually until after the old town tour yesterday morning and by then we had already agreed I would discuss it with T later that day. Also I was genuinely unsure exactly where I was going (web advice on getting from Bikaner to Amritsar was unclear, different from what I am doing and I had no decent wifi to investigate at previous hotel). So in hindsight there is little I could have done. I can only think in future I will say I'd prefer to go and try at the station personally, and if pressed will say that 'on one occasion' I got charged a huge extra fee when someone else booked for me and so I prefer to do it myself.

Oh, I am in an upper berth, joy. So I can be scrabbling around trying to chain my bag up underneath the lower berth someone is sleeping in at 0130.

1024 OK, driver has come back with a mate and they are now having a bit of a chat. I mean, I really don't mind too much, but I'm going to be compelled to tip regardless, and this kind of shit goes better in my mind with "cheap 'n cheerful" than "tiptastic".

I hope the hotel will offer me a lift to the station; it isn't far but with the train going at 0125 I suspect the dogs in the street just might be a problem.

1047 FFS. We waited about five minutes somewhere else for the driver's mate. He is still with us. He keeps turning round to stare at me. A minute ago he pointed at the side of the road and - maybe, the engine is loud, said "donkeys". I said something to him and he couldn't heard me. I have a sore throat and I can't talk that well and the engine is loud and just fuck off and leave me alone. I have a horrible feeling, probably paranoia, he is going to insist on being my guide once we get there. I feel the web of obligations and commitments and so forth the hotel has enmeshmed me in both dissolving and strangling me. What if I cut up rough about this (if it happens; the guy's presence is a touch weird but I can deal with it), will T get arsey with me while we're out at the camel farm? I just don't want any shit. The fact I need to get to the station at 1am also makes me feel vulnerable.

I am starting to feel I might just not leave a review of the hotel at all, which feels a bit spineless but as a compromise between saying factual nice stuff but omitting not-completely-factual stuff which has pissed me off. Normally I wouldn't make such a big fuss about it, but they are so obviously desperate for good reviews (it's even been mentioned explicitly) as they are new and so it counts for a lot.

1405 Back at hotel. Gave driver 550. He (not going by bike, prob for best) is taking me to camel farm at 1515 and I think I am having a vegetable kofta with chapatis first. Jeff is going to call later and take me to the NGO volunteer craft place (which is apparently a walk/bike ride away), I didn't say *again* I am not going to buy anything but I damn well better not get pushed. I don't mind making a small donation of 100-200 but that's it.

Rat temple interesting, if slightly depressing. Despite presumably living in a close approximation to an earthly paradise, a lot of the rats look surprisingly tatty with gaps in fur and cuts and scabby tails. There was a dead one lying in a gutter and one which was dragging itself about on three legs and which I felt sure was going to end up getting trodden on expired while I was there; I stupidly kept going back to check on it. Still, putting that to one side, it was quite cool to see it. I didn't get one to run over my foot, which is supposed to be lucky, but some did sniff at my feet. I also managed not to tread on any, which apparently requires donation of a gold model of a rat to the temple to rectify. (So the guide book says. I might have expected to see a little display of gold rats were that really the case.) They didn't explicitly ask for any donations so I was slightly accidentally super stingy - they only charge 20 to enter with a camera and lacking small notes (I should have given him a 50, maybe) I only tipped the guy at the bowling-alley-esque shoe store 10.

1452 Food might be on way judging from noises in corridor. Good job I have a tendency to just inhale my food anyway, given I need to leave in 20 mins.

1508 Food was pretty good actually. Trying to quiet sense of discomfort about this visit to the volunteer place with Jeff tonight. Still, probably be OK and camel farm shouldn't be too hassley. Will be glad to get to Amritsar I must say.

1647 Back at hotel. Not great but worth seeing I guess, though bit steep. Tuktuk 200(+50 tip), 100 entry, 50 camera permit, 150 for guided tour(+50 tip). Guided tour not pushed on me but took it on recommendation of guide book. V short and poor value but OTOH probably wouldn't have felt comfortable walking round on own. Saw a camel's waters break, though apparently there was no baby (a natural abortion).

1816 Back at hotel after factory shop visit. Usual deal, except I said I wasn't going to buy anything and I didn't. At end chap showed me a scarf and offered it to me for two quid, but although slightly tempted I felt a) it was almost by definition not worth that b) I said I wasn't going to buy anything and I didn't want to go back on that c) I really don't want to encourage this sort of thing.

Went out before to get money, since only had about enough to pay here without having any on hand for hotel in Amritsar.

Jeff took me to/from shop on back of bike, which was OK I guess. He also took my order for dinner, which seemed a bit odd if he is just a friend but still. Be about an hour so lurking in room. Having tandoori chicken (half, dry) with a plain naan. Jeff just came back to room and double checked I wanted it dry. I just thought that was how tandoori chicken came. Obviously I don't want it dry, I want it moist and tender, but I assume we are all using the word to mean no sauce. I have no objection to sauce in this context but I sort of fancied some 'dry' chicken. Fuck knows. I got tuktuk to pull up at tiny shop (I miss browsing, these tiny shops are far too Open All Hours for my taste) and got some water and biscuits for train so if the food is foul I won't be starving. Not packed yet, think I will do it after dinner in case I need an excuse to get away. T keeps telling me about new guests arriving (from England, Spain, Holland) but (not that I'm going out of my way to) I never actually meet any of them.

T said earlier he would give me a discount as I never have the included breakfast. Let's see how shocking the bill is. Will worry about if/what to write in review tomorrow.

1826 T just turned up to triple confirm the order and offer me beer. He says there are some other tourists up on the roof if I want to chat. Cynically I wonder if he wants to show me how popular the place is, but maybe he's just being helpful. I sort of sidestepped this; especially with my cough I don't really feel it would be fair to horn in on them (especially if it's a group of two - I don't know - regardless of gender). I suspect I will end up sitting with them over dinner anyway.

1828 Oh, he said he or his brother would give me a lift to the station, so that's nice. I said I would go down and settle up after dinner to avoid any rush later on. I am not going to quibble over details of the bill but if (I doubt it) it is insane (I estimate about 4k) I want to have time to argue.

2209 OK, that was nice, had good chat with 38 yr old Dutch chap (Kees) up at the restaurant, intermittently with the staff. Down in reception to pay bill, then back to room to pack. Was going to have a second beer but they ran out of non-strong Kingfisher so I didn't. They made me a cup of black tea with ginger for my cough, which was nice. Unless they fuck me over on bill my inclination is to give them the benefit of the doubt with the train ticket and give them a good review (rather than no review). Oh, in that context I asked T how to spell his name and it is Toffi. He said he was the owner, though it is not his name on the hotel cards, maybe that is his brother.

2226 Got bill, is itemised and seems about right. 1800 for room as expected and 3360 with everything, then they took 160 off for breakfast making it 3200. I did some approximate mental arithmetic and figured 3500 would be a reasonable tip on the non-room part of the bill. I think we're all happy. They said they'd give me some mineral water for the train but I said I'd already bought some. T asked me to do a tripadvisor review as well. I probably will. Apart from the mystery 950 on the train ticket, which may be genuine, I don't have any concrete complaints, and since everything else has been OK I probably shouldn't assume bad faith.

2356 OK, mostly packed, had (cold) shower, uploading some photos while I wait to it to be time to head out. Going to send this now while I remember.