I went on a camel trek in the Thar Desert with Vijay and proposed to my now wife on a sand dune at sunset. The orange and purple hues, the desert music, the camp fire, the local food were the breathtaking backdrop for a perfect moment in time. Vijay's camel trek is at the heart of 'Incredible India'

www.camelman.com
Vijay Guesthouse
Jaipur Road, Bikaner, 334005, Rajasthan
+91-151-2231244

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Having arrived in this dry, dusty and underrated Rajasthani desert town in the heat of the day, nothing could be more welcome than a fresh pineapple lassi in the shady restaurant of the Hotel Harasar Haveli. As a traveller on a shoestring, hotels catering for a range of budgets are a wonderful thing; however much you are spending per night, you can enjoy the same respectful hospitality, facilities and magnificent views. In a peaceful location north-east of the town centre, I was grateful for the distance from the frenetic activity of central Bikaner. There are frequent passing auto-rickshaws, meaning the Harasar guest has easy access to local sights.
My 'budget' bathroom was astonishingly state-of-the-art, as well as spacious; dazzingly clean with highly modern fixtures, and (unusally in budget Indian accommodation), a powerful shower with plenty of hot water. The bedroom was appealingly simple, with subtle and pretty Rajasthani touches like the little stained-glass topped table.
For me, the very best thing about this fabulous hotel was the views. During the day, I lingered in my cane easy-chair in the shade of the tented restaurant with coffee ... resident sparrows were brazen enough to land on my table and attempt to peck from the sugar bowl. The panoramic view consists of a plethora of rooftops and narrow winding streets leading to Bikaner's most striking building on the skyline: the red-sandstone Junagarh Fort. I was able to witness simultaneously the majesty and the minutiae of Rajasthani life, as a woman at a nearby residence hung out to dry a beautifully colourful array of saris.
In the evening, whatever your status as a guest, you can ascend to the very top of the hotel, to the exposed rooftop, where the restaurant is lit by candles and strings of fairy-lights, and the sparkling city lights spread out before you. The food is reasonably-priced, delicately-cooked and subtly-flavoured; the service formal, polite but not obsequious; and, every night, there is a (here I quote from the website) 'cultural bash: folkdance and music by gypsies with dinner'.

www.harasar.com
Harasar House, Near Karni Singh Stadium,
Bikaner - 334001, Rajasthan, India
+91 0151 220989
Google map: bit.ly/s3h73v

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