Some Wowsome clicks there ! Loved every bit of it !

Guess Rajsthan just called me up

Outstanding..!!
Palaces & forts are just marvelous.. Always loved Rajasthan & hope to explore it soon in detail..

Day 3 > In the heart of Thar Desert lies the Golden City - Jaisalmer
24th Dec'12

Before visiting Jaisalmer, my initial thoughts about the place was hot desert, hot sand, hot blowing wind, etc but at least for Dec-Jan month my thoughts don't match how Jaisalmer actually is. Known as the 'Golden City' probably because of the yellow sand and the yellow sandstone used in every architecture of the city, Jaisalmer is one destination I always wanted to visit in Rajasthan. Present in the heart of Thar desert & showcasing one of the finest sculptures, we were in for an action packed day to say the least.

Jaisalmer Fort
Timings - Early morning till 5PM

We started our day by visiting Jaisalmer fort, riding the bikes all the way inside the fort. Yeah, its allowed. There are shops, hotels, people stay inside the fort as they have a private property and in middle of a perfect season there were 1000's of tourists who come to visit this place. It was a complete fish market and super crowded. Even clicking photos was a difficult task. Overall as a monument, I was impressed and it's aesthetic appeal would remain fresh in my mind for long. As we roamed in Jaisalmer this is one place which caught our attention and it looks huge from outside. Made out of sand stones and locally called as Sonar Quila this fort blends perfectly amidst sands.
Wish there was less crowd & less people staying inside the fort I would have probably enjoyed it more. It should be renamed as 'Living Fort' in my view.



























Gadisar Lake
TimingsPatwon Ki Haveli
Timings - Early morning till 5pm
Entry Fee - Rs.50 per person & Rs.50 per camera

As we moved on from Gadisar lake, we headed to Patwon ki Haveli. This Haveli is a must watch if you are visiting Jaisalmer because of two things majorly, first that it was the first haveli erected in Jaisalmer and second, that it is not a single haveli but a cluster of 5 small havelis. Again, it was crowded but not as bad as Jaisalmer fort. Architecture of Patwon Ji Ki Haveli is nothing less than a treat for the eyes. Made out of Sandstone however carved in yellow-brown color facade with infinite details and multiple different patterns there is perfect aura that is present to amaze you.

Inside the haveli has a rare look of traditional Rajasthani haveli and everything has been maintained well. Few things I remember inside are the beautiful ceilings which are a treat to eyes, traditional clothes and various different types of sari's, a very different looking chess board (probably very ancient), royal bedrooms, etc. Overall, we were very satisfied after visiting Patwon ki Haveli. It is a spot worth visiting.



























































Met an interesting chap selling butter milk outside Patwon ki haveli. He spoke in english very much to our surprise and kept pouring butter milk glass after glass as we (Deepan & I) managed to drink 9 glasses before we said, Bus Karo Bhaiya To our surprise we were only asked to pay Rs.45. Imagine drinking the same butter milk in Mumbai we would have paid at least 100 bucks.

Phew, some good places seen it was almost noon and Priyank had already went back to room as he was not feeling well. We (Deepan & I) headed back to our room to catch up with Priyank, eat some lunch and move on to Sam Sand Dunes for evening sun set & night stay at tent. More to follow as our day progressed

ab thik hai

I love your Midori dude! She looks terrific in each and every picture!! Would like to join one of your tirps sometime down the line.

Nice pics and log Sachin

Palanpur to Jaisalmer > On the way to "The Golden City"
23rd Dec, 2012

Route: Palanpur - Deesa - Tharad - Sanchore - Barmer - Jaisalmer 430 kms
Road Condition - Brilliant roads overall & bad roads only once u enter Rajasthan for some 15 odd kms post which again the roads are awesome to ride.
Watch-out - Cattle Crossing

Good Morning guys! were the first words that came out with a big yawn as the usual fight began to get in the washroom first. Door banging and Come out ASAP! slang's started the day for us

While Deepan & I were getting ready, Priyank was wondering, thinking, brainstorming and we could make out from his facial expression that he was concerned for his mother's health.
Priyank's mother was hospitalized due to Kidney Stone and though the entire family was with her, Priyank was still tense whether he should continue the journey or head back home. Somehow he convinced himself to come with us till Jaisalmer and check for updates from home if his mother is recovering well.

We had South Indian breakfast only available as a option in our hotel. Surprising is n't it? We are in Gujarat and we do not get any local breakfast (No Fafda, Handwa or Thepla) rather the universally accepted South Indian breakfast. Not that I am complaining
With luggage packed we headed to Deesa. From Deesa there are 2 ways to go to Jaisalmer - either we go via Tharad or via Dhanera. As we reached Deesa we stopped at the junction to inquire if Dhanera road conditions are good to continue or should we go via Tharad. Many of them suggested to go via Tharad so we decided to go as per local suggestions.









Chaos at Deesa - As we stopped at the junction to check for directions, people started piling up everywhere around the bikes. Couple of them helping us with road conditions rest became zoombies and were too busy admiring the Japanese beauties. Oh by Japanese beauties I meant Kawasaki & Honda motorcycles :P Service road was jammed, Out of the 3 lanes, 2 lanes of the Highway was blocked, other side road also to some extent was getting blocked. Soon enough we can hear horns getting honked behind us as we looked back to see the entire road was getting jammed as a result. Is sportsbike really that kind of attraction on roads? I wondered. But from what I experienced I guess it is.









As we continued the journey, we came across some of the finest roads in India. Roads that were silky smooth and with no traffic what so ever but but but!!!
There is a huge concern which everyone should know who are riding / driving in Rajasthan. Even though the roads are excellent even though there is no traffic, there are death traps almost everywhere on the roads. Death traps here mean cattle crossing - Goats, Cows, Buffaloes, Sheeps, dogs, Camels, etc might appear all of a sudden in front of you while your cruising at around 100kmph. My heart skipped a beat every-time I saw animal crossing the road. On came the Hazards lights of Ninja 650 warning my fellow riders of danger luring ahead and bike coming down from 100 kmph speed down to 2nd gear 20 kmph. All you can do a shake your head and move on. More on this as we proceed.

A quick pit stop for fueling and we stopped over for lunch at a nearby Dhaba well known enough to the localites at least. We ended filling half a stomach with Butter milk along with excessive oily food. I wonder why so much if oil is used in the food. You can remove at least half a glass of oil from the dishes. We had a good discussion with a Rajasthan tourist driver trying to get more information on nearby locations and it's good to talk to sensible people we meet during this trips. We get to learn a lot about them while they know about us.

As the clock crossed 3 we still had some 150 odd kms to cover to reach Jaisalmer, blame our long breaks in between for it but that's how the ride is suppose to be I guess. No rush, No hurry just ride and have some target to reach by end of day. Drama was assured as we were asking for directions on a confusing junction, Me, Priyank & Deepan in that order. I asked for direction and we moved on however Deepan was still inquiring as we moved on. So we got separated and after some 10 minutes of riding when Deepan was not seen in our RVM's we stopped by.



























Deepan came back to share a experience to remember
Deepan informed that he was stopped by a local policemen and asked for papers of bike and inquired where he is going in a rude manner I suppose. Frustrated Deepan showed all papers and he was surrounded by localites who asked him where was he going? Deepan said Jaisalmer. Surprisingly they asked why are you going there, Do you have anyone there? Lol! Is nt Jaisalmer suppose to be a tourist spot! If Yes! Why such ridiculous questions? Before more crowd could gather Deepan told them to move aside and rode from there.

We moved on & with sun set we were some 40 kms away from Jaisalmer. Butt break and some photos clicked as we finally moved on and reached Jaisalmer by 7pm. As we entered Jaisalmer we met 2 guys on riding bike who asked us if we want room to stay. We stopped by and told them we do not want an expensive room & we want good parking space. We were assured that bikes will be safe and stay would be not more than 800Rs. so we agreed and without wasting much time headed to the room.



Sam Sand Dunes Fiasco - As we entered the hotel after parking our bikes we were offered a package for Sam Sand Dunes. Of course we had planned to see the desert the next day and wanted to spend the night in a tent close to Sam Sand dunes. The hotel guy started off with bizarre packages which costs 4500Rs per head which includes today's stay for free, camel ride to Sam Sand Dunes, Night Stay in Tent, dinner, Rajasthani folk dance, etc. We were okay with the package but not okay with the cost. With no prior experience we managed to convince him to charge us 2500Rs per person for all this to which he agreed.
Next day we found out that it was still a lot more than what it could have been if we would have done it all our-self. Nevertheless, our experience would hopefully help others is my intention to post it here. Camel ride and Tent stay should not cost more than 1000 rs if you directly happen to visit Sam. So guys planning to go to Rajasthan dont fall for the package traps. Just head to Sam and you'll get a cheaper deal.

Checked in on Facebook, 23rd Dec 2012
Finally!!! Loving the ambiance, Its a different world :-)





Next thing happened was my phone started to ring and Gee, it was Kakkar again. Co incidence, he was also in Jaisalmer and rest of night went in Blah Blah session on Jaisalmer Fort.
Tasted some bhaang, Deepan lost his dear tripod and we had our first Rajasthani Thali in Jaisalmer. A day well spent and full of action came to an end as we were ready for an exciting day tomorrow when we would finally sight see "The Golden City" - Jaisalmer!

Lovely pix Sachin with beautifully wrapped up with the log..
I wasnt aware that deepan switched to Ninja.

Night Sky pics, I am wondering if there are any. As the log progresses if I find any night pics I shall surely update my friend.

Be ready for Tsunami of pics. Caution - Your page might not load

Thanks JayD.

Temperature was cool in day time (around 20 degrees) & at night the temperature used to drop a lot (around 6-15 degrees) Thermal wear is mandatory in RJ in December month.

Day by Day details would come up everyday.

Thanks for your words my friend! It makes me feel like writing more
You won't have to wait long to get updates. This thread would be regularly updated.

Jaisalmer pics will come - All of them will come on this log. Wait and watch. I hope you like them & then regret what you missed. You should have been with us on this trip

All my logs are complete apart from Leh dude. This one will also be completed & Leh log would also eventually be completed. Wanna Bet

Amazing Pics - Specially waiting for Jaisalmer Photos.I hope this log wont be Incomplete like your Leh Log :P..

Mumbai to Palanpur > Our journey begins

Mumbai to Palanpur > Our journey begins
22nd Dec, 2012

Route: Thane - Vapi - Ring Road - Mehensa - Palanpur: 655 kms
Recommended Stay: Hotel A one Park, 10 kms before Palanpur

2 hours of sleep and countless thoughts in the mind, I woke up with alarm ringing and phone calls coming at 4:30 am. It was time!
As the clock struck 6 am, NH8 welcomed us, Deepan, Priyank & I, with smooth tarmac and countless lorries, buses, containers as we started the journey.





Close to 75 odd kms covered as I saw a Black CBR with luggage in front of me riding at a slow pace. Gee, Kakkar it was! He was also riding to Rajasthan with his buddy from Pune,
Sanjay Wadhwani. On the move a short conversation between us went something like this:

Me - Stop at McD in Vapi for Breakfast.
Kakkar - Kya?
Me - Arrey, Stop at McD in Vapi.
Kakkar - Can't hear
Me - Giving hand gestures making a 'M' telling him to stop at McD's in Vapi
Me - Vapi Vapi Vapi
Kakkar - Ok Ok!!!

We reached McD in Vapi only to find later that Kakkar and Sanjay moved on as they had to reach Udaipur to click some pictures of City Palace.

A college guy looking at our bikes parked outside came and spoke to Deepan, "Is that your bike" Yes replied Deepan. Can you give me the keys, I want a round on Ninja!
Deepan declined politely. This was our first encounter of touring on big bikes. After effects of Ninjaaa were showing up.







With Odo showing only 100 kms done so far we continued and mile munching session began. We were fast approaching Bharuch. Known to be a dreadful stretch which is always full of traffic, I was aware we need to go from wrong side but from where we need to take the wrong side was not known. Unfortunately, the traffic started long before I had expected and we went right into the heart of traffic trying to fight and get off. But all in vain as the traffic was miles ahead and I was riding a green elephant which was too fat to tackle the narrow gaps between lorries. We could not go back as vehicles had piled up and we could move ahead either. The divider looked too big to make the bikes climb, we waited in hope that the traffic will clear. 1 hour passed by and there was no movement at all and that's when the Ninja party began.

People coming out of their cars and their kids sitting on Ninja one after the other and getting their snaps clicked. Queries session started - where are we from and where are we heading, etc etc. Since we had lots of time to chit chat, some people also got to know the technical details of the bikes
While we also lifted a couple of bikes and helped them cross divider so that they can continue riding from wrong side. A gentlemen whom we helped came back after parking his bike on the wrong side so that he can help us lift our bike. Lol, we politely declined as there is no ways you can lift a 210 kgs monster bike off the ground

Jokes aside, there is no way we could have continued playing the waiting game and we had to move on fast. I went some distance ahead and found the only opening we saw in a long
time. No, it was not road, we still had to climb the divider but this was the only way we could have escaped the traffic and move on from the wrong side. As soon as the front tire went
over the divider, bike's exhaust pipe touched the ground and the rear wheel was suspended in air partially because of which I could not move the bike any further. Deepan pushed and
tried to lift the bike to move it little forward and I managed to cross the divider. Unfortunately this was the only way we could have escaped the traffic as truck drivers said they
sometimes end up spending the entire night here due to traffic.































After crossing Bharuch there was no stopping us till we crossed Ring Road in Ahmedabad. We halted for a late lunch at a nearby dhaba and continued the journey to reach Palanpur.
After struggling to find a nice hotel for night stay, we finally managed to get a brilliant room just 10 kms before Palanpur. As we dumped our luggage and called back home, Priyank got a bad news that her mother has been admitted in hospital because of Kidney Stone problem He was worried and the tension was visible on his face through out the night.
With a hope that Priyank's mother will get recover soon so that he can continue the journey we went to sleep.

I have read all your travelogues and I must say they are awesome, especially your trip to Leh.
On a different note, Congrats on your Ninja 650.
And yes, regarding this travelogue, Waiting for more....

Just Outstanding trip and on a perfect timing- Would really love to know day by day details. What might have been the temperature during this time- i wonder.

@sacihnnair - Nice ride bro. was waiting for this.

An awesome time to come up in log!! flood it with pics dude!!