Day-5: Anand to Deesa

Route: Anand-Ahmedabad-Mehsana-Palanpur-Mt.Abu-Palanpur-Deesa


5th day of the ride, it has become routine to do the things before you start the bike. I think its only during rides I become punctual Unfortunately restaurant at the hotel was not yet opened so its time for Parle G and Tea. But, don't know if hotel guy felt sad about me, he ordered someone to prepare something for breakfast and asked me to eat and go. Impressed . Moved on from there and I hear a little noise at the chain tensioner, tried to get the bike checked at one of the Hero ASC on the way but people were queued up like a ration shop and ASC wans't completely open yet. I waited and waited but no signs of anyone attending me. Thought to try elsewhere and it wasn't a tough ride from there through Ahmedabad, you will witness one of the best organised roads through out the way. Target set to Mehsana, traffic troll mode activated and I zip through the Sardar Patel ring road.





Ahmedabad-Sardar Patel ring Road.





Tea break





Tried to find out the reason for noise and for my dismay this was it chain guard was broken near the rear bolt. I think some human/animal has kicked the guard last night, it was all fine when I checked the day before at Panvel. With no hope of getting it fixed in the middle of highway, I moved on towards Palanpur.





One can be called blind if we miss this board



Reached Palanpur around 2pm and it was as hot as hell. Headed towards Abu road and all that going through my mind was to stop at the very first hotel to get rid of the Nero and get some life. A nice restaurant 'Hello-point' came to my rescue was a perfect place to get rid of sweat and scorching sun. As soon as I thought of relaxing, got an unavoidable call adding to that, waiter was impatient after coming to me for multiple times. I neither want to irritate him nor had time to go through the menu, told him to bring whatever he likes the most in that menu. He goes with a big grin on his face and comes back with Veg Biriyani . Slurped it in a jiffy and back on the way to Mt. Abu, got little confused with roads but somehow managed to get back right, damn my Gujarati reading skills





The so called Waiter



Wrong route wait wait wait



Roads were superb through out Gujarat and the same continued in Rajasthan as well till Abu Road and then the climb starts to Mount Abu. After some distance through the uphill, chain guard crack has gone worse and started making rattling noise, it was no fun riding with that sound but I had no choice either. At worst case, I will have to remove it and tie it to the back pack. So, a 15+ kms of riding with that irritating noise, I reach the top grabbing everyone's attention . Had plans for sunset but seems like a sick fortune, wanted to get the bike fixed first, so enquired about any welding shops but unfortunately the answer is 'NO' and I have to go down to Abu road for any such things. Decided to live with it for now and also little that I was aware, bikes are not allowed till sunset point and no one had offered any surety of leaving the luggage unattended at the parking. Things doesn't look going in favour of me, so started thinking of alternatives. Now a horse guy comes to me asking if I need a ride till the sunset point, said I have 18 of them but cant take it till there told him if he can get someone to guard my bike and luggage, I will agree for the horse ride to sunset point. Done deal, he himself guards the bike and sends his assistant along with the horse. When aged people are trying walk their way, me on the horse was looking like joker to them. Tic toc tic toc goes the horse to view point and another major set back for today was that its just 4.30pm I have to wait a long time for sunset. By considering the bike condition, I had to let it go and reach Abu Road before it gets dark and find someone to fix the chain guard.








Call it Sunset



Bwaahh



There were lot of other view points but sadly had to ride back






Slowly rode down till Abu Road and tried to find out a welding shop. My luck again, the first shop that people guided me was closed a few minutes back and they told me to try inside the town with no guarantee that I can get one. Enquired a few places but people just kept me guiding here and there. After all the frustration, I finally managed to find a car garage and that moment all my senses came back to normal.








The final result





It was a little over 7pm when everything set right and today's destination Tharad was too far, quickly moved from there and zipped through the beautiful 4 lanes towards Palanpur. When I enquired about directions to Tharad, a truck driver warned me not to do that stretch at night as lot of wild animals/cattle will be crossing the road and it will be dangerous to be alone. He suggested me to stay at a place called Deesa instead which is 25 kms away from Palanpur.


Riding with the Moon again





8.30pm and I was at Deesa with two minds. Tharad being another 63kms away, I have to draw a line between being brave and stupid by keeping the truck driver's suggestion in mind. Confused me, decided to call it for today at Deesa. After finding a hotel right next to the highway, I saw a bison roaming on the road like street cow so, only thing that went right today was to deciding to stay there.

Day-6: Deesa to Balmer

Route: Deesa-Tharad-Vav-Narabet-Suigam-Rann-Tharad-Sanchor-Balmer


The Day which stood as a primary reason behind this entire trip is finally here, I will be riding one of my dreams and in fact most biker's, Yes "Rann of Kutch" will be conquered today Excitement or what may not, alarm woke me up for the first time in the last 6 days and I was feeling like today is the first day of ride. Got ready ASAP and this time I had no luck to get breakfast so early Moved on from there and just 2km ahead, my last night's decision and truck driver's suggestion was proved to be right, 4 lane was only till Deesa and after that its 2 lanes but super soft with lot of villages on the way which means lot of cattle on the roads. Arrow straight would be an understatement for those roads, I'm not sure whether an arrow would go that straight if shot Less traffic and foggy, aah!! just a perfect start for a big day. Encountered a couple of bison on the way but they were too far to recognize me. Scared off a Nilgai which was grazing last nights food just beside the road As far as the directions are concerned, that one straight road will take you to Narabet without any confusions.


Good Morning Deesa





Signs of nearing Rajasthan





Early morning roads





This one ran away looking at me, I was literally calling it with all possible sounds but it got more scared and ran behind the bushes





Arrow or bullet straight??





Run run run moment






Little after continuing, I passed through Tharad & Vav, now roads are even more deserted and I hardly see anyone around, stomach started growling out of hunger but it was hard to find a place to eat. Finally got into a situation where I decided to stop at whichever hotel/dhaba/tent comes first and found one just before Suigam like a oasis in the desert. They had nothing for breakfast apart from tea, so I decided to adjust with lot of biscuits and 2 cups of tea to satisfy my big stomach








Just after passing through Suigam, you get the real feel of Rann, surroundings opens up as far as your eyesight can reach with a whitish glow at the horizon. Kept moving with a hope that it will be pure white just after few kms but the glow seems like a mirage and I get the first BSF check post before Narabet. I stopped the bike but security guard signed 'Hey biker boy!! you may go'. Ok, thank you!! resounds inside my helmet and I zoom towards Narabet. Kept moving on and the road ends at Nadeshwari temple where I took a right, went a little further and ended up in the army quarters. Enquired the guard at check post about going towards the border but he was new and didn't had much information, asked me to leave all my luggage bike there itself, go inside the quarter and ask his chief officer so that I can be given information and permission.


I went inside the quarters which had no signs of human beings and resembles like I'm playing counter strike . All the doors were closed and when I finally decided to turn back, heard a transmitter sound on the other side, went and knocked the door and I think I woke up an officer, told him all the details about me and my solo ride, he checked all my identities and the very next word was "Are you mad?? you came all the way alone from Bangalore to ride on Rann?? what do you do?, where do you get money from?, how did your parents allow you?, why did you chose to come alone??? ufff, I explained everything clearly but he told 'no single persons/bikes are allowed towards the border'. My face turned pale, I felt thirsty, hungry and dizzy for next few seconds. Tried to please him but he was not convinced, begged and bugged him to get me some information on this. He tried to wake up his senior and that guy was not even interested in talking to me. I heard a voice from inside, "Permission should be taken from Gandhinagar, not here and also Single persons will not be allowed'. My heart was pounded, with no option left I walked sadly towards the check post and told the guard about what happened inside. Asked him where is the road that goes to border so that I can at least go till the first check post to have a glimpse. He told it is a little ahead on the same way I came, I was suppose to take a left turn just before Narabet but somehow missed that.


Check post at the Army Quarters





Moved on towards the other check post on the border road and I was obviously stopped, He first asked me for permission, when I told 'I don't have', they asked me to stay aside to attend another bunch of tourists. They all came in a car with permission and were let in, so damn happy they were. Then it was my turn to tell the entire ride story to the check post guys but their answer was profoundly "NO". Begged them to send someone along with me and I will drop him back while coming back. They laughed out loud and said, this is BSF, not Bangalore traffic police . When I told one of my friend(read Phanikar) came six months back and you gave him this option to drop one of you guys at the check post near border. He told, Yes, 6 months back it was a different battalion who were allowing every other guy (read Phanikar again ) towards the check post and that was the same reason they were taken off from that post. He explained that there are lot of check posts ahead, even if we leave, they wont let you go. If you keep explaining the same story at every checkpost, it will be midnight. So better, go to Naradeshwar temple, get goddess (Nadeshwari) darshan, eat prasad and if you want to spend time, there is some film shooting happening inside the temple. I was like WTF!! I didn't come here to watch film shooting. I sat there like a stubborn taking every possible logic to let me in but they all nodded their head widely. Called Phanikar and asked him to check with Kumar sir (HVK) for any other options left to do this but answer from Kumar sir was 'it would take at least 3 days If I have to do that white salt fields from other side'. Time being an odd again and with all my hopes diluted, I begged the army guys to allow me to get the bike on 'Rann' at least, first they said NO but later agreed with a condition that I don't go beyond the check post pole. They also warned not to go too far because its dangerous as you never know about loose soil ahead and it would be so deep sometimes that me and entire bike can go inside and say tata bubbye to this world.





It was little wet and sticky








Leaving Marks








Check post



Elumalai, who didn't allow me.





After that very little & unsatisfied customary pics clicked on the so called Rann, they offered me Nadeshwari mata prasad which was more of ghee and less of rice. I ate that, thanked them for baring me for so long and moved on towards the temple for Darshan. Temple was too crowded, not sure if it was because of film shooting or some festival. When no one at the parking area assured me whether I can leave my luggage there, one kid came running to me asking to take the bike inside, showed me a safe and lonely place to park, told me to go for Darshan and they will take care of the bike. I was little skeptical on their intention and also it was too crowded there. So, didn't want to waste time going inside the temple and asked them if there is any other way to get on to Rann apart from the border road. They told, yes of course, you have to go back to Suigam and take a diversion towards Sidhada and after some 10-12 kms you get few salt fields from where you can get onto Rann. They just lit a 100 volts hope inside me, didn't want to waste even a minute, thanked them and moved on quickly towards Suigam.


Nadeshwari temple





The kid and his friend.





Bye Bye Narabet, I found a new place



Just after entering Suigam, I found a board written 'Sidhada 40kms' and first time I encountered bad roads in Gujarat. It was really a test to my patience for the kind of excitement I was in to ride on Rann. Slowly and steadily I moved on the bad roads asking every bike/truck guys to confirm whether I get salt fields on this route. Not even a single person said NO and it raised my eagerness. After 14kms of bad roads I reached a place where there were few guys sitting in a shack with big salt heaps around. One guy came out and without me asking him, he said 'Rann??, go this way,3kms'. After riding for around 5 kms inside, you get the real, lonely and vast fields where you cannot even find a single insect as your companion. Initially you will get few man made salt fields and after that its a scary place to be alone.


Boom!! you become a dust man after this.





Please do not get fooled by pics, it was worst than what it looks here.



Checking air pressure in the middle of Nowhere, actually this road is used as a shortcut by truck drivers and locals to reach Radanpur.








Everything that gets in contact with water will become salt. I tried to taste it, damn the sodium content was too high.




















A small video as well , Please change the quality to higher pixels for a better quality.





While I was fiddling with my tripod, these two guys came on bike from their sheds which were far away, offering me tea and water. I was stunned with their gesture but had to reject it as I was left with little time and a long way to go.





More salt fields on the way back








With the task for today being accomplished upto an extent, It was time for me to search for lunch. Luckily found a lonely Dhaba which was on the other side of the road after coming out from the fields. Roti was the only option for lunch and they were so damn heavy that I couldn't even eat 2 rotis fully. The owner of this dhaba was a truck driver and he started sharing all experiences down south while I was having lunch. When I enquired about those white salt fields, he said that its only during summer the same fields get dry and white and it will be too hot to survive there. Also, told me to go back to Suigam and take the normal route as this road towards Sidhada is bad and will take time.





So lonely






Moved on from there and what I noticed is there is no petrol pump anywhere in this stretch after Tharad. So, whoever doing this stretch, please make sure your tank is full. Fuel gauge was showing last point but I was always confident on ZMRs mileage as ever. 46-48kmpl it has been through out the last 6 days. Reached Tharad and first thing was to tank up, bought new engine oil can as well from there and the pump guys were too curious to know about my trip. They explained me what Gujarati people are and how Modi is helping them to grow. They were very proud when they talk about their CM, feels like a person of their own family. How I wish, every state in India has a cloning of Modi as CM. With that wish being a dream, I have to leave the place to continue my Journey.


Petrol pump guys at Tharad wishing me all the best.





When a super smooth tarmac suddenly turns out to a patchy pothole filled road, Its sure that you have left Gujarat and entered Rajasthan. It was almost dark when I entered Rajasthan and 40+kms from there was too bad to tackle during night. Ran over too many potholes but luckily nothing happened to the bike.That particular bad stretch before and after Sanchor took a lot of time and it started getting cold.





As time passed by, temperature started to fall badly. I was shivering inside my Nero, all these days I was wearing it without the liner. At one point, it became a must for me to stop and dig out the saddle for liner and scarf to keep my self alive against that cold winds. The intensity was too much, I have never experienced such cold wind blasts before. Also, the entire road goes through forest which made the weather even cold. It was scary to ride alone, also encountered a bison and a deer on the road but they were as scared as I was. 8.30pm I reached Balmer which was almost empty, I had no other option than calling it for the day. Otherwise I will die in that cold weather. Found a decent hotel right after entering the city and agreed for whatever price he said. (1000 bucks it was).


Riding with the moon, once again





It was too cold that I couldn't even feel my senses. So, ordering food to room.





Soon after dinner I was in deep sleep with a satisfaction of first task being accomplished.


Day-7 Struggle in Jaisalmer...coming soon

Day-7: Barmer to Jaisalmer

Route: Barmer-Shiv-Jaisalmer


Clock ticked 8am, being running behind the schedule I was still stuck on bed with two layers of blankets because the moment I try to get out, that cold wind was numbing down my hands and legs. My school books had always shown Rajasthan as the most hottest place in India but its a different story now. Given a chance, I would have even gone under the bed and slept for the whole day like that but.... After lot of negotiations between body and brain, I finally put my self out of the bed. Taking bath was definitely out of possibility in that weather, at least for me, be it hot water or cold water. Totally forgot about breakfast as all the time I was just shivering


Temperature at 8am, real feel should have been even lesser during night



Sad, hope it didn't catch cold



trrrruiinnnnnn



Roads were two lane but it was smooth and as empty as a bandh day. Liner was on from last night itself, so covered all the possible gaps and started cruising at 90's. DSG carbon gloves, good for no weather, rains = big flop, summer=sweat like hell, winter = filter the cold wind and nicely distribute all over the fingers. Damn, when I say they went numb, I practically had no co-ordination between eyes and hands, need some strong signals to be sent whenever I had to operate clutch or brake. This wasn't happening and at one point, I had to switch on to my another pair of gloves which had woollen liner inside to keep my hand warm. Safety was under question but not a bad option though.





Time for a change



Welcome to Jaisalmer, that fort kind of structure in the background was actually some Police office I guess



Windmill time






By the time Sun could heat up the weather, those 160 kms have passed by and I was nearing Jaisalmer. With earphones plonked in, playing so called favourite songs, I was in my own world with no clue that there was a freaky welcome waiting for me just before the city limits. I was relaxedly doing 80kmph and two guys came chasing me on a dazzler with all their faces covered. I first slowed down and let them go but they actually wanted to convey something to me. They signed to me to stop and that pillion was flashing some hotel brochure. I didn't care and kept moving but those guys didn't seem like giving up, endangering themselves on a two lane road by going around me. I finally decided to stop and get rid of this non-sense, they came to me and explained about the packages blah blah and insisted me to take that pillion (a little guy) with me and he would show the hotel. I was like WTF!! told I can't & wont be doing that and will call that number mentioned in the card if I really need. They told one of their agent will be waiting for me ahead to guide, I told 'OK' just to get off this people and move from there. Went another 5kms and the above said agent was waiting for me on another Dazzler (Did Honda sponsor them to cause irritation? ). Looks like these guys aren't going to let me go. Also, even I had no clue of any hotels, so finally made up my mind to see what they all are blabbering about. He lead me to "Hotel Marina Palace" which was indeed a decent place and explained some packages which includes camel safari, folk dance, dinner, breakfast,tent stay at desert e.t.c. That package covers most of what I would be doing in Jaisalmer but they quoted me Rs.5000 initially. I slowly picked my helmet and started to walk off, thought its a loot, but then they started reducing the price, after all negotiations we fixed up at Rs.2500 for all the above items and I felt it was worth at that time. He offered me a room to get freshened up and I will have to leave for Sam dunes by evening.


Around 2pm, I was still shivering to take bath in hot water but somehow finished that toughest task of the day. Had lunch, packed up all my luggage and they guided me on how to reach Sam. I will have to report at 'Marina Resort' there and my tent will be ready. Another 35kms of racing with tourist cabs, I reached Sam and managed to find the resort. Dumped all luggage and guys there were pushing me to make it fast for the camel ride to sunset point. One of the resort guy came along with me, arranged a camel and assured that he will come back and pick me up after sunset. Had a nice 4km ride on the camel from there and I reached Sam sand dunes. He asked me if I need a ride till the last dune and it would cost me another 700 bucks. I had no patience to bargain with this guy again, so gently rejected his offer and walked my way.





























This is what everyone was waiting for



Sam was crowded and littered like any other tourist place. Sun had disappeared well above the horizon and as promised resort guy came to pick me.


killing time at resort






Getting ready for some Rajasthani folk dance and music.





Songs were very nice.





















At last, everything turns out to bollywood and folk dance became club dance








Local DJ







As night passes by, weather was getting worst. I was not able to step out of the tent even with 3 layers of cloths. Exposed skin was loosing senses. Anything that will keep your body warm was costing a bomb there, even that wasn't enough though . That tent had a window vent right behind the bed and cold winds were almost killing me. Had to do lot of Jugaad to cheat the weather and catch some good sleep for tomorrow. I didn't experience this kind of cold even in Ladakh, this was worst ever. Good night guys god knows what will be my condition in the morning.


One of the Jugaad

That was an awesome log there Jay.
Loving it, keep it coming

Day-8: Sam to Jaisalmer

Route: Sam-Dhanana-Sam-Jaisalmer-Tanot-Jaisalmer


In a deep sleep, somebody from far shouting Garam Paani.... Garam Paani... eventually that sound has become loud and resort guy was next to me asking to wake up. He told to take bath quickly otherwise water will not be hot if people from other tents wakes up. I didn't want to give it a miss and regret later, it was freezing cold outside but somehow dared to.


Good morning Sam



Oh wait I have something for you...Damn!!





Last nights dinner was pathetic, so do the breakfast but I had no other option. Quickly finished and moved on towards Dhanana which is 40kms away from Sam and the last village where civilians are allowed. Entire stretch was a pure bliss with Sand dunes either sides but one has to keep the eyes on road, you will often encounter sand on roads which can easily take your balance off. Soon reached the Dhanana checkpost. It was so lonely and dunes were pristine unlike dirty Sam. A must visit in Jaisalmer I would say. Most of the tourists are ending up in Sam just because of the stay options but the real beauty is out here.














The hills far away could be Pakistan... :dunno:





Pagalpanti...a back flip which made me eat the sand





How the road ends








After a tired walking on the dunes and helping the check post guys with some mobile settings, turned back my way to Jaisalmer as the day still had a lot to do.














Reached Jaisalmer around 1 pm, dumped all the luggage at hotel and quickly moved on towards Tanot which is 120 kms away from Jaisalmer, a place which witnessed 1965 Indo-Pak war. This entire stretch doesn't have any petrol pump after Jaisalmer, so anybody doing this, please tank up. Stopped at Ramgarh for lunch and post that the barren straight roads will get you the real feel of Rajasthan. Mid noon, bright sun but I still had to wear Nero with liner, It was that cold. Even this part of Rajasthan seems to experience the extremes of all seasons apart from rains.


Time to maxout ZMR as saddles were off after a long time
















Spent sometime at the temple premises and moved back towards Jaisalmer. The ride on way back was boring to the core but the satisfaction of a visit into the history overcomes it. The best part is when you practically talk to yourself to kill that boredom.


Anybody interested in knowing about Tanot, please click this link About Tanot


Lifestyle








felt like BRO is teasing with these lines





Sun says, ride fast boy...








Did some off-roading to get rid of those lines but Sun has almost set by the time I could take my cam out.





Reached hotel around 7pm and decided to walk around to get familiar and taste some street food for dinner. Went almost 2-3 Kms till the city palace, had some nice and heavy chats with Almond milk. With loads of food in stomach and eyes dragging for sleep, time to end another chilly day at Jaisalmer.


Oh yeah!! 2 days over and I'm yet to visit lot of places in the city!! so anybody doing Jaisalmer, please keep atleast 3 days to enjoy all the places around.

Wow... I actually read through all your lines to get a feel of the ride and the place(s).

Very well written.

Nice pics, enjoyed reading :thumbup:



Sent from my WT19i

Brilliant mate. Keep it coming.

Thank you Nagesh!!

Thank you Divya sharan!!

Thank you Christo !!
Thank you Vicky!!

Day-9: Jaisalmer to Jodhpur

Route: Jaisalmer-Pokaran-Balesar-Jodhpur


Few things were still undone at Jaisalmer, I was yet to cover City Palace which would at least take 2-3 hours of day time. So, had to rush against the time again. Got ready in hurry, left all the mess at room and walked rapidly towards the palace. It was so empty early in the morning and was defining the word "Golden city" with sunrays falling on it, beauty of sand stone . Most of the Jain temples will open only by 9am. As soon as I crossed the main entrance, my first impression was "is this a palace or a fish market??" :surprise: maintanance was at its worst to protect these valuble monuments. Its actually a township inside the palace and crowded with shops like busy market area. Paths to most of the places are a puzzle, you might end up going into someone's shop








Jain temples inside the palace






Golden City



Yeah!! come on



say it low, come on






Sale Sale!!



The mistake I did early morning was to take a pic of these two, they didn't let me go unless I offer some money to them. Damn, not only these, most of the people who perform inside the palace will be greedy to grab money from you. Need to be extra careful and make sure its worth paying them.


A pic that costed me 50 bucks









After a relaxed walk through the palace and breakfast, came back to room, packed things and moved towards Gadisar lake. At that time, didn't knew that I missed Patwon ki haweli from the check-list. Not sure if I had taken a dumb pill for breakfast I realized this only after coming too far from city. So a small disappointment even after staying there for 2.5 days.


Gadisar Lake















Moved on from there and roads were good enough to do speeds but cross winds were very tough to deal especially when you are overtaking. The moment I cross the vehicle, the wind they were pushing through comes like a blast and was almost taking me off the road. Also, encountered a lot of goats on the way which will just run into your bike as if they are standing there only to crash and die. Sad but true. What I observed at every goat I escaped a crash is they don't recognize the movement until you are 5-10 feet away from it. Honking just doesn't help to shoo them off, very irritating but thanks to ZMR brakes, good enough for my speeds. Sun was shining bright right on top but it was still cold enough to keep the jacket liner on. With all these, I stopped somewhere in between for lunch.











Strong enough to get into the tyres.





Parasailing in the middle of no where. Near Pokaran





Only buzz when I stopped for lunch was Ramdevara, hotel people were also suggesting me that as a must visit. So just before Pokaran, I took the diversion to Ramdevara which was 9kms away and all I found on this entire 9 kms road was loads of slippers on either sides :dunno:. Temple premises were so crowdy and not even a proper place to park the bike, leave the luggage and go inside. So, I let that go and just moved on from there.





At Pokaran



The last Sad dune of the day.





Roads were good only till Balesar and after that it was full of potholes, Ran over so many but luckily no damage. Thanks HH again for one of the strongest alloys on the Karizma. Passing through all that, I reached Jodhpur around 4.30pm and the first few people I came across guided me all the way to new pali road to find a hotel. Being 31st Dec, it was either full or costing a bomb everywhere. Finally managed to find one with the help of localites. Had a quick bath and it was time to roam around the city as I got nothing else to do. Jodhpur was one of the best organized city I have seen (at least the part of city I stayed). Roads and circles were like cloning, first timers can easily get lost unless we don't make any landmarks. Went around hours together to mark pointers for the routes I have to take tomorrow. After a heavy Rajasthani dinner, It was my turn to celebrate the new year alone, haven't seen much of buzz in surroundings either. So lonely on a new year day!! that's something unusual. Signing off for the day after wishing myself a very Happy New Year!! A little different from the routine...I'm loving it

what happend to the tank of the bike ??

It's cello tape to avoid scratches from tank bag.

Day-10:Jodhpur to Jaipur

Route: Jodhpur-Beawar-Ajmer-Jaipur


Very first day of 2013 which many of us thought the world might not see first thing to start from a beautiful City was to visit the Umaid Bhawan Palace. With all the recce done yesterday and hotel people's guidance I was able to reach the palace successfully. Trust me, it will be really confusing inside Jodhpur with the way circles and roads are built. Palace opens only by 9am and I was present there by 8.50am out of the urge to keep up with the schedule. Security at the gate checked the time twice and half heartedly let me in but the ticket counter was not open. I was the first and only person there, finally someone came and issued the first ticket of new year he himself came along with me and opened the museum doors one by one. It was really impressive to see the way they treat tourists unlike Jaisalmer. That's a nice feeling to have something like a museum to be empty and you are the only one roaming all over. Also, I never knew before that polo was famous in Jodhpur, my weak history knowledge says it was played only somewhere in East India A lot of things are known by travelling!!


Royality



Model of Umaid Bhawan

























































People started coming in by the time I finished couple of rounds. Next visit was to the massive Mehrangarh fort, first impression of it gives the meaning of 'Mehran'. such a huge one. That was my moment to step into yesteryears. But to climb up, I would definitely need more and more energy. So, had breakfast at one of the cafe and moved on. And yeah, one has to buy tickets for entry and camera separately otherwise everybody on duty there will ask you to keep your camera inside or to pay money to them personally (suspected bribe).


Beauty








Main Entrance






Why this kolaveri






You will see many like this inside the fort



Panchranga..
























Pictures won't justify but these structures were very detailed.



Hello, good morning, had breakfast?



Colors
























Remember this??









More confusion















So strong that even a canon ball shots look small. The ones circled in red were the attacks from Jaipur.






Came back to hotel by afternoon and I was falling short of one day If I stay at Jodhpur today. After many discussions with me and myself, finally decided to pack up and move towards Jaipur for the day as I was not sure of the road conditions and could be a problem if it gets dark. With lot of royal memories, I bid adieu to this wonderful city which stood as my favourite of this entire trip. Roads were patchy and rough till Beawar and I was little worried about reaching Jaipur tonight, but just after the town it was a surprise to see super smooth 6 lanes for the first time in Rajasthan. It was a sail till Jaipur apart from a couple of flyovers under construction around Ajmer. With the best partner 'Music', this entire stretch just passed like a dream.


Lunch just after Jodhpur






Aah!! finally I see some green mountains



Yeah, India Shining



Ajmer






Finally reached Jaipur at 7.30pm and after struggling with traffic for sometime, managed to find a hotel. That's a sign of big relief If I just look back at the things I have done today. I have a come a long way, the far most city from home in this trip. It just took me into a flash dream of last 10 days, Man!! what and all I have come through till now. A joy that nothing in this world can give. And to end this memorable day, it was time to hunt for the famous "Laal Maas" for dinner. Checked around 4-5 hotels near the bus stand but they were all vegetarian. Finally my search to quench the taste buds comes to an end with this delicious dish. The quantity was too much for 120 bucks and I alone wasn't able to finish it.


enjoying every piece of it. hmmmmm heaven



The revolving restaurant as seen from my hotel I stayed.



Day 11 Around Jaipur...coming soon

Jayakrishna, awesome log and lovey pics. Thoroughly enjoyed the log and the pics. Waiting for the rest.

got lost in your travelogue deeply. super super solo ride. congratulations.. waiting for the rest.