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@Spiderweb, BI, Shivanshu: Please take your chats to PMs/ IMs. One more OT in this thread from any of you, and infractions would ensue.

How come no updates since yesterday..??

Its coming soon... and also a "View from the Other Side"

Today is Sunday, we are mostly busy!

<Switches on the AC before reading>

Rajasthan, the home of ken 'Cool' .

Decent pictures there.


^ keep watching in your rear view mirrors please!

View from the Other Side!


For most part trying to keep up with the bikers (travelling at almost double our speed) was a futile exercise. However, that did not keep us from trying till we were deftly thrown off track by our navigator. Still occasionally, on stretches where more sane speeds had to be maintained (we're talking in very relative terms here!), we were at the very least able to reliably know which way the bikers went. All we had to do was track the startled looks of bystanders, staring into the horizon, with their jaws almost touching their feet. We almost caught this guy on camera. He was driving a bike the opposite way with his head turned 180 degrees in the direction where the bikers had gone.

Trying to photograph the bikers in motion was a challenge in its own right, reminiscent of a wildlife photography experience! Here I was cringing my neck and staring through the rear windshield to catch the moment they'd appear as tiny dots in the distance. I'd quickly try to switch on the camera at this point. However, by the time the initial camera rituals were complete and the lens carriage finally settled down and was ready to click, they would usually be another tiny speck, but this time far ahead of us, too late to shoot with my limited zoom, point & shoot camera capabilities!! Cannot remember how many times I just managed to start the camera and then shut it, with none or only useless pictures in between. It’s a wonder I managed to get any at all!

Bird watching interlude

Got up bright and early the following morning, and headed off to the wilderness in the beautifully restored 1947 Dodge convertible owned by our host Prince Veer Bhadra of Deogarh, an unassuming royal whose ancestral lineage includes the likes of Prithvi Raj Chauhan's daughter among others. He recounted the historical significance of places en route as we headed towards the wooded area around Deogarh which used to have tigers up until 1975.

Once in the woods, we saw and photographed several varieties of birds including The Golden Oriole, Grey Tit, White Bellied Rongo, Magpie Robin, Copper Smith, Pitta (A pre monsoon visitor from South India), Pied crested Cuckoo ( a pre monsoon visitor from Madagaskar), Sub Lutens pheasant (Apparently a variety of crow that looks like a pheasant and tastes ugh!), Sunbirds, Jungle Babler, Bee Eater, Golden backed Woodpecker, Plum headed parakeet (Also called Blosson headed Parakeet) and Kingfishers besides the more commonly seen bulbuls, swallows, parrots & peacocks. Among other fauna, we saw langoors & a monitor lizard. Our host really knew his birds and it was amusing to see him imitate their call and hear them answer back!!

Upon our return to the Deogarh palace, we feasted our eyes on the royal collection of vintage cars, restored with a lot of passion with many cars telling a story of their own. There was this 1942 Sunbeam Talbot convertible which was (the same type) as the last car driven by Lord Mount Batten in India. And this Jaguar, previously owned by Waheeda Rehman, A pink chevy convertible, a whole line up of 1 ton & 3 ton army trucks appropriately nick named Thapero, Dhamero, Bhachero, Ghamero and Khabero (Local dialectical representation of a "bash up job" with increasing degrees of intensity & emotion accompanying the punch!!), a 1940 red and white Austin converted into a bar and nicknamed "Karobar", a 1965 Toyota Landcruiser , a Willys Jeep (or was it 2 or 3), et al.

Then it was time to bid adieu to Ken da and Moon di. But not before we made them promise another roadtrip soon!

The highlight of the last day in Deogarh was the 30 minute night ride through the desert landscape, the wind blowing across our face, in a humble Tatamobile pickup truck towards a remote fort owned by the Royal family set in the middle of a village atop a hill. It was an intriguing place, not restored and partly in ruins (maintained that way for effect) in contrast to Sheeng Sagar. We climbed the hill to reach the fort and spent a couple of hours there, under the moonlight and the canopy of stars, enjoying the breeze and getting tips about investing in vintage cars from the man himself. In turn Anurag reciprocated by sharing his wisdom on how to better market the destination by adding a helipad on the property with some ghost stories about the fort thrown in, as a tourist lure!!

Next day it was time to head home. It was instant Karma for the bikers as they were totally thrown off gear by traveling a good 25 -30 kms in the wrong direction and ending up in the middle of nowhere before realising and turning back!!

We hear that it would be a totally different experience visiting Deogarh post monsoon, when the moats and lakes around the forts fill up with water and the place comes alive with a variety of flora and fauna! Any takers?
Text courtesy: Dipanjali

^ Loved reading through it. Thanks to Dipanjali for penning it down. Now, only if we could have more pictures. Enough of text already!

Evious!!

The trips that you do on your R1, fighting the heat, are commendable Ken. And kudos to the brave lady giving you constant company throughout!

Its about time you let her handle the beast and sit pillion!

More pix coming up soon.

I hope she is reading this. I do not mind sitting pillion at all.

Wow nice narration by Dipanjali, specially I loved the part where she decribed the birds and all thanx Ken Da for sharing the text with us... and I am sure as she has said in here starting paras that you all would be doing quite some speed....as she was unable to catch you guys in the lens... well the R1 DNA affects the human gentics as well and when these are combined it turns into a completely zzzooooommmmyyy machine Ken Da can we have more pics

Nice one..... The Only thing common in a Wagon R and the R1 is the 'R' .... As for the rest, 'the one' pulps it makes it feel like a Wagon!!

PS: Do we also have a review from the 'Pillion' as well! That would be fun, a review from some one who has no option but to have confidence on you and the bike and cling on to either and gaze the zooming past vista, at the same time ensure that she wont feel dizzy!!

Some Photographs generously shared by Dipanjali...

Which side of the road do we drive on in India?




So many miles to ride before I rest




Two Thumbs up from Anurag



Go man go... Bend it more!




Turtles at the Palace:



Aryaman and Arti engrossed at Turtle behavior!



The Aravalis



Aryaman, like father, like son!



The Nissan Army Trucks from WW II, Bhajero, Dhamero and others, all renovated and working perfectly



Interesting Bus: Jodhpur to Haridwar: Ganga Darshan!








On the road again...

^ No pictures of the R1, leaning or even standing still, perhaps!

Ps Do not clamour for the photographs... they are following... very soon!

Pics! Pics! Pics!

The bikes take a breather




While we hog on cheese pakoras that you have seen before and aloo paranthas and dahi and what not




The speed of the service to serve us paranthas and the rest was lightnint when the guys saw us coming with our bikes and especially Nitin's biceps!







The Two Musketeers and One Musketeerette!







Under the Famous Great Banyan with some fresh water from the well




A Milestone you cannot miss!




Hunger pangs getting at me... so near yet so far!




Finally there!




Dinner at Singh Sagar