ROYAL ENFIELD TOUR OF RAJASTHAN

Roads must be ridden and a journey must be traversed. Pictures and writeup can at best bring back those savored memories.

Over the last twelve days everyone learnt something new about riding and their bikes, and improved their skills of riding off roads, sand, ghats and tarmac. The route had some big challenges, we rode through it all together and we made good friends. Most importantly we had lot's of fun and have memories to cherish for a long time. As a fellow rider Vikas put it "we celebrate the festival called life".

It is difficult to describe the terrain, roads, tracks, and off roads we traveresed. I was surprised that India has such great roads.

18th Oct 09 - all participants and their steeds gathered at Jaipur from all over India. After scrutiny and briefing, it was time to celebrate. Jaipur lit up bright and colorful for Diwali. We all were eagerly looking forward to the ride starting next morning.

19th Oct - The Tour of Rajasthan begins with a flag off from the Royal Enfield brand store, Jaipur. We first stop for lunch at Sikar and then visit Shardung singh ji ki chatri, Parasharam Pura. Being Rajasthan, every stop has an treat. These are the only painted chatris in Rajasthan. As riders the destination is not as important as the roads and terrain we traverse and with these roads we kick off the fun that will last till the end of the tour. The roads we take from here have very little traffic, smooth tarmac and always were very exciting. Then we head towards Mahansar. This is single lane road, little traffic, no potholes, few surprises and mostly just fun which snakes through farms. At Mahansar we are put up in Nirayan Nivas Castle - an entire castle only for us. Some of us head out to get our first taste of sand dunes and spend the evening knocking around sand and taking pics. In the evening party we are served a bottle of the local liquer that's famed to be enough for 20 people.

20 Oct - rise & shine early to a beautiful sunrise. Mahansar also has a unique Haveli that's painted in gold and best seen during sunrise. A quick visit and we hit the road again. Today enroute we  encounter some minor sand crossings, and a forest where we can spot deers if we don't scare them away. These roads are so good too, that every body forgets the wildlife and roars through. We do get lucky and spot a few white eagles though. I actually should stop saying how good the roads are, but as a rider thats how happy I felt. I actually ended up cruising the entire route at good speeds, through great places and where ever I stopped the food was excellent. Then we get on the brown Bikaner highway. It has to be ridden! It's as smooth as any road can get but not the least boring. If anybody thinks highways are boring then ride here. The land scape starts to change slowly to more dry and sandy. There are still plenty of large shrubs and some trees. I can't wait to have the famous rasgullas and sit down for a drink with Bikaner bhujia. Bikaner is also famous for Laxmi Niwas palace and Junagarh Fort which is the best in Rajasthan. One room is ornate with 32 kg of gold.

21st Oct -  I love surprises and there were plenty of them in this route. The entire Tour we rarely take the straight roads, instead we ride routes rarely traveled. First stop is Karni mata temple, Deshnok. This temple is unique for it's thousands of rats that roam freely all over. From here we  take a route that's not marked on  maps. The only traffic is a bus, couple of jeeps and camel carts. The road is smooth, gentle curves, rise and dips and plenty of sand crossings. These roads don't want us to hold back, while some sand crossings show up with no notice! Man that was fun. This was our first real taste of sand and these unmarked roads lasted a good 150 kms. First few times(days actually) we'd hit the brakes at the very sight of sand crossings and cross with a lot of caution and struggle then we got the trick. Then we couldn't get enough of it! Villagers here probably rarely see tourists as the kids run away. We finally regroup at Kechan where we spot a lots of cranes. Rains have been very little this year and almost all the lakes of Rajasthan are dry, so not many migratory birds. We did spot some deers today. After Pokaran we ride a landing strip that extends 90 kms till Jaisalmer with less vehicles than inside an airport. I've heard aircraft suspension make more noise than my bike! All of us have wished for this sometime but I never knew I could have it better. This highway was actually built to also serve as a landing strip for IAF fighters in case of war. Some of us decide to ride in 2 rows formation and scare any traffic. Buy now "decide" means no words needs to be exchanged, we just ride together and understand each other. Buses, trucks everybody made way for us. They couldn't comprehend what sort of vehicle was so wide and had so many lights! We put up at Narayan Niwas Palace for two nights.

We explore Jaisalmer for 22nd Oct and visit the excequisitely sandstone carved Pattuan ki haveli and Nathmalji ki haveli, the Royal burial chattris, Jaiselmer Fort (built of Jurassic stone) and finally see a puppet show at a famous one man collection museum. Not to forget Jaisalmer brand cigarettes.

23rd Oct - Tourists would travel to Sam in 40 kms, we did it in 300! Today we kick off on a route where no fuel is available till tomorrow. These are rarely traveled roads.  First up is Asia's highest TV tower that is visible from 25 kms away. To get there we first go offroading over flat lands of gravel, through dry farms, over mounds and through a green forest parallel to a canal. On a road that extends staright over 30kms, smooth (I can't mention that enough!) and no trafic the guys break free and try their hands at riding without hands. We test our offroading skills and try jumping our bikes. This route throws up so many unexpected surprises and treats I couldn't help smile like a child. We then hit Tanot which is a border outpost. None of the shells that fell on Tanot mandir during '71 war exploded. From here we ride along the border to outposts at Longewala, Ghotaru and Asu Tar. Imagine huge sand dunes that have been stabilized, now imagine a road that moves up and down and around these. It's the fun that can only be felt! On this road we ride together in two rows and we are the only ones here. Surprise sand crossings are a different challenge all together when we are riding so close to each other. It's compulsary to sign in at all the four check posts. Just the sight of the so many BSF bunkers and watch towers along this road and knowing that we are riding very close to the border gives goose bumps. There are no villages here but nomads who live in small huts and since there is no water here they have built many small clay containers so that their flock can drink while grazing. The movie "Border" was shot around Longewala, where during '71 war, just 100 solders held back an entire armored brigade pakistan Army for the whole night, till the air force could come at daybreak and turn the battle site into a waterloo of Pakistani tanks. Then we head for Sam through some interior roads where I clocked a deer at 70kmph. There's plenty of sand on this route and that's no surprise considering we are nearing Sam. At Sam we settle down to cultural dance and music, good dinner and camp close to the dunes. The desert gets realy cold at night!

24th Oct – rise and shine early for a camel ride onto the dune tops to watch the sunrise  Then it's time to put our desert riding skills to the test. We select a dune in the loose moving sand dunes of Sam for a group pic. That was the easy part! Yet now everyone makes it up for a proud  group picture with our steeds. Tour of Rajasthan just isin't complete without this. Next regroup at Devikot where ancient trees have turned to stone and then head towards Jodhpur.  These roads again have very less traffic with some chili fields in route but are more "Indian like :)". Still these roads move up & down and extend straight into the horizon. From some parts we can see the entire horizon extending on all three sides. Jodhpur was a different surprise all together. The city is a maze with streets so narrow only two bikes can fit, and its jammed with cows, cow dung, sewers, doodh walas, rikshaws, push carts, crazy ladies zipping on mopeds, pedestrians, cycles, dogs,... ! Everybody makes way for the bullet and we literally roar through together. I probably never could take the same route in and out of it. Everybody parks their bikes. We put up at a 250yr old place like people stayed back then. Even the varnish is still made and done the old way. All houses here are painted blue. It's got a great view of the city, the watch tower, the majestic marble stone Umid palace (royal family still stays there), the Fort and white chatris (made of beautifully carved marble).

25th Oct – After a quick visit to the fort and refueling at some village shop we stop at Sardar Samand Palace. In route we saw a heard of Neel gais. There are trophy heads from hunts and stuffed tigers displayed all over. The palace is very tastefully & lavishly done up and I've never seen a palace from inside like this one before. Here I have the most delicious mutton kheema with bhakre ki roti. This is called dining like kings! Then comes the biggest surprise of all: Bullet Baba.

Om Mana. Lots of shops selling pooja stuff, few buses, trucks, jeeps & cars parked and a crowed around a temple, where the main attraction is ... a Royal Enfield Bullet 350.

There are a few versions of stories surrounding the Bullet, the common part being that a Sadhu (fondly referred to by us as Bullet baba) was riding his Bullet one night and crashed into a tree. Bullet baba died, but folk lore says the Bullet starts by itself even now. The Bullet is kept at the exact same spot where the accident happened and in the exact same condition. A mechanic tried to restore it but in vain. Our fellow rider who's bike (called Salma) was giving lots of problems did a sincere pooja here. For the rest of the tour Salma was flying come sand, mountains, offroad,... For pooja, buy "Bullet super strong beer" and empty the bottle to Bullet baba as offering, then pay obeisance at the feet (front wheel) of the Bullet.

Bullet baba ki jai! May he keep our riders safe and our bikes roaring!

Later on the ghats begin! Everybody forgot their fatigue as we climbed the ghats to Mt Abu. Mt Abu is home to all the 330 million Hindu gods and goddesses, Dilwara Temples (highly carved marble Jain temples) and Guru Shikar where we went in the morning.

26th Oct - Today we ride through Aravali (India's oldest mountain ranges) all day. We stop for lunch and are served big thick rotis and dal with lots of ghee; delicious. This route passes through forests and it is treat on the great single lane roads winding its way through these ranges, with no potholes, little traffic, plenty of surprise turns and dips and with great views. We stop at Haldi ghati where Maharana Pratap and his legendary steed Chetak turned this land red with blood in a fierce battle with mugals. These roads are so darn FUN; I haven't ridden such a route ever! We camp at Kumbalgarh. It has the second most important fort of Rajasthan, more than that it has Bedwal mehel with an excellent view of the entire Aravalis.
 
27th Oct –Toady 0430 most of us get into jeeps for a safari into the Jungle, with the hope of spotting a panther but again no such luck! Well the safari was nice with very steep rocky tracks. We ride more fun hill roads, along a clear beautiful stream, more forests, more twists and more surprises.Villagers here still draw water out of wells using bullocks. We regroup at Ranakpur temples that are extravagantly carved red stone Jain temples. And they serve good food for 25rs. Then starts the beautiful boulder hills! Films should be made here – but better leave it untouched. Here the route got even better and it seems people hardly ever pass through. Sadly Aravalis get over by evening as we take the Ajmer highway. The hills were so much pure fun with excellent smooth roads, plenty of curves and surprises, little traffic and smooth tarmac. All we did was roar on and enjoy the twists and turns for the last 2 days. Aravalis provide a rare riding experience where you can have so much fun for such long and enjoyable stretches.

We spend 28th Oct in Ajmer and Pushkar. We visit dargah Khwaja Said Moinuddin Chisti and spend the evening at the Pushkar Mela. There were thousands of camels, donkeys & horses for trade. It's Huge!

29th Oct was the day of our big surprise challange. We put everything we learnt in the last few days to the test. The plan was simple: ride across the bed of dry Sambhar salt lake and then party at Jaipur. The ride was well ... first came up 8km stretch of sand that had to be crossed to reach Sambhar lake! This was deep sand and the support cars and pick up trucks can’t cross it so they headed to the other end of the lake circumventing it by road. Many of us were surprised by how much we've learnt and how easily we can ride on sand now. Some of us still had some more to learn and will before the end of the day. This stretch was about team work, with no support vehicles, mechanics and spares. By now we had come to form a strong bond with each other and having to wait back or help other riders even in this heat felt better then just pushing on ahead. As a team we rode on to the Sambhar salt lake together. Couple of bikes had a puncture so that had to be repaired first at the closest village before hitting Sambhar lake again. It's a dry flat land extending out into the horizon. I felt like Burt Monroe in the ‘Fastest Indian’. This lake still has some purple and acidic water pockets that reflect the sky. Coming out of the lake had good offroading, shrubs, thorns and riding on a railway track before we finally hit tarmac. Jaipur is now only 90kms and we had 20 punctures! Most of them fixed at local shops till we merried up with the back up crew again. The ride finally ended to a well deserved party at Jaipur.

Rajasthan proved to be not just a desert, it has everything: sand & sand dunes, dense green forests, wildlife, India's oldest mountain ranges, a dry flat salt lake, flat lands of gravel, green farms, chili fields, plenty of thorns, excellent highways, a landing strip we can ride on, roads that disappear into the horizon, roads that wind and twist, hill roads, offroading and endless surprises, great food, zillion places to visit and colorful culture. And it has the routes and terrain that riders wish for.
 
Write-up by: Mr. Kanwardeep Singh Dhaliwal
Photograph by: Mr. Christopher Chaves, Mr. Kanwardeep Singh Dhaliwal, Mr. Murali Krishnan B, Mr. Vijayendra Vikram