The Backpack Nomad

Part I - Kota                I wrote this part at my hotel room in Kota. I visited the Garadia Mahadev temple today, because I had seen it in a Rajasthan tourism ad. I used to think that it was exaggerated in the ad, but I was wrong! The place is magical, but what makes it better is how you get to the place. Before we get into the details, there was a day and a half of bike riding that preceded my visit to Kota. Route to Kota                On Friday, the 15 th of December, I had my stuff packed and bike cleaned before I started for work. At 4 PM, I left office, loaded the luggage on the bike (camera, guitar and one more bag) and started for Surat, my halt for the night. It was 270 kms from office, and getting out of the city traffic took me an hour. It was much easier as I reached the Gujarat highway.           ...

Part II – Chittorgarh and the return journey The next day, I woke up at 8 AM, had breakfast and left the hotel by 930 AM. I got my spare tube from the Royal Enfield showroom, after searching for a while. I started for Chittorgarh by 11.30 AM.                It was a great day to ride, and I halted regularly for clicking photographs. I reached the hotel at 5 PM – Hotel President. Backpackers’ hotel, basic amenities, nothing fancy, most importantly it was comfortable. I took a walk around the hotel area, had some good food and slept early.                               Next morning, I left for my tour of the fort. It was at a great height, with a panoramic view of the city. I hired a guide to fill me up with the history of the place, including the famous jauhar in...