Trip to Sam dunes in Royal Enfield...

Trip to the THAR...

After finishing the Ladakh trip, THAR was there in the mind and it happens after 16 month and December is the best time to visit Jaisalmer/Thar desert. This trip was with three friends, Alok, Anil and Durga. 

Day1:

Noida To Renwal

Started from Noida, sec-126 around 1:00 pm on 31st December to Jaipur. Our plan is to celebrate new year eve in some motel with bonfire and tent in open space. As usual the Noida-Delhi-Gurgaon road was jam packed. Durga suppose to reach Jaipur from Bhilwara and search some motels in the outskirts but that didn't happen as he stuck up with some work in Jaipur. 

We picked up Durga from Chomu bus stop and was my pillion from then to the our stop. As we always pick some random place to halt for the night stay to have more adventure and able to spend night in some rural area with less facilities available. By inquiring about some motels and all finally found a small motel in Renwal. New year celebration ended up in a newly made motel and purely vegetarian. We arranged some non-veg from outside and made the motel owner agreed to that. 

It was not that up to our expectation for a new year eve but shouldn't expect more in that area. Had a good meal and made some preparation for the next day trip to Jaisalmer. The most unexpected/annoying thing is there the music that played by the localities is so heavy that it was shaking the window glasses continuously :).  

Day2:

Renwal To Jaisalmer

It was a beautiful morning with birds tweet, camels grunt and without any sounds of any vehicle. The sun waken up from his rays coming through the ventilator. Tea is best drink to wake up with in the chilling cold breeze in Rajastan.

Saddled up and left for Jaisalmer from Renwal around 8:30 am. As we took the state highway from Jaipur so the road is narrow and with small patches which make us little slow. And the road connect all villages too. Did a halt near shimbhapura for breakfast.

From that sweet shop one old fort was visible so did a solo towards it as others are taking tea there. It was pretty old and one part of it they converted to a temple within. Met some villages kids there and they were happy as offered them chocolates.

After Kuchaman city though it is two lane road but fine road. You can cruise in a constant speed their.

Came across a city called Nagaur and it was tough for us to came out of the city. Our phones ran out of battery to follow GPS. Normally I used to use a mobile charger connected to bike mains but I lost it somewhere. We asked one local person to go out of the city for Pokhran road and he escorted us on his bike. Really there are more than 5 circles you have pass to cross the city.

Our plan was to see sun-set in  Pokhran, as we heard the sun-set is beautiful in the pokhran-jaisalmer road but we were late by 1-2 hr. It was almost 7 PM while crossing Pokhran. Halted there for a small tea break. You will feel little dusty/air-pollution in that area as the number of trucks increases as night approaches so if you are planning for Jaisalmer bike trip, cross pokhran before sun-set.

In this trip I felt that the plain straight road are little tiring as you won't change the posture often as we do in the hilly road.

Reached Jaisalmer around 8:45 PM. Because of the new year, we booked hotel in advance and that hotel actually didn't exist anymore in the same name. Anyway got a new hotel near Jaisalmer fort gate no.2 as far I remember.

The mistake we did there is we booked for camel ride to Sam dunes along with our night stay. If anyone going on trip on their own vehicle or bike do book your camel ride to dune near Sam by your own. You can get it cheaper than the hotel/agencies. 

It was pretty tiring day so we had our dinner bit earlier after roaming around the fort to get a sound sleep as we had to spend the next day and night fully in the desert.

Day3:

In Thar Desert.

As we had to leave for desert early we visited Jaisalmer fort in the early morning around 10 am. But actually if you are going Jaisalmer in festive or peak season do visit the fort early morning. 

Most part of the fort is now commercial place. As we asked they said, from very beginning Jaisalmer fort was also a colony as all the relatives of king also used to stay in the same fort. As compared to all other forts I have visited its bit small and the king's and queen's rooms are very compact.

Fort from the hotel terrace

Hotel we stayed in Jaisalmer

You will see this structure almost in every buildings with the yellow stone.

Leather market inside the fort.

View from the fort top is awesome. You can see the whole city from here along with the border line if clear sky.

Jaisalmer map inside the fort

Fort gallery

After finishing our fort trip we had a lavish lunch in the most famous restaurant of the town and its near the fort only. The dal-batti-churma was delicious too. We had almost full stomach of lunch there thinking of night stay in the desert in our own camp.

After the brunch we pack essential things for the desert along with the food items for our dinner in the dunes. That food items pack was provided by the hotel as per the package and the camel person should cook for us in the desert.

After a short drive from Jaisalmer reached Sam around 3pm. The road was really a dream road to ride which is around 45 km for us. We drove without our biking gears and helmet as it may difficult to carry in the camel to the dunes.

There is a small confusion with the camel owner and the middle man who booked the camel for us to ride to deep dunes and stays in the night. He thought we only wish to take a small ride in the camel and return. After a long phone conversation with the hotel guys it was clear and we parked our bike in front of a resort and took our camels to the dunes.

It was the 1st ride in camel in desert for all four of us, so we all excited about it. We took two camel for us and hanged all our luggage and food box in the camel hooks. It was little tiring who seat in the back seat of the camel for long tour as there is nothing to rest your leg as in the front seat. It was Durga who in the back seat and little uncomfortable.

                                     

Finally reached Sam dunes after a 75 min long camel ride. The sunset was really beautiful in the desert. You will feel the coming cool breeze as sunset approach in the desert but not that cold.

sunset in Thar desert

We ask the camel person to arrange chicken for the dinner and he told that it will come after 1 hr if you tell now as his friend has to bring it from the village which is around 40 km there by jeep.

After giving the menu details to camel guy we started preparing our tent and bonfire. It was new for Durga and Alok as they never camped before.

After spending around 2 hr near the bonfire with snacks and drinks our dinner came and we enjoyed the desi murga curry (chicken curry) with roti but Alok has to struggle a bit with his menu as its over spicy for him.

We have one concern there as the jeeps are coming there to show the dunes to the tourist. We thought by means if the jeep driver fails to see our tent in the top of the dune he may run-over. So we thought of tying a focusing torch light to our tent from a distance so it will visible to the drivers. Along with that we discussed to put another torch upside in one corner of the tent. If you are camping so it is essential to carry torch and lighter as a must bring item. 

The new year night was really unforgettable for four of us. We prepared three tents for four of us. As my tent is for three person, I share it with Durga. It was a mistake i think in the night as he started snoring in the night because of the temperature came down around 2 pm  and didn't carry his sleeping bag. Anyway able to sleep for 2-3 hr only.

Day 4:
Jaisalmer to Bikaner

bonfire before sunrise

Before sunrise I heard some jeep sound there and people are shouting loudly. I peek out of the tent and came to know that tourist jeeps are started coming to show the sunrise in the dunes to the visitors. The torch was still on his guarding duty to avoid any vehicle, again I went for sleep. After 30-40 min we able heard that some people are approaching towards our tents. After listening to them we came to know they are college students and planning to scare us as fun. As they approaches closer to our tents suddenly me and alok opened the zip of the tent and it happened opposite, they ran out of scare.

Before sunrise we prepared our bonfire again to get little warm and ask the camel to prepare tea. The sunrise was adorable and really its breath taking. You will feel the same as in the sea, as the sun just came below the sand.

                                      

                                   
                                      

After having tea there we started packing our tents and sleeping bags. In this the camel guys theft the solar light the one Anil used to carry on his trek and trip. I saw while the camel guy pick it up but I didn't reacted to it. Actually in the night we are talking with him about the village condition and all. They facing electricity problems in the night and we told him about the solar light and we gave it him while he is cooking for us.

After reaching to our bike parking area after the camel ride of 75 mins, we headed for the hotel to get bath and breakfast. All our saddles were with the hotel manager room as we already checked-out last afternoon. He is a nice person. Helped us in many ways. 

Now its time wrap up and saddle up again for return journey. I really hate this part every time. Anyway after breakfast we headed to Bikaner. As we have to drop Durga in bikaner so that it will be easy for him to go to Bhilwara from there by bus.

Just before his bus time we reached at the bus stop in Bikaner, said goodbye to Durga as its end for him in this trip on bike and we started searching for hotels. We found one dharamsala near main market there. Its spacious enough to park more than 5 buses in the parking area. 

As a city we experienced little unfriendly for visitors there and all are in the verge of earning money only. Anyway we had our dinner went for bed around 10 pm as we have to cover 450 km next day.

Day5:

Bikaner to Noida

Woke up early and started saddling up after taking bath. After taking tea we started for Delhi and thought of having breakfast in the outskirt of Bikaner. After driving around 100km we had our breakfast, the famous kachori and samosha there. In the way we saw a narrow road going towards a village and its white sand. We thought of entering into that road. After half km we saw big white sand ground near by a small lake with lots of hibernating birds.

After little shooting and exploring the near by area we left for delhi. We had our lunch in a dhaba in the NH11 side. As in all trip the last 100-200 km is very much tiring, it always feels why its not finishing after this many time. Finally reached home around night 10 pm and here end of another bike trip of around 2000 km long. We gathered lots of joy, happiness, good/bad memory, being welcomed, being cheated and many things.

Till the next one, drive safe, wear helmet/seat belt, don't mix drink with drive and drive in lane.

Regards,

Sameer Prakash Pradhan.