Namaste
We have a 3 day riding stretch to go from Agra to Jaipur (the Pink city). So funny today in Jaipur - chatting with another person staying in the same place as us and said he went to the Taj Mahal today. And I thought - how did he get to/from in a day, we took 3 days to get here! Oh wait - he took a taxi (200'ish km). Ha - so funny when I realized I was thinking in bike distances not driving distances. I'm totally immersed in this trip!
Agra - Bharatpur (56 km) - Stage 3
Bharatpur is the home of the Keoladeo National Park which is a bird sanctuary right outside the door of our hotel. I took a cycle rickshaw tour and the variety of birds were amazing. Many photographers with giant lenses were present. The storks were nesting and they are huge!
Bharatpur - Dausa (112 km) - Stage 4
Chai stop!
The small clay cups in the foreground are what the Chai is served in and then they are thrown away and not reused
We stayed at an amazing organic farm - Umaid Lake Palace in Dausa
- we had a cooking lesson (stir-fry veg, naan bread in the clay oven) and then we tried on Sari's and the guys donned turbans.
Dausa - Jaipur (96 km) - Stage 5
The riding thus far has been flat, flat, flat. When we gain elevation it's from going over overpasses. The roads are everything imaginable - new highway with a nice shoulder that we share with many - traveling the direction of traffic optional; highway under construction; is that really a road? - cobble stone, rocks, dirt.... I thought I was going to chatter my teeth out of my head on our 3rd day for a good portion of the ride (described as "broken pavement"!!).
Entering towns is really interesting - the bigger the busier and when we have a "Chai or coke stop" we can become the center of attention.... The locals are very curious about our bikes and where we are from, where we have been and where we are going.
We have a 3 day riding stretch to go from Agra to Jaipur (the Pink city). So funny today in Jaipur - chatting with another person staying in the same place as us and said he went to the Taj Mahal today. And I thought - how did he get to/from in a day, we took 3 days to get here! Oh wait - he took a taxi (200'ish km). Ha - so funny when I realized I was thinking in bike distances not driving distances. I'm totally immersed in this trip!
Agra - Bharatpur (56 km) - Stage 3
Bharatpur is the home of the Keoladeo National Park which is a bird sanctuary right outside the door of our hotel. I took a cycle rickshaw tour and the variety of birds were amazing. Many photographers with giant lenses were present. The storks were nesting and they are huge!
Bharatpur - Dausa (112 km) - Stage 4
Chai stop!
The small clay cups in the foreground are what the Chai is served in and then they are thrown away and not reused
We stayed at an amazing organic farm - Umaid Lake Palace in Dausa
- we had a cooking lesson (stir-fry veg, naan bread in the clay oven) and then we tried on Sari's and the guys donned turbans.
Dausa - Jaipur (96 km) - Stage 5
The riding thus far has been flat, flat, flat. When we gain elevation it's from going over overpasses. The roads are everything imaginable - new highway with a nice shoulder that we share with many - traveling the direction of traffic optional; highway under construction; is that really a road? - cobble stone, rocks, dirt.... I thought I was going to chatter my teeth out of my head on our 3rd day for a good portion of the ride (described as "broken pavement"!!).
Entering towns is really interesting - the bigger the busier and when we have a "Chai or coke stop" we can become the center of attention.... The locals are very curious about our bikes and where we are from, where we have been and where we are going.
Stopping for a photo op, then you become the spectacle!
Here's a sample of our daily ride directions -
we have a riders meeting each night and everyone madly copies and photographs the white board in prep for the next morning. Cristiano gives us the highlights and the approximate location of the lunch stop.
Coolness on a TDA ride is when you're making your way through a town, look to your right and see a number of women in beautiful coloured sari's coming down the steps of a Temple and the music starts for the wedding march of the bride to the wedding reception!! You follow the procession and take it all in....
Ciao, Cindy
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