6th Nov 2016

By Jenny.

Banswara to Gandhinagar 270kms

The Hotel Relax Inn was rated the best in Banswara! Gee-sus! It was only $20, so in all seriousness, one should not complain. So let’s laugh about it hey? Usually, at first glance, here in India, things look pretty clean. It’s only when you sit and look more closely, that you realise they aren’t. So we don’t! Look closely, that is. We were so tired after our huge day, we really didn’t care, that there was only one pillow, no towels, no toilet paper and no hot water. At breakfast, we felt we really needed some eggs and bananas, but could only get Aloo Paratha, with pickle and curd, oh and some toast with red sugar, they called jam. Ugh! So we were happy to bugger off, straight to the fuel station.

Getting out of town was simple, and our ride began through some lovely Gum trees, and rolling hill areas. It actually set the tone for the day, as we took our time, cruising along at about 60km an hour, really enjoying the fabulous scenery. With Gary GoPro out of action for a bit, Will had our trusty Coolpix around his neck, to try the old random snap method. The intercom was handy, so I could spot the traffic and road changes while he was briefly distracted.

The views were so different from the desert areas of Rajasthan, with a lot more trees and forest areas, also very lush looking farming areas. We really noticed the change as we entered Gujarat. We stopped at some spots, when we were stunned by the view, and had instant fans. For us non-crowd loving people, it is hard to adjust to, but we just wave, say hello, let them take photos of us, smile, wave….and head off. On one short stop on the side of the road, to check navigation, a beggar appeared, and when we were going, spat at me and looked like she cursed me….it was very emotional and unsettling, but not common. There are so many, it is impossible to help everyone.

One of the amazing spots we came across, and a random local stopped to wave and nod.

All day, the locals we would overtake, would speed up just to look at us and make sure their eyes weren’t deceiving them. Will was a big source of curiosity, I think because his bike is very new, and they haven’t seen one before. Add to that, he is white, he wears protective clothing, not just a hanky around his face, and he has luggage. He looks really big compared to them. I just laugh, wave and blast past them on my 500cc Bullet. It is fun, but also a little annoying, as in towns, we have to concentrate so much, and we are very careful. The locals, underpass, overpass, squeeze into gaps we leave for safety, and cut us off, then go slow as they want to look at us. But we are getting used to it.

We stopped in a village to get bananas. We haven’t been getting them at breaky, we miss them.

We found it hard to find a Chai stop today, but when we did, it was a nice village on some water. The Chai man didn’t sell water, (we always get water when we stop) so he sent his friend into town for us. He also made some yummy, fried spicy potato snacks, which we enjoyed for our lunch, with the bananas I had bought earlier. They always seem to go out of their way.

Chai stop, and another check of the navigation. Madam and Dave GPS have it happening ok.

So it was a totally different day, and Davo GPS did a good job of getting us through a couple of bigger centres, and to our hotel The Grand Midway. Gandhinagar is the capital of Gujarat, even though it isn’t the biggest city in this state. It is set out in sections, and quite easy to navigate. It has a nice amount of greenery, parks and lovely wide roads. The hotel is in a good location, and “clean” and has hot water. Lovely hot water! So once we got here, I just felt completely buggered. My man flu was getting bad, and after holding it together all day, I was done. We tried to get some beers, no luck, some food, hotel restaurant closed Sunday’s, pizza, took an hour and a half, by which time, I was in bed almost asleep. Will sorted out a second night, so I can rest and hopefully feel better tomorrow.