Amidst the desert scrubs, the magnificent hills, and the holy lakes, we find the land of Rajasthan. 

It’s true that, the real adventure kicks in when you travel solo. And in today’s story, we discover the unseen Rajasthan with our solo traveller Ajay. Being a doctor with busy schedules, he always looks out for the perfect opportunities to ‘Carpe Diem’. So on the 4th of November, he headed to Rajasthan for his first solo bike trip. 

From Delhi, he began his journey at night and reached his first destination- Jodhpur at 6:30 am. His stay for the day was at Zostel Jodhpur which was his very first experience of hostel dorms. Ajay reckons a day to be more than enough to explore Jodhpur. So he visited a few forts and the Umrav Bhavan before he left for Jaisalmer. At the zostel, he came across a few travellers who talked about the sand dune camps at Jaisalmer, and that’s when the random plan came about. 

Jaisalmer

He ended up at the Sam Sand Dune resort that was jam-packed with tourists. So when he booked a portable camp, they took him in the middle of nowhere in the desert through a camel ride. It was pitch dark at 9 pm when they informed him that the five people who would be joining him with nearby tents had cancelled. Nothing was scarier when he realized that he would be spending the night alone in the desert, where nothing was to be seen as far as the eye could see. 

He stayed up till two in the morning, capturing the blanket of the night sky [Nikon d5300] and trying to avoid being bitten by insects. The tent faced the east and Ajay was woken up by the warmth of the sun. In the morning when no one showed up, he had no choice but to walk back to the resort. He hoped to not come across anything as adventurous and scary as his last night. 

Go with the flow

Not a destination mind, he made impromptu plans along the trip. When he met an IT guy from Bangalore in Jaisalmer who talked about going to the windmills, Ajay couldn’t help but tag along. Looking at the giant windmills at the onshore farms, he flew a drone to shoot a video [DJI Mini 2]. 

In the evening, he went to a zostel that turned out to be fully booked and no rooms were available even after waiting for three hours. So he ended up at the Moustache dorms [INR 1200- offline booking] that had an amazing view of the shimmering lights of Fort Jaisalmer. But when he came to know about his nine and ten-year-old roommates, he had second thoughts about his stay there. 

He went to explore the evening markets of Jaisalmer to buy a few souvenirs and later watch the sunset at Gadisar lake. While returning, he saw another Royal Enfield same as his, with a number plate of Gujarat. And when he met the Gujju guy who works for National Geography, they ended up chatting about Rajasthan, solo bike trips, traveling, and whatnot. Ajay then headed off to his new friend’s dorm at the Hosteler and mingled with a few like-minded people there. He decided to spend book a room here instead of staying with children back at Moustache. 

Udaipur

At 9:30 am, Ajay set forth on route to Udaipur. The bike ride reminded him that ‘it’s not just about the destination, but the journey too.’ He believes that it was one of the best road routes he came across. With mountain terrains and tunnels, he reached Udaipur at 5 pm. The vibe was mesmerizing and nothing less was expected from this vibrant city of Rajasthan. 

While waiting in the market to connect with some friends he met back at Jodhpur, he stumbled upon a local who was hiking his way to the Karni Mata Temple. Ajay couldn’t resist a chance to trek and watch the sunset from the highest point of Udaipur. The local took him through the rear side of the hill. There stood a mobile tower that ironically divided the city into old and sober Udaipur and the vibrant new Udaipur. View from both sides was distinct and looked like something out of a book. 

After the incredible trek, he found the best Laal maas dish to overcome the hunger pangs and crashed at a hostel where they had a night party at the terrace. With amazing company and view overlooking the city, Ajay couldn’t wait to seek what more Udaipur has to offer. 

The golden hour

The next day, he met a few friends, and together they made their way to Badi lake. It was a bit less crowded than other infamous lakes despite a wedding shoot going on. Away from the noise, they spent a few hours before setting out to the Rayta hills. 25kms outskirts of the city were the magnificent curved hills. The group made their way to the top to enjoy the sunset. Staring into the orange sky. Autumn transitioning to winters, the sun reflection turned the grass-covered path golden. 

In pursuit of chasing sunsets, Ajay was convinced to travel further to Alsigadh to catch hold of the 5 o’clock sunset view from the lakes. After his fruitful discovery of sunsets, he mapped back to Udaipur just in time for a night of jamming session at the hostel. 

Each corner of the city spelled an aura that he couldn’t let go of. So, he extended his stay at Udaipur. This time to watch the sunset at Badi lake with a few of his roommates. At Zostel Udaipur’s dorm, he met his roommates who were medicos and chatted for a long about their memories and unforgettable experiences. From there, they for Raita hills to watch the final sunset of the golden hour. 

Jaipur

His eighth day at Rajasthan was a visit to a marble dumping yard at Kishangarh. Abuzz with white marbles, one can spot this place about 100kms to Jaipur. As a popular photoshoot spot, many drones were in the sky for a pre-wedding shoot. 

Sunday night at Jaipur, he booked a six-bedded dorm [INR 600] at Moustache. And on his last day, he made his way to the Hawa Mahal. Visited a few cafes and even tried out Gulab chai. Before he knew it, the short unplanned trip to Rajasthan that became a 10-day long journey came to an end. 

This was Ajay’s zealous trip to Rajasthan! For more photos and videos check out his page: @doctor_wandererr 

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