And slid out of town. Once we got out into the countryside, we again were instantly reminded that there is a whole world out there with many more adventures awaiting us. It is interesting how that happens, isn’t it? We all get so caught up in our surroundings, especially when we are caught up in our daily routine of work, etc., that we forget what else is out there. Once we go on vacation or take a little trip out of our normal everyday life, we say to ourselves, "Oh yeah, all "this" is out there"… all this and so much more. We are met with the realization that things DO exist outside our reality tunnel. That’s the great thing about the world and traveling in it, the truly fantastic thing about life; all the different possibilities that are out there waiting for us experience.

The road to Chittor was excellent -- a comfortable 150 km jaunt on a nice road. We have figured out, in our short time riding in India, that 150 to 200km on secondary roads is the ideal distance for one day. This distance gives you the time to stop when you want to, snap some photos, not get too sore, not push the bikes too hard, etc….in other words, to enjoy yourself. As we approached Chittor from the Northeast, the great Fort of Chittorgarth and the plateau on which it rests came into to view. We rode into town, followed the most pointed fingers after we asked "hotel?", and found a decent habitation for the night. An extra bonus for us weary and hungry gypsies was a small little diner right next to the hotel which served superb food. That evening we walked up to the fort ruins and watched the earth spin away and bury the sun in a collage of desert colors.

The hilltop fort of Chittorgarth has a fascinating history. Three times in its 300-year history it was ransacked by superior forces and on each occasion the Rajput rulers and warriors declared a "Jauhar" in the imminent face of defeat. A declaration of "Jauhar" called for all male warriors in the colony to don saffron-colored robes (symbolizing martyrdom) and head into battle knowing very well they would be killed. Surrender was not an option. Meanwhile, the women constructed enormous funeral pyres and proceeded to throw first their children and then themselves into the flames. Again, surrender was not an option. The Rajputs believe it better to die than be taken prisoner. The second siege on the fort alone was said to have killed 32,000 Rajput warriors and 13,000 women due to their own proclamation of "Jauhar". It was quite amazing to explore the desolate ruins of the fort, all the while seeing the areas where these unimaginable acts of bravery (I guess that’s what you call it) were carried out. The fort itself was an eclectic collection of crumbling palaces and administrative buildings, huge bathing reservoirs, 50 meter tall commemorative "victory" towers constructed after glorious battles, and intricately carved temples. The fort walls circumvent the entire fort and plateau for over 35km!! We took the Enfields up the next morning and drove around the entire fort. I would love to have seen this place in its glory years. But in our present location in time and space, it was time to move on. We drove down from the fort, packed up our material goods, and rolled out of town…next stop, Udaipur.

Chapter March 15 "Octopussy" or "Wash Behind Your Ears"
We headed out on what turned out to be the best road encountered yet. The smoothly paved road was light on traffic and heavy on curves and scenery. It seems that roads keep getting better the further west we go. We arrived in Udaipur feeling fine. Immediately the search for a hotel suitable to our fine tastes (under $1 dollar each) began. The first place we looked at was called Hotel Sai Niwas and it was a very nice place. It was, however, out of our price range so we found a less expensive place right around the corner and still close to the Lake Pichola and city palace. The city of Udaipur is quite an interesting city, as Lake Pichola lies at the center of town surrounded by the famous City Palace, enormous temples, and old havalis (many of which are now converted into hotels). Udaipur is most famous, however, for its Lake Palace. The Palace was constructed by the Maharaja right in the center of Lake Pichola and was to be used as his summer residence. It was here he used to lay in the dry, summer heat, cooled by the Lake breeze, smoking opium, and surrounding himself with the most beautiful girls in his kingdom… ahhhh...it’s good to be the king!

This palace and some of surrounding Udaipur were used in the stupendous Roger Moore James Bond film, "Octopussy." We walked around Udaipur looking for recognizable landmarks used in the film. Yeah, you could say we had some spare time on our hands. Udaipur is situated in a valley surrounded on all sides by the Aravali Mountains. To the west, another famous monument to the glory of the Rajput days lies high atop a mountain ridge: the Monsoon Palace. This palace was built for the Queen at the time, but was never occupied due to a construction oversight; the well dried up and no other water was available!! I could see how a few years ago Udaipur was considered a magical place, however today the ugly face of mass tourism has dispelled some of the magic.

Anyway, the next day we went over to the first hotel we looked at, Hotel Sai Niwas, and asked them if they wanted us to produce them a web site. The young manager, Shankar, immediately called his father/owner, SK Singh, and set up a meeting for 7:30 that same evening. We excitedly went back to our guest house, cleaned up, tried to look the best that was possible for two dirty, hairy motorcyclists two months into traveling, and by some act of a higher power arrived at 7:30 on the dot. Pretty damn good for us, I do believe. When we met the retired Indian Airforce test pilot, Mr. SK Singh, the very first thing he said to us was " Do you mind if I’m frank with you?" We replied, "Of course not, we’d have it no other way." "Is this some sort of con job?" SK asked. Jared and I both laughed, broke out the equipment, showed him our other web sites, and assured him that we were the real deal (lucky for us he didn’t know what real deal meant, come to think of it, neither do we.) One and a half bottles of rum and four hours later we had a deal. We’d stay in the hotel for free and get some meals in exchange for a web site. The hotel was very unique and just had an excellent vibe to it. If you want, you can check it out at www.hotelsainiwas.com. We spent our days in Udaipur working, eating, doing a bit of sightseeing, meeting with locals for some business and leisure, and, well, I really don’t know what the hell we did. All I know is that sixteen days later we said our good-byes to some good friends, and had one extra Enfield and one extra brother. The times they are a-changing.