21st Nov 2004 – Time to return home.
The ride has come to an end. Today I’ll be heading back to Pune to get busy with the same old routine of going to work and dreaming about my next ride. As per plan I have to return via MP but having liked the NH8 so much that I want to return back via the same route. With not much to ride today, as I have to stop at Ajmer, I decide against an early morning start. So after a relaxed morning I start preparing for my ride at 10:00hrs. Cleaned the bike, topped up engine oil and battery water. At 10:50hrs with odo showing 19,024 I start my ride. Having already asked my bro-in-law about an alternate route that will take me via Qutab Minar to join NH8 at Gurgaon I decide to take this route, instead of the Ring Road. I’m keen on this route as finally I’ll be able to see Qutab Minar. Having spent over 10 years in Delhi, I have never seen Qutab Minar in real. After riding on the route as explained to me I enter Mahrauli and soon I’m able to see the Qutab Minar. Really a beautiful looking structure wanting to spend some time there but since I didn’t expect to ride via Qutab Minar, I have not set any time to visit the place so I have to just ride via it. After spending some time asking for directions and taking wrong turns, etc I’m finally our on NH8 after Gurgaon. Having bike not yet hit reserve but still I decide to fill some fuel, instead of halting on NH8. I stopped at the next gas station at 12:05hrs with odo showing 19,068, being a bit hot I decide to take a small break for water as well.
After a 5minute break, I’m back on road. Fresh from a nice sleep previous night, I’m enjoying the ride on NH8, keeping a steady speed of around 80 as I slowely move towards Jaipur. Decide to stop for lunch after Jaipur only. After riding for well over 2hrs on the straight forward road (not much of twisties or ghats) in a bit of heat, I approach the diversion which I have to take, with Jaipur still some 40km’s away. At 14:55hrs, with odo showing 19,268 I take the diversion to come out on a different road, as compared to what I took while coming. So I decide to just follow the traffic and hope for the best. After a 30min ride I’m back on the other side of Jaipur, back on NH8 bypassing Jaipur city. The bypass at some places, on left side, gives a nice view of the big Jaipur city. With sun started to go down it has started to get a bit cooler. At 16:05hrs when hunger is at its peak, I pull over at a dhaba with odo showing 19,333. Order the normal menu of dal and rotis for lunch. After a 35min break for lunch, costing me Rs 35 I resume the ride towards Ajmer. Having to cover well over 100km’s to Ajmer with light to start reducing soon, I increased the speed. The road is now wide 6 lane, with diversions at a few places.
As I approach Kishangarh it gets dark enough to put the headlights on, odo is showing 19,420 and clock 18:20hrs.
Road after Kishangarh is a normal 2 lane with lots of traffic especially as Ajmer is just 30odd km away. With Ajmer in striking distance, I drop the speed to safe limits, at which I can ride with the oncoming traffic on high beams. Few km’s later bike comes into reserve at 19,426 so I pull into the next gas station to fill in some fuel. In next few minutes I get off the NH8 to enter Ajmer city. I decide to stay at the same place I stayed while coming from Pune. So I start to ask directions for Railway Station. At 19:00hrs with odo showing 19,449 I’m standing outside Nagpal Tourist hotel (Rs 300 for the room). Check in the hotel and head towards Railway station to have dinner. Once again I decide to have dinner at Jai Bhole Resturant with the dinner bill coming to Rs 38.
After dinner, I decide to go for a small walk around the area, like any other town there is a big market around the Railway Station area. There are lots of sweet shops tempting me to try out some of the delicious looking dishes. Somehow I curb the feeling and head back to hotel before temptation takes over me. While returning back I start to think about my next day ride and a crazy thought popped up in my mind, to try and ride upto Pune in 1 day. I have done Pune €“ Baroda in almost 10hrs and Baroda €“ Ajmer in another 12hrs (including lots of riding in night). So I tell myself that if I can do Ajmer €“ Baroda in 10hrs or so then an early morning start from Ajmer might make me reach pune by midnight. So I decide to give it a try and head back to hotel to sleep early for an early morning start.
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