Day 5:
I woke up at 4 AM, packed all my stuff, loaded the bike, and got ready to start the next phase of the ride. I had planned to start by 5 AM and ride to Udaipur today. The weather was better today, a little cloudy but no rain. If I rode without unwanted breaks, I would reach Udaipur by 7 PM in the evening.
I got onto the Gujarat highway in an hour and took the first halt near Wapi for breakfast and chai. I was feeling a little sleepy, so I had chai and decided to take a 15-minute nap. But the person on the counter rudely asked me to leave. It had started raining now. I had seen the amount of damage that rains could do to my luggage and was reluctant to ride. So I went to another small restaurant close by and had a quick nap. By the time I woke up, it had stopped raining. I continued my ride, but within 15 minutes, it had started pouring down. I continued riding till I reached some place close to Surat. I stopped at a highway-side restaurant as I couldn't go on anymore. I waited for almost an hour here but the rain continued lashing down. Eventually, I got bored of waiting and started riding again. The rain reduced, and eventually stopped as I passed Surat. It got sunny as I reached Ahmedabad. The road was all dug up though, and I had to ride through a lot of traffic for almost 30-35 kilometers. I reached Ahmedabad by 6 PM. My riding boots were starting to bite now. I stopped for chai after Ahmedabad and left my boots there, and got into my regular shoes. I had to get new riding boots on the way now. The route to Udaipur was a smooth 4-lane highway with a good number of street lights. It was the most comfortable part of the ride that day.
I was staying at this hostel called Keekoo Stays in Udaipur. I reached there by 11 PM. The caretaker showed me to my dorm, and fortunately, I had the whole place to myself. I quickly got all the wet clothes out and hung them up to dry on the bungee cable. I would be staying back in Udaipur for a day before continuing the ride to Delhi.
Day 6:
This was my second visit to Udaipur. The last time, I had stayed for 4 days and explored most of the place on foot. This time, I got my bike washed clean, left it at the hostel, and went off on a walk around the city. Udaipur is one of those cities which still has its old-world charm intact. While walking through the lanes around the lake, you can see a lot of buildings that are made in the old Rajput-style architecture. I had some nice street food and went off in search of some nice riding shoes.
By evening, it had started to drizzle a little and I decided to go back to the hostel. I didn't get good shoes here, so I decided to buy them in Delhi. The running shoes I was using now weren't waterproof, and the water seeped in, made the socks wet and the skin was left wrinkled. It was really uncomfortable.
I packed my stuff and loaded my bike overnight. The hostel compound was secure with a huge gate that was locked, and a CCTV camera for surveillance as well. The caretaker assured me that it wouldn't be a problem.
Day 7:
I woke up at 4.30 AM and prepared to leave. I had to wake the hostel caretaker to open the gate for me. He wished me luck for the journey ahead. I left Udaipur at 5.30 AM, while it was still dark. The highway out of Udaipur was also smooth and comfortable. I immediately stopped for chai at a dhaba before continuing towards Delhi. The distance to be covered today was over 650 kilometers. It would mean riding at least 12 hours without rain halts. It was sunny, but not very hot - the perfect day to ride.
By 2 PM, I reached Jaipur and halted for lunch. As I was eating, it started raining again. If this continues, I might not reach Delhi tonight. As I waited, the intensity of the rain reduced. The rain continued interrupting the ride at different intervals.
I reached the outskirts of Delhi by 7 PM. The traffic was bad, the roads were covered in slush and there was steady drizzle. I did not want to stop now and continued riding through the rain till I reached the hostel by 11 PM. It was a tiring ride, and I dozed off as soon as I reached the place.
Day 8:
It was a gloomy day, and I felt too lazy to do anything. I had ordered my shoes over Amazon on the way from Udaipur, and they arrived on time. After giving my clothes for laundry, I decided to go on a walk around the hostel, and have some delicious street food. It rained the whole day, and the weather report suggested that it would be sunny tomorrow. With that hope, I packed my stuff and went to bed early. After 9 long days since I started from Bangalore, tomorrow I will reach the mountains, hopefully.
I had prepared for the rains before starting my journey, or so I thought. But that is the thing with travel, you can never be prepared completely for any kind of travel. It doesn't mean that you stop traveling. And I did not intend to turn back now after coming this far, no matter how much it rained.
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