Still riding, still happy :)

We were offline for a few days...and we got off schedule - we got lost in Indore :) Ok, were did we leave you...Jaipur? Well we made our way to Bundi, no problem. We found a great place to stay - a beautiful room and we had a view of the palace out the back window! But we didn't hang around to see the bats, there was a hill to climb with more ruins to wander through - it was amazing!!!!! Monkeys, too :) We have some great photos...but the computers here don't have USB, so we can't get them to you yet.

We left Bundi, filled up the tanks (we got 50kpl that first tankful!) and headed for Ujjain - 322kms later we arrived and we were not thrilled. The town is a bit of a dive and our hotel was grim.....we didn't even want to eat in the hotel restaurant so we went off to find the posh hotel in town and eat in their restaurant :) We were trying to find the place - we are rapidly discovering that the maps in the guidebooks are a bit dodgy - and were having no luck. We knew it was across the railroad tracks so we went up on the pedestrian bridge to have a look. Instead of the "Tower" hotel, we saw lots of lights, lots of people and a guy on a very well dressed horse :) A very helpful local told us that it was a marriage. Hey, that's cool....and we continued looking for the hotel. We decided to ask in the police station...there were a ton of rickshaws around and we wanted to walk - it look close. We asked several of the policemen, but they didn't speak English, so we were ushered in to see the head guy. He was very nice....impressed that he had someone "British" in his presence :) and asked us what sort of visa we had (we thought he was going to ask us for all our paperwork) then he called in one of his officers (who came in and snapped to attention :) and directed him to take us to the hotel. He then explained to us (in English) that the hotel was a kilometer away and he would have us taken there in his personal car with his driver...so we piled in, with the driver seemingly not at all amused to have to take us, but when we arrived he was really nice and smiling. So...the dinner was good, and we were finding our way back to the hotel and it just so happened to pass in front of the wedding...we were watching the groom arrive on the horse (we saw him leave on the horse, with the band, when we were there before) and we were told we could go have a look....and then WHOOSH!!!! We were sucked in. We were ushered up to meet the groom, shake his hand (while he was still on the horse :) and I took a photo and showed it to him (made him smile :) and then various members of his family encouraged us to go inside and made room for us so we could see right up front as the groom entered the building. We were take to some seats, then asked to come and dance (which we did :) and many photos were taken (by us and with us as the star guests). We saw the marriage and then chatted with lots of different people - wives, husbands, kids, many young men eager to practice their English, the father of the groom, the sister in law, friends of the people we were talking to....everyone :) - and they kept bringing us all sorts of great food to try. Everyone was so friendly and it was just an amazing experience. One of the guys we met told us that we should go to the temple (which is what there is to see in Ujjain) and that we needed to be there at 4am...ok, sounds like a plan. But, I'm leaving that story for A :)

After the temple if was still quite early...and a great time to get on the road. We decided to forego breakfast and get it in Indore, just 50kms up the road - it is a long way to Jalagon and we would need coffee and food. Well...that is where it all went wrong. We got to Indore, found a place that said restaurant...but they had no food or coffee, just hard liquor! No thanks, Bacardi for breakfast is just not my thing :) The maps we had from BOTH guidebooks were just not up to the task....and the signage was not very helpful, either. We drove around for an hour just trying to find the train station (where we could find a hotel with a restaurant) and we did ask for directions! Finally we found a place to get some food and coffee (and the coffee was brilliant! as the was Kashmiri nan) but the time was just too late, we wouldn't make it to Jalagon....so we decided to divert to Mandu, which was a place we had thought about but decided to miss on this leg. We were happy and caffeinated :) We got the waiter to give us directions to the Bombay road...he even drew us a map, excellent! We were on our way again.....sort of. We followed the map but we ended up facing a sign that said Agra, straight on - that's the opposite direction!!!!! So we turned around and found the Bombay road. More of my exceptional navigation got us to Mandu...but you will have to wait for that story, as this cafe is kicking us out. But we have tales of serious off road (that off road course has paid for itself :) and we chased the bats we missed in Bundi (some great photos!)...oh, and more ruins (more great photos!!!!!)

We are off to the Ajanta Caves tomorrow and will stay 2 nights in Aurangabad, daytripping to the Ellora Caves. Then to Pune and on to Goa (if you are following on your maps :).

Catch you all later!