Ujjain: Bhopal to Ujjain was a lovely, uneventful ride. As the passenger it is such an adventure to sit, snuggle into Mendo's back and feel the wind in my hair (and occasionally get whipped by Mendo's dread-locks...) and see the sun rising around us. We have good, sturdy boots, strong decorated helmets and I have wrist-guards which I attach our Sony camera to for capturing moments which pass by in a flash. We found Ujjain to be a very friendly, happy city full of temples and Hindu devotees - it is one of the 7 Holy cities in India. We arrived at mid-day, bargained for a hotel and just as we were about to go hunting for food another traveller pulled up on a Royal Enfield motorbike beside us. We waved politely, appreciating that another westerner had gone off the beaten tourist track... and then recognition took over our polite smile, as we knew this traveller from Delhi! Mendo and Stefan had met whilst we were buying our Shepa - Mendo has a way of meeting lovely people, so to see his smiling face in Ujjain was magical. We explored Ujjain together, slowly getting to know each other enough for us to change our next plans and travel with him to Udaipur (instead of our original plan to go to Jaipur). When the luggage carrier broke a week before in a small village we had promised a local that when we went to Ujjain we would pray to the Lingam for healthy, happy babies (most Indian's find it strange that we have been married for 3 years without producing children...). Hence, we found ourselves becoming personal with the Lingam and fulfilled our promise. The locals were very helpful and enthusiastic in showing us the proper way of Hindu Puja - a very meditative experience. Fourth finger on third eye area, eyes closed, concentrating your focus on negative energy departing your body through your head: "Om, gum gum, galepetai, nam hai..." repeat in a monotone way. After this we ventured to the ghats (steps into the river) to witness the evening Puja. Although as usual the river was very dirty, it still created a magical setting for the sunset and meditative prayers were sung and played with instruments on either side of the river as if calling to each other. Fire was presented to the Gods and then cleansed the people participating in the puja. We walked back to our hotel amongst a crowd of children eager to practice their english and shake our hands.

Ujjain to Banswara: The three of us rode out as the sun rose. We passed elephants with orange turboned men atop them, camels being herded by nomadic people with leathery skin, sari-clad woman and school uniform dressed girls waiting patiently to pump the village wells and complete their chores before their families rose. Whilst passing through a happy, colourful village, Stefan spied some beautiful arches which had an air of regal grandeure. Stefan has been travelling throughout India on and off for 6 years, and his experience in exploring certainly showed through here. We drove through the arches to discover a magnificent, regal but run-down palace. We parked our bike in the courtyard and an educated looking gentleman approached us. Much to our surprise he offered to give us a tour of the cactus garden. The cactus garden was very well maintained with a few monster cacti dominating it, peacocks taking leisurly strolls amongst it and overshadowed by the magnificent palace. Once we finished in the cactus garden, the caretaker offered to show us inside the palace. I was expecting large, empty rooms covered in spiderwebs with ghosts of once regal inhabitants. Instead we found a fully furnished Maharaja's house. A well stocked library with interesting titles greeted us once in the door... what does a Maharaja read? 'A tale told by an idiot' 'Setting your table' 'Housekeeping' 'The naked truth about nudism' The Ego and the Id' 'The worlds wickedest women' 'The island of Taboo' 'The culture of the abdomen' 'Freud - his dream and sex theory' 'Stress without distress' 'Games women play' 'Sex and yoga' 'The sensuous man' 'Hippie dharma' 'The homosexual nurosis' 'Popular toy dogs'. A little further inside we found a large room with the main focal point being a huge dining table which must have sat 30ish posh people, watched closely by little cherubs clinging to large crystal chandeliers. We were stunned that in the middle of India we had stumbled upon a Maharaja's 'museum' which you wouldn't find in any guide book. We found ourselves sipping tea at that large table and dunking biscuits whilst around us animal heads and antiques lined the walls and huge stuffed bears snarled angrily whilst they delicately held ivory inlaid trays. Nearby an extra large billiard table waited patiently for gentlemen to stroke its velvety green belly and a whole stuffed tiger waited to be admired. Two large, beautifully painted canvasses stood guard on each side of the dining table, both depicting Godesses in all their beautiful glory. We explored the other rooms which included a very stylish bar (A camel can go without a drink for 8 days... but who wants to be a camel!), bedroom, sitting room and intimate dining room. Everywhere we looked, inside and out was incredibly beautiful and luxurious - what an experience. We then set out for Banswara, passing by beautiful laked lanscapes, happy colourful villages and lazy green fields. Once we arrived we investigated the town as is our routine and found another small picturesque castle on a lake which would shorly be turned into a tourist attraction, complete with peddle boats. After a long night repairing Shepa, we set out for Udaipur. Another beautiful drive, stopping every few hours in little villages for chai. Again found a little palace on a lake and later arrived in Udaipur to find the city excited and fully decorated for Diwali.