We left Agra disappointed in not seeing the Taj Mahal but Aus$40 per person is over the top for us budget travellers. We vow to make a complaint to the Indian Government Tourist Office and, if we get motivated, one to a large newspaper. The road to Jaipur varies in condition from smooth to bumpy but the chaotic traffic tests our nerves to the extreme. When three vehicles head toward us in two lanes, Carol's frantic waving gets the necessary results as a path is carved through the bemused truck drivers. The road is littered with crashed vehicles, dead camels, cattle and dogs. Pigs appear to be a little quicker than the rest!!

Staying at the Jaipur Inn, we were offered a dorm bed with free buffet dinner for 100 rupees per person. The buffet is 100 rupees so we actually get our bed for free. Sightseeing at the Amber Fort/Palace we strike bike trouble. A noise from the bevel drive that began in Namibia, Africa (40,000 kms ago) manifests itself as a failed crown wheel bearing and seal. We try to source the parts from the U.K., Aust., Germany and India and settle on the U.K. as they are the cheapest. Our host at the Jaipur Inn was very helpful and directed us to his car mechanic who had the necessary equipment to assist in the repairs.The problem had us waiting for a while so we caught the bus to Delhi to arrange our 15 day visa extension in India. Despite what the Lonely Planet says this can only be done in MAJOR CITIES ie. Delhi, Bombay, Madras and Calcutta for sure!!

'Guzzi' Mike and Rosie joined us here after they ditched their Enfield in Delhi. Plan 'B' had them flying Rosie's Honda Dominator out to Bombay from Germany to spread the massive load the Moto Guzzi was carring. We had some great nights at the Inn with numerous wedding parades converging on the area. Lights, fireworks, marching bands and dancing was all part of the scene. We spent 12 days in Jaipur due mainly to the breakdown.

Our next stop was Pushkar. Just a short ride of 140 kms but we saw the stark desert sands of Rajasthan becoming more prevalant. Pushkar, a holy place for Brahma's of the Hindu religion, reminded us of Kathmandu with its numerous souvenir stalls, restaurants and street/footpath vendors, all vying for our hard earned rupees or dollars. There were a couple of buffet restaurants that provided a great, cheap food. Hygene standards in India have improved a lot and no stomach problems were experienced in all our time in India. On the advice of many travellers we purchased a bike cover in South Africa to remove the temptation of prying eyes and fingers over the bike. Although we chained and pad-locked this on somehow the nosey ones would undress the bike and play with the switches and knobs. The tripmeter would be reset, the light switch would be on and the cover would be twisted and pulled out of shape. Frustrating!!! We voiced our displeasure to the hotel management but Indians do not see it as a problem.

We head to 'Octapussy City' or Udaipur next, passing dozens of marble wholesalers. The air is white with marble dust as the traffic thins and the road twists gently through the hills. Our lodgeings here at Lal Ghat on the lake were old, but the atmosphere was superb. The Lake Palace Hotel lit up at night with a few fire works thrown in for Valentine's Day made for a special time at this old city. We saw the 'movie' and can see where Bollywood gets a lot of its ideas. Were those old 007 movies really that bad?

Sad farewells to Mike and Rosie here, as we must head in different directions. We rode to Jodpur and they headed slowly to Bombay to collect Rosie's bike. We have shared a lot of fun and difficult times. Hope they can reach Australia one day for a visit.

Jodpur, the 'Blue City', didn't look very blue when we arrived. We encountered the normal street garbage being devoured by 'holy' cows, pollution from the burbling Tuk Tuks and the overpowering smell of urine at numerous spots enroute to our Hotel/Guest House. We read an editorial in an Indian newspaper complimenting the organizers of the Kumbh Mela on the efficiency and cleanliness at this huge holy gathering on the River Ganges. "Indians must now apply these same ideas and efforts to the cities of this polluted nation." We wait with bated breath. Investigating Meherangarh Fort and Museum we saw the splendour of the blue city. Hundreds of pastel blue buildings made the climbing effort worthwhile. The Fort and Palace were in good condition and maintenance efforts were still being done.

Because of the time lost due to our mechanical problems our stay in India was not as long as we would have liked. We sped on to Jaisalmer, the 'Golden City' and on the advice of a fellow traveller we stayed inside the Fort, sleeping on a hand made mud and dung bed....with a mattress of course. We took a lot of photos. If an Indian was within earshot, and they saw the camera, the call would be, 'rupees! rupees!', assuming we were taking the photo of them (which we were not). If we wished to take a close up of an individual we would ask first, if they demanded money no photo would be taken. We did take a photo of a 'holy' cow devouring a large sheet of plastic, watched by many Hindu's. No effort was made by them to stop this poor beast from clogging its intestine. Many bloated animals shuffle around the cities of India with stomachs clogged with kilos of plastic.

Leaving for Bikaner the next day we wobbled to a stop with a flat tyre on the outskirts of Jaisalmer. Replacing the tube we were on the road in 40 minutes cursing the boot repairers sitting on the edge of the road. It was a boot tack that had punctured the tyre. 100 kms further on we had another flat. This time the patch had come addrift. This occured two more times and we reached Bikaner around 8 pm, totally exhausted and confused as to why this was happening. We camped on the lawns of the Desert Winds Hotel and our host/owner was most pleasant and helpful. We joined a Kiwi couple in his Ambassador (Morris Oxford) for a visit to Karni Mata Temple, commonly known in the west as the Rat Temple. Carol overcame her fear of these rodents for a short time as they scrambled over our feet. Fortunately we were allowed to keep our socks on. The front of the Temple was ornately carved marble which most people fail to see, being preoccupied with the close encounter they are about to have with the rats. We enjoyed the round trip in the comfort of four wheels as the winds had blown up a sand storm on the road out. The next day we toured Junagarh Fortress/Palace, impressive to say the least and with an excellent guide thrown in for the entry price we can thoroughly recommend this tourist attraction. In the afternoon we walked the bazaars and mixed with the locals, speaking for some time with some young school children and an english teacher.

To complete our loop of Rajasthan we headed back to Jaipur. This was a day we could have done without. The repaired punctures were causing problems. The first flat saw us swerving uncontrollably when the tyre bead parted from the rim. The very last 'swerve' saw us hit the deck but we were all but stopped. We patched the tube again but by this time we began to realize that the problem was the European glue was not compatable with the Asian tubes. We experienced the problem two more times. The last flat, we were rescued by a Vespa riding Indian who took me back to his village and the repair job was done for the princley some of 10 rupees by a 'professional' puncture man. This patch held for the remaining time in India. Our tyre would need to be replaced as soon as we reached Thailand, as nothing was available in India in the size we required. In Jaipur we did a little more sightseeing and washed the bike ready for the flight from Delhi to Bangkok.

Connaught Place, New Delhi is one of the cleanest areas we have seen in India. Air pollution is a problem but no where near as bad as we expected. Our departure from Delhi and the transportation of the bike to Bangkok went reasonably well. We left on a Friday with the bike on the same plane (Aeroflot), arriving into the steamy weather of South East Asia around 3.30 pm. Poor timing on my part saw the bike locked up until Monday so we met up with our Irish/U.K. travelling companion, Connor once more and did a little sightseeing in Bangkok. The tedious task of extracting the bike from the cargo company and Customs saw a bill produced that was around half the air freight costs. Carol argued loudly with the Thai lad helping us as I re-assembled the bike. After he had made a few calls on his mobile phone the price was dropped to less than half. If any travellers need information on our procedures/costs etc. in transporting the bike from Delhi to Bangkok please contact us by e-mail.

Thailand here we come!!!!!

Leaving KTM was hard but the roads were waiting and our Indian visa was loosing time. We made Varanasi in two days with only one Indian truck driver attempting to run us off the road.

We camped at the Surya Hotel in their lovely garden. It was so peaceful to escape the pressures of this vital city on the Ganges. More shock woes as break no. 3 occurs. There cannot be any "bounce" left in this piece of steel. The search for a replacement starts. A helpful Honda dealer Ravi, swings into action. Many springs were found but failed to fit. Seven days later a spring is produced, not quite the right size but it will get us out of trouble. Contacted home about a warranty claim but 200,000kms is too much. I don't know why!!! In addition to this problem, a knock which I thought was steering head bearings turned out to be a broken frame. The large support in the middle of the bike with the electrical items attached. Another welding job and her broken back is fixed. The bike has reached 20yrs and has thrown in the towel, maybe!! There is no pension, until it reaches OZ.

Mike and Rosie arrive in Varanasi after 4 1/2 days ride from KTM. The Guzzi is going fine but the Enfield....is a real problem. I will leave to Mike to tell his story. Varanasi will be remembered for the special help from Ravi and the cycle rickshaw riders who, after agreeing to a negotiated price, demand more on arrival.

It was a bad day to leave Varanasi. We ride towards Allahabad and the Kumbh Mela on its biggest day. The traffic was insane. Two lanes turned into six as everything grinds to a standstill. We averaged 25kms per hour and were exhausted when we reached Fatehpur. Only one near miss as three vehicles head towards us on a two lane road. We split the two outside vehicles!! Crazy stuff.

Reaching Agra was not easy. We watched a local motorcyclist overtake us on a Honda 100cc and ride staight into a pig crossing the road. This was a BIG pig and we cannot believe he did not see it. They are not on this planet when they drive/ride here. He survived, the pig squealed and ran off. Another phenomena is the desire for people to overtake us at all cost endangering all involved and then slow to an almost crawl and then, request us to overtake them again. We are a novelty but their driving is absolutely crazy. Their ears are their eyes. They do not react to anything on the road unless they are tooted. A loud different horn is a must. We have a small siren purchased in Bulgaria. Combined with the normal horn it creates a disturbing sound. It works!! It is interesting to note that in almost 200,000kms of world travelling in the last 4 years we have seen more vehicle accidents in the few weeks in India than in all the other countries combined.

The Taj prices are out of our reach and now there are no "free Fridays". It is now closed on Fridays and open on Mondays. We have heard there will be a price decrease some time in February. So we will head to the deserts, forts and palaces of Rajasthan and maybe trade our bike for a camel for a day or two.

The earthquake in Ahmadabad 26/1/01 was felt here in Agra as we ate breakfast. What a strange feeling.

A party of four bikes left Islamabad Campground for Lahore, Connor (XT600), Angela (Dominator), Oliver (Transalp). We enjoyed walking the bazaars, the old fort and riding backwards in the Tuk Tuks as the traffic aimed at our toes!!

Time to leave Islamabad Campground

Had a laugh when a Christian Movement paraded past our hotel in peak hour traffic. It was Ramadan in Pakistan!! They created a huge traffic jam. We stayed at the Menora Hotel across the road from the Lahore Hotel. Safe parking was found at the Lahore Hotel for 10Rs a day, absolute bargain.

Crossing the border into India saw the officials mess up our Carnet by taking a page three past the next one to be used. I like to watch this procedure after experiences in Africa but was instructed to sit down by the official. German friends travelling in a Unimog had two pages removed for the one vehicle. Beware the crossing at Wagah/Attari Road.

Oli takes over from the rickshaw driver Amritsar

Fun on a rickshaw Amritsar

Amritsar will always be remembered for the Golden Temple. We have not seen the Taj Mahal yet but it will need to be good to beat this. The people there, the workers, the hostel attached to the temple - a must for every traveller.

Carol at the Golden Temple

Local ladies at The Golden Temple

Our party broke up on departure with Oliver heading south to the deserts of Rajasthan. Today was our first real taste of the Indian traffic, preparing us for the onslaught to come. Overnight in Ambala saw Angela's bike have a flat tyre and topple over. No damage, just a broken pot plant inside the hotel passage way.

Interesting men

Carol washing her feet before entering The Golden Temple

Foreigners room in the Pilgrims Hostel The Golden Temple, with Connor and Angela.

Our party dwindled again as a quick repair of the puncture saw Angela head north to Nepal. Connor and ourselves headed to Delhi to organize our tickets/transport to Bangkok.

Karol Bagh motorcycle area New Delhi

We achieved much in Delhi with few hassles. Our transport and flights were organized. Connor replaced an ailing battery, Carol got sick so rested in bed while the boys played with the tuk tuks.

Gandhi Guest House New Delhi, it was better on the inside than it looked from the street.

Departing Delhi on Sunday was a breeze. Connor headed south to join Oliver and we rode to Agra to see the famous Taj Mahal. We thought the US$20 or Aud$40 per person too expensive. They will not get our money at those prices.

Left Agra taking minor roads towards Bareilly. The route had far less traffic but the road condition was very poor - potholes, rough surface, livestock and bicycle riders not prepared for a motorcycle as large as ours.