This was undoubtedly the longest day of my one month trip. I had been planning a day trip to Kumbhalgarh for a week now since it was my last week in Udaipur. Being a volunteer at Zostel Udaipur, I was hoping to take some people along with me. But i was only looking for solo travellers as it's more fun when nobody knows each other. I had already put it up on the notice board of the hostel. Finally I found Abhishek who was interested. I convinced Maurice and Lara and now we were four. We needed five.
In search of the fifth
We were told that the cab had space for five and therefore it will cost us the least if we were five. Four including me had confirmed, and we were actively looking for our fifth candidate. I remember we all were sitting together having our dinner and planning to catch our fish. We didn't care about who that fish was going to be. Our only concern was the fact that it will cost us less. We found Payal sitting on a table beside us. Assuming she was also solo, Maurice approached her. Voila, we had found our fifth.
The plan
The plan was simple. I had booked a car. The car would pick us up in the morning. On our way we will go to Ranakpur and then to Kumbhalgarh which is around 90 km from Udaipur. We will visit the famous Kumbhalgarh fort, click some pictures and will be back by 9 pm. This was a perfect plan for a day trip to Kumbhalgarh from Udaipur.
What actually happened next morning
The next morning i got a call from the reception that the car had arrived. All five of us had planned to meet on the roof top cafe. We were almost on time. After having our breakfast, we went to the car and received the breaking news of the morning. The car driver didn't let us in. It was a small car and he only permitted 4 of us. We tried convincing him but he was adamant and called his owner. The owner asked us to book a bigger car. This car was going to cost us more and remember we were all on a budget trip. We huddled up and discussed the situation. I was out of my mind and suggested renting bikes for a 180-km day trip.
Having thrown up the idea i got to know that out of the five only Payal and I had experience of driving scooters. So, it was improbable that my idea was going to be accepted but to my amazement all of them agreed. Bike rent shop was our next destination.
The real trip begins
Three scooters on rent and the trip was on. Abhishek was riding for the first time. Maurice and I were on one scooter, Lara and Payal on the other. Abhishek was left alone because you know. Maurice was my Google Maps for the journey. We were leading the pack. After riding a little, we found a dam on the way, stopped for a moment and clicked some mandatory photos. We then stumbled upon a sparkling river and couldn't resist stopping for a bit and enjoying the view.
All of us were enjoying the fact that we could stop anywhere we wanted. Renting scooters was doing good to us but on the other hand we needed regular breaks. Roads were well maintained only upto a point. Since it was rainy season, most of the roads were damaged and it was one good bumpy ride we were having.
This happens when you ride for the first time
Maurice was tired being a pillion so we switched places. I remember i was scared. In my defence, who wouldn't be? He accelerated the scooter, lost control and bam, he hit Abhishek's scooter. It was just a minor touch but managed to give us a few laughs on the way.
The first rule we broke in the fort
Having driven for almost three hours now, we finally reached our destination. The sight of Kumbhalgarh fort was mesmerising. We all entered the fort and went towards the temples. The architecture of the temple was simply amazing. Fascinated by the beauty, Maurice and Lara climbed the temple and I followed. Then we heard a guard whistling and pointing towards us making us wonder what wrong we had done. Climbing to the top of the temple was not allowed. Realising this, we all dispersed in separate directions and got lost. Abhishek and I were together. With no mobile connectivity we started searching others and finally found them.
The second rule we broke
It was a day of breaking rules it seems. All of us starting walking along the wall of the fort. All the tourist was going towards the fort, but the wall fascinated us more. And why not? The wall of Kumbhalgarh fort is 36 km long making it the second largest wall in the world. It is fascinating.
Toilet in the fort
We didn't have a lot of time at our disposal. So we quickly went inside the fort. Maurice, the explorer, was trying to find unknown places inside the fort. He started climbing a wall only to find a TOILET on the other side. Since then he discovered a lot of toilets for the rest of the day.
Indians and their craze for a photo with foreigners
Inside the fort, some Indians surrounded Lara and Maurice for selfies and pictures. Both too hesitant to say no, always obliged to the request. They were the celebrities in our group. But they were not enjoying the fandom and found a fellow traveller Ben, who was also facing the same issue. Ben, another solo traveller, became part of our group for the next few hours.
A swim in the river
It was already four when we started heading back to Udaipur. We had to return scooters by 8 pm. Witnessing the beautiful river, none of us could resist stopping by again. Although this time it was a little different. Maurice wanted to swim. He convinced Lara. They both wanted me to jump but I didn't. This is the only thing I regret in my entire Udaipur trip. I should had gone for a swim with them. Anyway, they enjoyed the swim and we headed back.
Another accident
It started drizzling on our way back. We all were moving carefully and together. It was only for a moment that Maurice and I raced ahead of others only to be informed by a passerby to stop. It was Abhishek who had met with a small accident. His scooter slipped. It could have happened with anybody as the roads was already not in good condition. Further, the drizzle added to all of it. Luckily he wasn't hurt much.
In search of petrol along with the drizzle.
While heading back, the scooters were fed with some fuel which we thought was going to be enough. Turns out our scooters wanted more. It was getting dark and there was no sight of petrol pump on the way we were following. With the rain pouring in, it was even getting tougher to drive. The situation was getting intense. What if the scooters stops in the middle of nowhere with complete darkness was the question in my mind. I just prayed for the best and kept moving.
Fortunately, we entered Udaipur and took a sigh of relief as we saw some streetlights. Our hotel was just 6-km away now. And then again a passerby asked us to stop and look back at our group mates. This time it was Lara whose scooter ran out of petrol before ours could. There was no petrol pump near by. To our amazement we got petrol from a general store. This was the first time I was buying petrol from a shop.
The end
It was sharp 8 pm when we reached the bike renting shop and returned our scooters. Finally, after all the highs and the lows, we reached back Zostel, all drenched, rushing to our respective dorms. Later we met on the rooftop, had our dinner together and laughed about all the incidents of the day. Eventually, a day trip from Kumbhalgarh to Udaipur turned out to be a trip I will never forget in my life.A trip that started with five strangers ended with five friends.