Photo diary: Glimpses of Chittorgarh and Udaipur

During the second half of our two-week motorcycle tour through east and south Rajasthan, we explored the massive Chittorgarh Fort and the romantic ‘Lake City’ of Udaipur. Here are a few glimpses of what we saw.

Also read: Rajasthan on two wheels: Glimpses of Jaipur, Ranthambhore and Bundi

Echoes of Rajput valour in Chittorgarh

Over 4 kilometers long and looming over the surrounding countryside, we could see why centuries of Rajput kings chose Chittorgarh as their centre of power in Mewar.

Fort gate - Chittorgarh — Heading through one of the gates along the fort road that winds up the hill

Homestay sit-out - Chittorgarh — Our charming heritage homestay, the only one in the entire fort!

Parked bike - Chittorgarh — My bike taking a well-deserved rest in the narrow lane outside our homestay

Temple at sunset - Chittorgarh — Of sunsets, views and temples

Jumping langur - Chittorgarh — A young langur in a playful mood lands after a vertical high jump!

Kirti Stambh monument - Chittorgarh — The intricately decorated Kirti Stambh

Fort archway - Chittorgarh — The archway leading to Suraj Pol, the former main entrance to the fort

Pavilion - Chittorgarh — A little pavilion and a mango tree offer shade from the midday sun

Old mansion - Chittorgarh — The crumbling Fatta Haveli sees almost no tourists – perfect for us!

View of Vijay Stambh - Chittorgarh — A view of the Vijay Stambh tower through a broken window of the Fatta Haveli

Samidheshwar temple - Chittorgarh — The Samidheshwar temple, framed by one of its massive entrance arches

Ratan singh palace — The Ratan Singh palace glows softly in the setting sun

Also read: 12 places with heritage sites that left us spellbound

Art of every kind in Udaipur

Udaipur, with its evocative old-city streets, romantic palaces and enduring love for art was the perfect place to end our road trip by kicking back and soaking up the atmosphere.

Painted archway - Udaipur — Greeted by horses and elephants as we ride into the courtyard of our homestay

Blue door — What stories does this blue door protect?

Graffiti - Udaipur — Whether traditional or modern, street art is everywhere

Archway - Udaipur — Hushed conversations in shaded courtyards

Blocks of raw sugar - Udaipur — Huge blocks of raw sugar (jaggery/gur) glisten in the afternoon sun

City Palace - Udaipur — The City Palace and Hanuman Ghat, as evening descends

Illuminated bridge - Udaipur — The Chand Pol Puliya pedestrian bridge lends atmosphere to Lake Pichola

public library - Udaipur — The public library in Gulab Bagh – an erstwhile palace, maybe?

Sajjangarh Palace - Udaipur — The hilltop Sajjangarh Palace, as seen from the Fateh Garh hotel

Egyptian vulture - Udaipur — An increasingly-rare Egyptian vulture circles our hill

Thali - Udaipur — Poolside thali at Fateh Garh hotel – a meal with a view!

Chittorgarh and Udaipur each have their own very distinctive feel. While one is a remnant of a glorious past, the other is a living combination of past and present. And both have their own wonders to behold.

Also read: 16 tips for planning that awesome motorcycle tour

Travel accessories

Resources

I’m a fan of Lonely Planet travel guides, and I found some very useful information in my Lonely Planet Rajasthan, Delhi & Agra guidebook.

Photography equipment

I took most of these photographs with my trusty Canon EOS 200D DSLR camera, using my new Tamron 18-400mm zoom lens (read my review). One or two were taken with my brilliant old Samsung Galaxy S5 phone. I took the footage for the video (and some photographs) with my GoPro Hero5 action camera. I used my Moza AirCross camera stabilizer (read my review) to keep it steady when I wasn’t on the bike.

*Tamron 18-400mm lens for Canon* cameras**	*Tamron 18-400mm lens for Nikon* cameras**
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In case you’re wondering how I took the videos while on the road… First, I tried strapping my GoPro Hero5 onto my helmet’s face guard with a few of these useful extra-long Velcro-type straps, but that threw my helmet’s balance off. So I alternated between strapping it onto my chest with an elastic chest harness, and mounting it on my bike’s crash guard with a handlebar mount. I used a protective case too, and strapped it in place, just in case. It doesn’t last too long on a single charge, so I had to take along an extra battery and an external charger. I used these high-performance microSDXC memory cards for the hours of footage (Tip: You can use them for your phone too, and they come with an adapter to fit DSLRs and card readers).

Safety gear

This is all the riding gear I was using during our motorcycle tour.

Helmet: MT Mugello
Jacket: Joe Rocket Alter Ego

Gloves: Cramster Raven
Elbow guards: Cramster REDSETGO
Knee guards: Spartan ASPIDA bionics

Riding boots: Exustar SBT130