As India slowly works its way out of my system after what has been a hit and miss (not literally) few days with a dodgy tum and general lack of appetite even for gin, I’ve been reflecting on the trip and generally wishing I was still there cycling through tiny villages and across Rajasthan with the wind in my hair and a song in my head.

Discover Adventure pulled out all the stops again to put together a great itinerary, and with excellent leadership and medical care (and slightly dubious karaoke from Markharaja) the DA team worked hard to ensure that the trip was a success – even if things had to be open to change and required flexibility and patience from the group; as this was the first time this trip had been run.  At least we can say with certainty that this group is the best Rajasthan cycle group DA has ever had.

It’s easy to use words like ‘fabulous’ and ‘brilliant’ (or my personal fave – ‘amazing’) when something was just plain alright.  However this trip really was brilliantly fabulous with amazing moments that will stay with me forever.  I’ve totted up some of these moments into the quick stats list below:

Days spent cycling – 5

Kilometres between Jaipur and Agra – 455

Hours spent on the bus – too many

Spoonfuls of Dal eaten – 28

Hairs found in food – 3

Beers drunk – 25

Gin measures consumed – 8

Number of hotels serving gin – 2

Kilos of peanut brittle eaten – 5

Number of Ciprofloxacin taken – 6

Amount of hand sanitizer used – 200ml

Packets of posh toffees eaten – 1

Number of mosquitoes killed on the bus – 137

Rupees spent on pimping bikes – 300

Rats spotted in hotels – 1

Tigers seen on safari – 1

Owls seen on safari – 0

Punctures received – 1

Punctures repaired by me – 0

Pink temples photographed – 37

Photographs taken – 835

Packets of tissues used – 5

Average daily al fresco pee stops – 4

Camel toes spotted – 33

Money raised for Breast Cancer Campaign – £1000

Pairs of unnecessary harem pants bought – 1

Weight lost – 5lb

Tomato ketchup sandwiches eaten – 1

Number of high-fives given by Jackie – 57

Former Maharaja’s Palaces slept in – 3

Conversations held about poo – 48

Friends made – 22