It had been strange times and on quite few occasions over the previous couple of years‭, ‬I wasn’t exactly sure if we would ever be riding in India again as a group‭. ‬The last recce ride we did in West Bengal‭, ‬Odisha and the Sundarbans was hard to beat‭. ‬It was tough going at some points‭, ‬but during lockdown‭, ‬when I was forced to be at home‭, ‬I would have given anything to be back there‭. ‬Stuck in the thick of it without knowing what would happen next‭. ‬Tired‭, ‬hungry‭, ‬thirsty‭, ‬hot‭,‬‭ ‬dusty‭, ‬an aching body and mosquitoes getting into places I never thought existed‭... ‬I think all the rides are good‭. ‬However‭, ‬the recce rides are very‭, ‬very special‭. ‬I knew it was time to bring the old crew back together and start planning‭. ‬And so began Hinterland 2‭ ‬–‭ ‬The Recce‭. ‬It was the longest distance yet of any adventure at just under 2,700kms‭. ‬We were pushed hard yet again‭. ‬We started just outside the chaos of Delhi and rode across the vast state of Rajasthan‭. ‬We stopped in the 700‭ ‬year old Neemrana Fort Palace‭ ‬and visited the Rat Temple of Bikaner‭. ‬We spent the night at Rajasthan’s only Hill Station in Mount Abu and then dropped down into Gujarat and spent the day in the Rann of Kutch‭. ‬It’s one of the largest salt deserts in the world at 7,500‭ ‬sq kms‭. ‬On the‭ ‬‘rest’‭ ‬day‭, ‬the lucky ones‭, ‬the ones without heat stroke‭, ‬got to ride out onto the white desert‭... ‬an incredible experience‭. ‬And there‭ ‬was more‭. ‬We headed deep into the vast Gir Forest‭, ‬the home of the Asiatic Lion‭. ‬On the early morning jeep safari‭, ‬some of the‭ ‬group got to capture‭ (‬on camera‭) ‬the incredible sight of a male lion in its natural habitat‭. ‬It walked right past us‭, ‬only one meter away‭. ‬As always‭, ‬we expect the unexpected on our motorcycle adventures‭. ‬I think the ride was brilliant‭, ‬and the truth is‭, ‬I‭ ‬wouldn’t change a thing‭. ‬What an experience‭. Alex Pirie, Nomadic Knights