Pushkar has been a heavenly retreat, especially after spending two hours in the Jaipur bus station. I will not elaborate. Our very first bus journey in India was a great success, as we were offered scenic views of the Indian countryside.
How do I describe our arrival to Pushkar? Imagine a crowded roulette table with dozens of people yelling in your face, advising you where to place your bets. Now, imagine three tired, sweaty, sassy girls stepping off of a non air-conditioned bus and walking into that mess. Finally, replace the roulette table with brochures and business cards for hotels and hostels, and you have entered our world. "Excuse me madam! You want lakeside hotel?" or "Take my card! Take my card!". At one point, I think Maire was actually lifted off the ground. We ran to an auto rickshaw and pointed to the hostel of our choice on a map, only to be pursued by said businessmen on motor scooters. They followed us all the way into our hostel until we had signed for a room, then they scampered away in defeat. We made the right choice! Our room overlooks the center of Pushkar and sits right on the infamous lake.
The story of Pushkar goes somewhat like this: The great god Brahma descended to earth and supposedly dropped a lotus flower from which Pushkar was formed. Another one of our local friends also told us a story about Brahma fighting a crocodile, which explains why now crocs no longer exist in the lake, but my face was probably stuffed in a chai tea or bowl of rice, so I don't remember the details...sorry folks. Pushkar is a magical little town. We learned from the locals that all the buildings in the city are owned by the local priests, and they let merchants use the storefronts for free. This town loves their tourists and tourists love this town! In fact, so many Israelis vacation here every year that many of the Indians of Pushkar also speak some Hebrew. They say the boys learned the language so they could speak to Israeli women...I don't doubt this speculation. The main bizarre here stretches for almost two miles and is a shopper's dream. Colorful scarves, skirts, shirts, saris, jewelry, bags, art, and textiles stretch as far as the eye can see. In every shop you can see tourists bargaining and joking with the locals and EVERYTHING is dirt cheap. One day, I stopped for a few minutes to watch a woman crouched on the side of the road painting a beautiful scene of Brahma visiting Pushkar on a silk canvas. I meandered over to her cart of finished works and my jaw about fell open when she told me her paintings were $7. (I bought two). Cafes and coffee houses line the narrow roads, beckoning tourists with advertisements for Mexican and Italian food. Rooftop hideaways can be found around every corner and every single person in this town has a smile on his or her face at all times of the day. I think between dawn and midnight every day I answer a greeting with, "namaste!" or "hello!" at least 150 times. Everyone here wants their own special greeting; it's actually very charming if you have the right mindset.
As I sit here on the rooftop of our hostel and write this, I am staring out at a stone white town at the bottom of small mountainous hills, surrounding Brahma's lake. I am watching families and groups of school children visit the great bathing ghaats all around the lake to be washed in the holy water. I can hear music and chants from the temples next door, which beckon pilgrims to pay their respects to Brahma and donate to the town of Pushkar. I smell chai and lassi brewing from the vendors' stalls below. I see tourists and travelers interacting with Indians. Missy and I are debating the hierarchy of animals as we watch pigeons, cows, and goats get overrun by stray dogs claiming ownership of the main square; while monkeys stake their claim in the sky. I got so close to a monkey today that I almost muttered an "Oh hey theres...excuse me" to go around him. I am mesmerized and fascinated by how they prance around this town like they are people. Pushkar is picturesque. The perfect getaway.
How have we spent our time here? Window shopping, getting lost on walks in the countryside, having snacks and chai with the locals and other travelers, spending late evenings on the steps adjacent to the lake, napping, a bit of yoga, and best of all riding around on a motorbike. Oh, and getting coerced by fake priests to give money to their "charities", and in return we had our families and friends blessed with the holy water of the lake. I only wasted $8 on my family, but it's the thought that counts! A definite Pushkar highlight was our 5:30am hike up to the "temple on the hill" just in time to catch the sun rising. We sat for an hour and just took in the sight of the town from a distance, while soothing music blared from the temple, and a school of monkeys danced and played around us. It was one of those moments where you find yourself thinking: "How lucky am I?"
Today, Missy and I hopped on the back of a motorbike and got to see "the real Pushkar". We went to the outskirts of town and drove through a National Park to see hundreds of monkeys, peacocks, and other wildlife. We caught the sunset on the way home on the back of the bike. We stopped for chai with some of the locals in the middle of a monkey retreat. I mean, I am pretty sure we are doing this trip right :)
Pushkar is a gem of a place. A village to get away from it all. And a town...according to our local friends...with "good good karma and balance!"
Tomorrow we are off to Udaipur, one of my most anticipated stops on this journey. Expect big things :)
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