Over the Hills and Far Away...to India: Relaxation in Pushkar

1/21/09...

As I peer down from my perch at Café Enigma, a charming little rooftop restaurant, I can see a dazzling array of people, culture, history and life. The first stop beyond the hustle and bustle of

Cafe Enigma

chaotic Delhi has brought me to the colorful and serene town of Pushkar in the state of Rajasthan, a tad southwest of Delhi, but worlds away in personality and size. The population of Pushkar is supposedly around 14,000. A mere speck of Delhi, a mile long strip of a busy road, perhaps. However one wishes to classify it, it sure is a welcome change for me. It’s a tourist town, which means lots of travelers, but has, from what I have heard and see, held it’s air of purity. It’s been utter amazement everywhere I look.

It was sure difficult parting with Ryan, a sobbing, blubbering, resistant Ryan just a few days ago. When you spend nearly every minute of a whole month with someone, you can’t help but develop some sort of attachment to a person. And I think it’s safe to say that Ryan was not big on getting on that plane in the least bit. If not for her wonderful family, friends and students back in Colorado, I’m certain I’d have a travelling buddy. But needless to say, our stay in Delhi was magnificent in countless ways. I just hope and pray that we continue to see the subtle improvements in Ryan’s physical abilities as she returns to her everyday life.

After seeing Ryan off at Indira Gandhi International Airport, the shift of comfort and safety nets to fending, survival and exploration had arrived. It was back to the winding, narrow alleyways of the Paharganj backpacker meld for my first nights accommodation. I stayed in the plain, but clean, My Hotel for the going rate of Rs. 300 (~$6) in the “cheapie” tier. For whatever reason, My Hotel was housing a big Korean crowd, with a very nice rooftop restaurant of Indian and Korean food. It was all I needed. The following day was surprisingly very productive, considering my lofty goals of investigating and purchasing immunizations and a train ticket to Pushkar. All was done by 5 in afternoon! I couldn’t believe it! By 6 I was all packed up, feeling safe with new immunizations (Typhoid, Hep A and B) and in possession of a ticket to Ajmer, Rajasthan (where I’d need to hop a half hour bus to Pushkar) for 4 in the morning. No worries…my thinking is I’d be so pumped up about travelling that sleep could wait and I’d just stay up all night. So I had a couple of beers and a good chat with some Indians and Europeans at the Gem Bar, made my way to the Delhi train station around 2 in the morning, and waited…and waited, and waited till 9:30 when the train finally left, 5 and a half hours late! The rail system of India is a whole culture unto itself and would like to write a whole blog in the future after I’m a little more experienced on the subject. But for now, I’ll say that I took the bottom class of a 5 class system of train accommodations which was actually very comfortable, till we came to Jaipur, the capital of Rajhasthan and had to disembark and take another train to Ajmer a few hours later. This train was a bit more crowded…crowded like I’ve never seen so many people crammed in such a small area before. It felt a little like I was on a train of POW’s being shipped off to an imprisonment camp or something. Maybe not that bad, but people just kept coming well after I thought we’d maxed out! It was a relief getting off that train, till I boarded the bus for Pushkar, which may have very well been crammed more than the train. Good thing it was only a half hour.

Pushkar’s been the antidote to any Delhi/city blues that I may have had, which was realized after I got here. Peace and quiet…you forget these things in Delhi and I’m so glad Delhi was my first stop in India. It would have been tough to stomach a month there if it hadn't been. At any rate, Pushkar is home to the only (or one of very few) Brahma temples. In the Hindu religion, Brahma was the creator of the universe and has since been in a state of constant meditation. Most of the temples that I’ve seen or have heard of are dedicated to Shiva (the destroyer) and the elephant-headed Ganesh (the god of good fortune and remover of obstacles).

Brahma Temple

There are a couple of wonderful hill-top temples, Savitri and Pap Mochani, for those so-inclined to hike. Another antidote to the city malaise, the hikes were short, but steep and craggly and invigorating. They also afforded some great

Pushkar from Savitri Temple at Sunset

views down upon Pushkar Lake and the desert beyond, as well as some up-close look at some crazy monkeys…I can’t get enough of the monkeys!

A Tough Life for the Monkeys at Pop Mochani

At the lakefront are 52 bathing ghats where pilgrams throughout India come to frolic in the sacred waters. Unfortunately, the many pesky priests leave a sour taste in your mouth, as they essentially force you to take flowers from them

and subsequently say for prayers for every member of your family, your karma, your self, this, that and the other for each petal and almost
demand lots of money, as a sacrifice, before you toss these petals into the lake. I’ve learned that, to avoid uncomfortable situations like these, you just cannot give anyone off the streets
Puskar from Pop Mochani

the ability to do ANYTHING for you, unless you want to give them money afterwards or otherwise feel extremely guilty about what they think you owe them. They’re good at doing this, but as soon as you have hard feelings about it, all you have to do is think about the plight they’re under and realize

they’re just trying to make a meager living. And there’s just so much need over here!

But after thoroughly enjoying the chilled-out vibe and living for peanuts (Rs. 100 for accommodation and Rs. 30 to 60 for an very tasty meal, ~$2 and 60
A not-so-pesky Priest

cents, respectively) in Pushkar, alas, it is time to leave. I board a bus for the “Venice of the East”, Udaipur, where parts of Bond’s Octopussy where filmed. So I say good-"bye" to the many, and truly sincere, friends that I have made here from The Seventh Sea and Mama Luna Hotels and all over town and head for the desert horizon to Udaipur. More to come when I arrive!