Pushkar-ed
My weekend. I don’t even know when to begin. Please note none of the pictures are my own.
The conference went well. Interesting. I learned much about my organization and about how stressed I can get under pressure..even in India. Being on the report writing team was more work then I first thought. Oh well, I must type at least 5 words more per minute now. We left for Pushkar on Saturday at 6 (Pushkar is a town righton the border of the desert of Rajasthan). We were late. Ethel and I actually had to run along side the train and jump up. It was quite exciting. Luckily Jen was already on the train. Another expensive chair car ride. But the fast trains =the rich trains and when you only have 2 days you have to maximize your time. Our train went to Ajmer and then from Ajmer we took a local bus up and down the hills to Pushkar. I forgot how much I love taking the 7 rs. bus rides on the rickety old buses sitting next to old women and hoping that the bus driver can actually somehow turn the enormous clunker past the bus coming from the other way without launching us down the side of the hill.
Pushkar itself, while being absolutely flooded with pilgrims and tourists (another form of pilgrimage I wonder?), still gave off a personality of being laid-back and serene. On our first day in town, after squeezing out of our bus like sardines (not that I’ve ever seen sardines packed in a can, but I believe it’s apophthegmatic) while the bus attempted to take off. I had this little boy in front of me, I thought he was going to be trampled, or ran over. We found a nice hotel with a very relaxed laid back tie-die sarong wearing owner and headed into town for something to eat. Now, Pushkar is attempting to serve all sorts of visitors. There are hippie store upon hippie store selling Bob Marley paintings, hippie clothing (even some retro 1960s), hash pipes (these are also for the Sadhus), bongs, costume jewelry, India t-shirts, rave music, and etc, etc. For the pilgrims and locals: bangles, coloured powder, camel gear (whips, straps, etc.) shoes, etc. There were as many local whole in the wall canteens as there were hippie places (roof top restaurants, garden restaurants with bolsters and etc.) After eating we attempted to head towards the camel fair, not sure how far away it was. (as a side note, Pushkar is home the most famous and fantastically huge camel fair each year. Pushkar is on the base of the Rajasthan desert and as such, historically, was the last stop to pick up a camel. So, naturally a fair started where men could come and look and buy camels. Women were also bought and sold with camels at this time. Eventually, after the influx of hippies in the 70s the fair became much more commercial. However, each year people still come from all around to buy and sell camels) Walking the long way around we came across it – camels and brightly turbaned Rajasthani men as far as the eye can see. Seriously surrounding us for miles until the border of the hills on one side, town on the other and the rolling ever-reaching desert on the other there were camels. I do have to note that donkeys, the most stunning horses and other livestock were also being shown.
We wandered amongst the camels and men for hours. The girls were very keen on having a camel ride and we found a great “champion” camel and a sweet “driver” to take us. I got to steer the camel around the site and, yes, I have to admit, I did ride the camel for a while. But I was only that touristy for the view from the tall camel…yah…that’s it. I really can’t explain how weirdly fantastic the fair was. Close to the mela fair grounds are rides and a schedule of events (including a very strange mutation – a bridal fair where foreigners dress up in traditional Rajasthani wedding gowns) these events diminish the nostalgic and magically quality of the actual fair and obviously cater to the Indian and foreign tourists. But, they’re still fun.
On Monday we went down to the ghats (steps down to the lake).The town is a devotee of Lord Brahma and holds the only Brahma temple in the world (?)(it is believe that he dropped a lotus flower on the ground during the full moon and from them lake grew) and each year during the November full moon the place is at it’s most auspicious. This pilgrimage just happens to coincide with the camel fair (perhaps it was a “kill two birds with one stone” for the camel raising hindus in the past). The ghats are lined with temples of all sorts and the ghats were flooded with brightly dressed pilgrims bathing in the holy water. Although it’s lost much of it’s relevance due to the “tourist trap” I performed a puja for my family tossing flowers, rice, sugar and red powder into the lake. (hope it works guys!)
This email is getting quite lengthy so I’ll end it here. The rest of the weekend was filled with shopping, chatting, eating and just wandering around. The town was awesome and I really hope to get a chance to return. I leave for Bombay on Nov. 26 at 11am for a few days of traveling (by myself – eeek) then my colleague is joining me for the conference until December 3. I’ll stay in Bombay until the 5th since Georgia is volunteering at a film festival from the 2nd through and it is her birthday on the 4th. So wish me luck!!! Unfortunately, as I’ve mentioned before, family, I don’t know how I’ll be able to send Christmas presents home in time for the occasion. I feel so bad and sad that you guys won’t have anything to open from me at Christmas time. But I’ll keep mailing things periodically and, as you know, I’ll be bringing home the balk of presents for when I get home. Think of it….Christmas in July.
Love you guys.
p.s. everyone vote in the “what I should be when I grow up” poll. I can’t make decisions on my own..you know that.
