Out of the hassle?

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And so we left behind the comfort of the Hotel Pearl Palace in Jaipur and headed to Pushkar - a small town surrounding a holy lake. No autorickshaws in this place so hopes were high of a peaceful, relaxing time in Pushkar. Well as soon as we got of the bus, those hopes were partially quashed, as a good dozen hotel reps surround you as you try to get your bags of the bus with its exhaust almost in your mouth! now we'd decided on somewhere before we got off the bus and so just strode purposefully away to our hotel.

And so the next day we went into the centre of Pushkar - about 2 mins walk from the outskirts of Pushkar! It really is a small place, and while it is more relaxed there still are a few women on the street who have tried to henna tattoo Amy - you just walk away and don't turn back and head to a rooftop restaurant for a cold drink and a spot of people watching. We also visited a Brahma Temple, and was taken down to Brahma Ghat by the lakeside to give offerings in exchange for the long life and good health of family and friends. Of course some of that offering involved a bit of cash (as does most things in India) but then I guess you're all worth it! Plus the 'holy lake' while tiny (could be described as a pond) is also quite cool, especially sitting above it sipping on a frosty drink out of the sun! There are loads of temples here, with all types of religion, hindu, muslim, sikh, jain, etc etc so some of the temples have a really unique feel, as you'll see from the pictures.

We spent today on a little day trip to a nearby town called Ajmer, the best thing there was this Jain Temple called the Nasiyan Temple. Inside the temple was a Diorama which to describe was basically a dolls house showing what Jain's believe heaven will be like. But it was a lot better than it sounds! It was in a massive room which was lavishly decorated with mirrors, jewels and baubels, and the temples inside the room were are intricately detailed and it was just awesome. I can't really do it justice with a description and the pictures don't really do it either but it was definitely the 2nd best thing we've seen in India so far - after the Taj Mahal of course.

So all in all, Pushkar is a really chilled out place and we've spent a good few days here without really doing anything! It's a lot quieter than the hustle buslte places we've been to so far, which is good. And i'm finally beginning to see why so many people fall in love with India.

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Photos

Pushkar
And the tiny lake!

Holy cows in front of a temple!
There are cows everywhere roaming the streets in this country!

Comments

[Louise]

keep it coming
Hi Sheffa and Amy, I'm really enjoying reading your blog and particularly the pictures. I'm planning a trip this summer so looking for inspiration, keep it coming. Louise

[sheffa]

Hey Louise!
Glad to hear you're enjoying the blogs and pics. Not meaning to sound like i'm an expert having been in India for barely 3 weeks but if you want any pointers, i'd be happy to help! Drop me a message and i'll then be able to email. Anthony