http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/ Travel adventures in journals and photos from Asia , India , Rajasthan , Pushkar en-us Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:23:54 +0000 Mon, 04 Jan 2010 03:23:54 +0000 The following writing is another extract from some of the work in my book. I thought I'd post it up as it describes one of the notsogood times I had while travelling. I sometimes found it difficult to admit to having bad days and succumbing to loneliness and other difficult emotions but it's part of my travel tapestry and I hope some people who read it might resonate with the feeling behind http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-454644.html Pushkar a small city in western Rajasthan was created when Lord Brahma one of the Hindu gods the creator actually dropped a lotus flower from his hand to the earth and at the spots where three of the petals landed water appeared in the otherwise dry desert area to from three blue lakes according to the Hindu history. On the banks of the largest of these lakes Brahma gathered 900000 celest http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-450088.html Walking in the labyrinth of narrow streets in the quaint old town of Pushkar could in theory be a fascinating experience given the nice old buildings temples shops the friendly and colorfully dressed local people. However there are a few things in the streets that make walking there a bit frustrating and even hazardous. For a start there are the persistent touts really annoying shopkeepers c http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-449863.html When we arrived in Pushkar ten days ago we were disappointed to find that the worldfamous holy lake which has been the centrepiece of the Pushkar Festival for decades maybe centuries maybe millenia was suddenly not there. This was particularly annoying because the lake is lovingly described in the latest Lonely Planet Guide and furthermore we had paid premium rate for a hotel with a lake vie http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-449604.html I had expected to see lots of street processions in Pushkar during the festival but it was a while before I saw the first one. I was alone in the hotel room because Tracey had gone off early in the morning to photograph camels old men in big turbans scowling beggars and suchlike. My laziness was rewarded by the appearance of this procession right outside the hotel which overlooks the main ba http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-449108.html What a horrible horrible night. And after such a good day. Lay down for a bit and tried to fight feeling sick and talk myself out of it but couldnrsquot. It was horrid I HATE being sick. Just wanted rid of the taste and smell. Sarah came back just as I stopped and got me some water and went to get some medicine from Susan. I took that and tried to sleep but felt had to lie on my back and http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-443076.html esfyerdherh http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-441452.html We are now in Rajasthan and we are loving it. This state has such an amazing feeling to it. Our first stop after Mumbai was Udaipur. This city is surrounded by a massive lake with an amazing palace in the middle of the water along with many more on land. This town felt amazingly like we were in the movie Alden. We shopped at all the amazing Middle Eastern shopes and just relaxed by the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-441437.html After our couple of hours in Ajmer we left for Pushkar only 11 klms away on theother side of a small mountain. We were so fascinated by Ajmer that we had already decided to return to spend another morning shopping there. We had prearmed ourselves with our 'Pushkar Passport' a red string tied around our arm which stops hopefully the pressure from religious priests. It worked though not with the http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-430196.html wow what a wonderfull place this is i loved this place this is my sixth day over here but feeling like should stay here only for more i would love to came bacck to this place again again i m staying at the hotel is so good totaly surrounded by the rose gardens dense green area beautifll city very charming place. www.greenparkresort.in www.allhotelsinpushkar.com http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-429677.html After waiting for 2 weeks at the hospital to see what would come of all the political unrest in the Darjeeling district just north of us we finally got word that the roads had reopened. this would mean being able to head north up to the state of Sikkim The director of the hospital insisted that we go in the middle of our stay as not to chance a reclosure... We headed into town to appl http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-428573.html There's another English girl on our bus to Pushkar who I get talking to. I ask how she's finding traveling on her own here and how she's been coping with unwanted male attention. She has more than a couple of tales of harassment her trip sounding more like a test of endurance than anything else. As if to illustrate our point a group of men get on the bus and take the rows behind us eyes on sta http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-420587.html Witajcie Kochani i dzieki za nowe komentarze Poniewaz wiekszosci komentarzy jest w jezyku polskim postanowilam pisac teraz tylko w jezyku ojczystym Moj luby nieco ucierpi ale itak ma informacje z pierwszej reki wiec bedzie okOstanie 4 dni spedzilam W Pushkar uroczym zakatku Rajastanu w swietym miescie.Kiedys jeden z bogow hinduskich wrzucil do jeziora kwiat lotosu i tak powstal http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-416389.html On the road to Pushkar Robbie and I were smiling all the way. Children ran out of their houses to smile at us and it put us both in a well mint mood. We also saw thousands of Muslim pilgrims walking along the road towards Ajmer which is the city on the other side of the mountains to Pushkar in the heat of the midday sun. Our driver explained to us that some people walk two hundred kilometres http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-415737.html Set at outskirt of Holy place Pushkar. The Pushkar Bagh offering a rare opportunity to enjoy rajasthanrsquos culture custom tradition. The resort lies in a large private site overlooking to the Fair mela ground and flanked by open fields and hills. A stay at the Pushkar bagh is the perfect way to appreciate and respect the desert environment. This is the place for anyone who loves nature.T http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-407479.html June 5th We arrived at our hotel which is considered to be the best place in town but that's not saying much... food was horrible and their pool is not a pool but a pigeon fountain totally gross No internet access here and nothing else to do right now but to ride camels here.June 6th We left early to go to the Ghats. Pushkar has 52 Ghats and 500 temples. All devout Hindus try to make at leas http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-406206.html Peace at last After three consecutive stops in three busy and manic cities we were relieved when we arrived in Pushkar. This small Hindu pilgrimage town is a beautiful desert edged place built around a mystical lake. It's full of milky coloured weather touched temples and has a very relaxed vibe and little traffic or crowds. A perfect antedote to the conjestion and mayhem of our previous stops.W http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-394584.html The morning started with an evil wake up hour another crazywindycold tuk tuk ride to the train station and the inevitable late train. Thankfully some chai helped to perk us up unfortunately it didn't last long with one of the most uncomfortable and cold train rides yet. The small mercy was that it only last about 56 hours and then we arrived at the smelliest train station in the world I swe http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-391913.html Leaving PushkarTonight is my last night in Pushkar I am leaving tomorrow after eight days here staying at the wonderful Inn Seventh Heaven. There is a wedding across the street from my hotel which is of course loud. Every night it seems there is a celebration of some kind here. Several nights ago was a big religious celebration devoted to the god Vishnu and we were treated to a noisy and col http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-387097.html Pushkar BluesMarch 28Today is apparently the second day of the Hindu calendar year and I am in Pushkar a very small town ringing a circular sacred lake in central Rajasthan. Pushkar is famous for three things the supposedly only temple dedicated to Brahma in India the annual camel fair held in November and the ldquoviberdquo which attracts hippies and other foreigners to this laidbac http://www.travelblog.org/Asia/India/Rajasthan/Pushkar/blog-385765.html