A week in Pushkar

26Feb-3Mar 2011

I board a govt. bus from Jodhpur to Ajmer at 10 in the morning. There is ample state transportation in Rajasthan so there is no need to book through travel agencies. One can get a ticket even after boarding the bus.

Avoid travel agents for booking bus tickets and paying unnecessary commission.

As the bus wheels towards Ajmer, there is total change in scenery. There are beautiful lakes surrounded by small hills and green farmlands. I wonder if it’s the same state, which has the Great Thar desert. Diversity in India never fails to astonish me. With every state there is a change in geography, culture, language and traditions. There has to be something greater at work to keep all this together!

I reach Ajmer at 3pm and take a bus to Pushkar (buses b/w Ajmer and Pushkar are every 15 minutes; ticket Rs 7 to 10). Ajmer and Pushkar are divided by Naag (snake) mountain.

There are no autos in Pushkar only man pulled rikshaws. But I prefer to walk in this tiny town with interesting stalls on the streets bursting with color and life. As I ask for directions for Lake View (Lonely Planet) I feel welcomed in the city. With directions everybody tells me, “Welcome to Pushkar.”

The Post card women

In India people have this amazing ability of talking to strangers, in a minute’s conversation you can everything about a person. The number of children, school they go to, tensions in the family, financial problems and how much spirituality they have attained so far. And they would want to know the same from you. To avoid answering unwanted questions I avoid even polite namastes.

World-famous Poha stall

Lake View is perched on the holy lake and has no room available in my budget. When I started my back-pack I was under impression that 800 to 1500 is a good budget for a single traveler. But as I met more travelers in my journey I learnt…

1. As there is no concept of traveling alone in India or back-pack for months at stretch. We take leisure holidays with family or friends. We always have big budgets, at least bigger than the back packers.

2. You can get a decent room for 100 to 500 almost anywhere in India. For bigger cities you can couch-surf. Websites to refer for cheap accommodations-

- www.hostelworld.com

- www.tripadvisor.com

- www.couchsurfing.com

3. If traveling alone, try not to get unnecessarily friendly with anybody (esp. Indians). Solo Indian female traveler is always suspected!! They identify foreigners’ back-packers, they identify Indian families or couples but they don’t identify solo Indian female traveler.

4. I was asked by almost everybody, whether I don’t have family or friends or I am a loony. Some of them were genuinely concerned!

5. Talk to fellow travelers and give-take recommendations for hotels, food etc. They are always best trusted more than any website or a book.

6. The complexity here is, you got to find a perfect balance of skepticism and friendliness. Be careful but not scared. Drop your skepticism and don’t be scared of warm smiles….open yourself. Goodness around will surprise you!

The Holy Lake

Lake View manager offers me to show their other guest house 5 minutes walk from the main bazaar, Raghav Resort. The room is spacious but without much character, I take it anyways for 300 per night.

There is still time for sunset so I head towards the Sunset café and order myself a big dinner and chai of course. I am here to see the much talked about sunset celebration of Pushkar. Sunset café is located on the west of Pushkar Lake and offers a spectacular sunset view. Lots of people gather to celebrate the sunset here with drums and other local instruments. The ambiance is overwhelming. Sunset café becomes my every-evening hang.

Celebrating Sun-Set

The Holy Lake

Sun-Set Cafe

Next morning I meet 2 cool Croatian guys in my guest house and I tag along with them to Original Sai Baba for breakfast. There I bump into my friend Amitai from Israel (we were in the same hostel in Jaisalmer), he has this perfect knack of getting the cheapest rooms. While he is talking to the OSB’s manager, he is offered a room for Rs100 with an attached toilet. I almost scream with surprise, “I want to see that too!” I was shown a room for Rs150 a day with a store room and a common kitchen! I instantly go back to check out from Raghav and move in OSB. (During Pushak festival season the same room will cost ten times more!)

My room at OSB

Pushakr is a touristy town but there is some magic in the city I can’t put my finger on. The streets are cheerful and peppy. There are people sitting in groups playing chess, eating flafel, having chai. Accommodation is cheap, you can buy fresh veggies from the market and cook, you can learn various arts like, dance, music, singing, jewelry making, painting etc. I extend my 2 days stay to 6 days. And I decide to come here again to stay for 2-3 months :)

I miss the friends I made in Jaisalmer. But back-pack is all about discovering happiness with your own self and I am delighted at the idea of being able to stay happy without the “other”. This realization is one of the best things that happened to me in my trip alone.

Pushkar has many good places to go trekking and hiking. There are many temples balanced on small hills that can be trekked in 45mins to 1 hour. At the Sunset café I meet 2 Austrian girls and we plan a trek to Savitri temple the next morning. Another group from Austria tags along.

Trek to Savitri temple

The best time to be in Savitri temple is before sun-rise. You can witness the most spectacular view of rising sun from beyond the mountain ranges in the distance. But if you are not one of the painstaking, early morning risers, anytime in the day offers you a beautiful view of the small white town, surrounding the holy lake, flanked by green hills.

On the top

On the hill-top there is beautiful fusion music played and you can sip a large cup of tea on the most comfortable Indian chairs (mudhas).

I walk, trek, workout, cook, play chess on the street, make friends, eat awesome falafels… It’s the kind of life I always wanted. I would never want to leave….

I beat them all!

Falafel shop

Nandu

At the sunset café I meet Nandu, a Brazilian hippie with the most amazing dreadlocks ever!! No prizes for guessing I get 2 dreadlocks on me. I am a stamped vagabond now!

We eat great buffet at Shiva café (near Sun Set). 60 bucks for a meal of life time with exhaustive menu! Highly recommended!!

Shiva Buffet

I love Pushkar and am already planning my coming back….