After less than a day in Delhi, we took a night train from Ajmer to go to Pushkar. The train was 1 hour late, and the wait in the train station was tiring. Although the train was a higher-class A/C sleeper, the quality was subpar. There were no cabins, and the beds were separated from the hallway by a curtain. At one point during the night, I woke up to my wife’s asking someone what he is doing, and I saw the guy crouching close to my bed, and then he quickly moved out mumbling something in some language. Not sure if he got there by mistake, or he was trying to steal something.

Anyhow, we arrived at Ajmer early in the morning, and asked around how to get to the bus stop for Pushkar. Coming out of the train station, you are swarmed by tuk-tuk drivers, which is really annoying. We got away from the swarm, and found a tuk-tuk  with the price we where asking, and went to the bus stop. We then took a local bus to Pushkar. Local buses are as basic, uncomfortable and dirty as you can imagine. But they are safe, and always available. 

Arriving in Pushkar, we felt immediately at ease. It’s more relaxed and laid-back than Delhi. I think when visiting India, one should avoid Delhi, and immediately fly out to another city. For the rest of the day, we relaxed a bit, and visited the lake and the mela ground. Pushkar is crazy crowded during the mela time. Hundreds of thousands of people from other cities and villages come in for trading livestock, performing religious activities, shopping, and enjoying entertainments. It is also very popular with tourists, so expect a pretty markup (50-100%) on everything. 

We stayed at the Prem Villas, which was a bit further away from the Pushkar center, with nice rooms in a more quite setting. One of the hotel workers was a nice guy called Babu, who helped us a lot during our stay. I asked him the second day to come and show us around, and he gladly accepted. He was always more than willing to help us, even though his English was very basic. That’s what I love about India: Warm, friendly locals who make friends with you easily, and go out of their way to help you around. 

The mela is like a big country fair with entertainments, shopping, and many camels and horses. We didn’t get to see any of the camel shows, but you see camels decorated with lively colors and fabrics everywhere. Babu took us to a corny magic show, and the foreign bride and groom contest, which was equally corny. But corniness is of essence here! Anyhow, they asked us a few hours before the contest if we want to attend, but we said no. The attendants would be prepared by attending beauticians, with Indian wedding custumes and makeup. I don’t think we had a chance to win, as I look so much like Indians, and I’m sure they prefer a more foreign-looking groom!

I did a bit of portrait photography too. I have a small HP Sprocket printer with me, and I print the photo (taken on iPhone though since it’s easier) and give it to them right away. They love it! Some still ask for money, but I refrain to pay. I don’t like paying for photos. I take their photos, and I give them their photo. I think it’s fair enough. I also found the Bhopa girl I photographed 7 years ago, at the same spot! I told her that I took a photo of her last time, and I took her photo again, and gave her the print. It reminded me of Steve McCurry finding the Afghan girl after so many years. :D

We stayed three days in Pushkar, and then we left for Jodhpur by train via Ajmer. We changed our plans: Initially we wanted to go to Jaipur, Agra, Varanasi, and Delhi afterwards, but since we got overwhelmed by the craziness of Delhi, and we want to avoid the noise, crowds and tourist traps, we decided to skip Delhi and Varanasi, and stay more in Rajasthan, and then go to Delhi. We plan to go to Khuri village afterwards, and spend a few days relaxing there. I went there 7 years ago, and I loved it. Hopefully this time, it’s as serene and as rewarding as the last time. I called Mr. Badal Singh and he said he will have a place for us at his house. Fantastic!

Notes

  • One thing that I love about traveling is meeting other like-minded tourists. They all have fascinating stories to tell, and you find a lot in common with each other.
  • Since we were visiting for two weeks only, I thought it’s a good idea to plan everything well in advance. So I booked all our accommodations and train tickets well in advance. With the change in plan, I had to cancel everything. I could partially reimburse the train tickets, but the hotels were are all non-refundable. Oh well. Lesson learned. Next time in India, I would leave the planning for when we arrive here (Wait, what? There would be a next time? Yes, we will be coming back! I’m already planning that trip in my mind)
  • We got prepaid Airtel sim cards with 1.5 GB of 4G internet per day for 350 rupees ($5). It’s crazy cheap! You need a sim card in India for sure, as it helps you call hotels, use public wifi (though the 4G speed is pretty good), plan on the go, and take Ola. Ola is like Uber, and is very easy to work with. Highly recommend it!
  • Got a haircut for $2! How about that?
  • There is an old tourist trap in Pushkar, where someone approaches you with a flower, and offers it to you, and says it is for the lake. If you make the honest mistake of saying thanks, and accepting it, he then demands money, and he would refuse to accept it back.  It is such an old well-known tourist trap that I haven’t seen anyone falling for it (the trick has been around for at least 10 years, since I read about it before my visit last time!). Yet, every time you visit Lake Pushkar, they do the same trick to you over and over. Not even different versions of it. The same wording, same trick! Honestly, I don’t understand why the cons and touts here are so dumb and unimaginative!
  • I’m taking it a lot slower this time. Last time I came to India, I was on a mission to photograph 1 billion people! I came short by a bit, but I did a ton of photography. This time, I only take a picture if I find a subject very interesting. And I don’t spend hours and hours hunting for photos. Only during the good light hours, and even so, nonchalantly.
  • Everyone thinks I’m Indian, and speaks in Hindi with me at first! I wish I could speak some Hindi, then I would pay local prices here!