Lengthy Delays in Pushkar

When you're on the road fellow travelers that have gone the circuit or just know a little bit more than you promise you that you will find a place that will capture your heart and mind. Pushkar didn't make the initial cut for us in the planning stages of the trip, but enough people were puzzled by our inherent lack of interest in it that we agreed upon a short two day detour. Of course that was six days ago and only today have we booked the sleeper bus to Jaiselmar (leaving at 10pm, 11hr trip). Mind you this quiet holy place busy with temples, cows, and a lake that Lonely Planet says "is magnetic" though the pond is lackluster for being the holder of Ghandi's ashes...holy none-the-less...I suppose, doesn't offer much beyond rest and a surprisingly low amount of hassle. Yes, in a country of 1.3 billion people, Pushkar sets itself aside as an oasis of relative quiet. That doesn't stop the impromptu all night prayer sessions or brilliant displays of wedding processions or dogs that cannot stop fighting or coughers that can't stop coughing, but hey it's an oasis of calm.
To be honest Misha and I didn't stay here 6 days because we loved it, though we certainly enjoyed Pushkar. We stayed the fifth day to let Misha's plague die down then we stayed the sixth day to let me enjoy my first bout of food poisoning! That's right I'm now official. I can't tell you what did it for sure but I'd venture to say the kidney beans in that Dal I had the other night did the trick, seeing as they kept visiting me yesterday. TIP: It is recommended to eat at smaller guest houses, because it is common for larger establishments to pre-cook their food in anticipation of larger audiences. Lesson learned? We'll see. Seriously puking is all part of the adventure.
When we first arrived in Pushkar we stayed at the Seventh Sea. It's a little off the main bazaar and nothing special. It was nice but after two days we decided to cut our budget of Rs 150 to Rs 100 a night. The place we ended up was fantastic and by far the greatest guest house I have ever stayed at. The Milk Man.
The story goes that the father of this family run guest house, started off as Pushkar's hardworking milk man. Due to some illness the doctor told him he should no longer put in the time as a milk man. So he opened a guest house with a name not too familiar to the guest house scene but one quite familiar to him.
The place is filled to the brim with colorful walls, lush plant life, and brilliant Pushkarian paintings. The rooftop is grass with hammocks swinging from rafters and beds lying in umbrella'd shadow. Paradise. The restaurant was great. Try the Paneer Pasanda!
Misha told you of the motorcycling.

Illnesses aside, the lengthened stay in Pushkar was nothing regrettable. We are looking forward to greater adventures and are that much more prepared after lengthy rests all around. I bought a custom wool pullover in anticipation for a 3-4 day camel safari out of Jaiselmar where the desert nights guarantee (yes, once again I needed to spell check guarantee) chills. It was 8 dollars...







It's easiest to conclude with sunset.

-sam

ps. everyone gets delayed in Pushkar