Hotel Embassy Ajmer

... their pizza is not good (William now knows) but all the local stuff is fine, especially the Veggy Sizzlers. Now next door to the restaurant was a big wedding reception in a garden (200+guests) - Liz & Jacqueline take 30 seconds to get us all invited in - fireworks, music & much refusing of food. Everyone seems to think we bring good luck.
An eventual Tuk Tuk back & Tommy & I think everything is fine but we are heavy sleepers. It ...

... digging the lake deeper, I suppose Brahma can only do so much).

With the exception of the Brahma Temple there is very little for foreign tourists to actually see in Pushkar, although this hardly stops them from coming. It is very much a hippie-ish place, full of backpackers, perhaps mostly as a place to relax and take a break from the havok that is the rest of Rajasthan. It is home to quite a few budget guest houses and at least 15-20 backpacker catered restaurants ...

... been given over as an hotel. Liz Hurley celebrated her wedding here, along with another couple of Indian getaways.

Mandore was the capital of Jodhpur previously and still has beautifully laid out gardens and rock terraces thro’out the Mandore Gardens area. There were many Buddhist and Jain stupas, the latter being used as cenotaphs for the many, past Jodhpur rulers. A huge, central and very ornate one belonged to M’a Dhiraj Ajit Singh and I was really ...

... of Hindu Maharajah Jai Singh II, his 2 sons (aged 17 & 20) who died from typhoid or malaria and tiny tombs of 14of the family’s small children. These cenotaphs were splendidly carved thro’out, which was surprising considering the low focus of interest they receive. We stopped by the Water Palace, passing the Nahargarh (Tiger Fort), overlooking the city from its northern ridge. This was the first Indian city I’d seen with hills!! The Water ...

... very lively conversation for a while. The two Stevens had been ambushed by gypsies a few days earlier. They had been swindled and ended up with henna designs on their hands and then having to give the gypsies money for it afterwards (even though they never requested the service). Sandy and her friend left to return to their hotel and me, Yaarit and the boys went for a walk around the lake. The boys walked us back to the temple near our hotel and then we said our good nights and parted ways.

... sets the beat, the tabla player follows the harmonium and sitar. SO, silly me, I bought tabla drums. I ditched a pair of jeans, couple shirts and wool socks and Rachel (thank you!!) is carrying my share of the toilet paper. I strapped my sleeping bag to some open space on the bottom of my pack and put the smaller, half-solid wood drum there. The larger, hollow metal one slides in tightly in the top, and ...

... people. If you are wondering where is the anger in Ajmer..... a cycle rickshaw took us between the holy sites for an agreed price (actually what a tourist would pay for an autorickshaw). We asked him to stop off on the way at the chemists so Joel gave him an extra 5 rupees. He then insisted he wanted another 10 so Joel took back the 5 and a roadside argument ensued. We crossed the ...

... the street venders I become fixated on finding a bar so I can have a quick beer before we head back to Pushkar and my dry evening watching everyone smoke pot. Doctor finally agrees (he doesn't drink so sees no need to stop for a drink here) and we walk into a dimly lit bar with velvet chairs around tables and a small bar area where a few men are standing. It reminds me of something out of the prohibition films ...

Le principal interet de Pushkar est son lac sacré, complètement entouré de ghats (escaliers qui permettent aux pélerins de descendre jusqu'au niveau de l'eau pour la toucher ou s'y plonger). Les indiens viennent à Pushkar pour effectuer des Pujas (prières et offrandes aux dieux) pour obtenir un bon Karma. Mais les prétendus prêtres du coin ne son pas tous dévoués à leur ...

... our driver Kumar put it, you need 3 things for driving in India; the horn, the brakes and lots of good luck! Believe me, everyone beeps and honks all the time, to the point that you actually forget it's happening. I suspect it negates the need for indicators. So, we arrived yesterday and collected our train tickets, then were directed to the India Tourism Office where we met Farooq. As much as I had tried to ...