Hotel Goyal Inn Pushkar

... it is a flat basin with small trees and scrub clinging to the sides of the steep mountains it looks like the Greek islands or Cyprus, in the middle there is a small lake, but due to the poor monsoons the past 5 years, it has dried up considerably. Around the lake is the small town of Pushkar of which there are 400 temples and any number of shrines, but I have heard people claim over 500 temples. Basically just about every house that isn't ...

... is high, portions large and service outstanding." You can probably guess by now that I mentioned all of that because the reality was pretty much the opposite. I ordered a Canelloni Florentine, which turned out to be a bowl of the ingredients for that dish apparently run through a blender before being served in a bowl. So I ended up with the usual Indian bowl of mush lunch. When you're hungry ...

... an sich ist nur mit Fahrradrikscha (oder zu Fuß) befahrbar, insgesamt ist alles noch ein Stück chaotischer und dreckiger als ohnehin schon in der Stadt üblich, aber das Essen dort in der Futtergasse belohnt's. Diverse Tempel sind auch sehr sehenswert, mach müsste aber wohl mehrere Jahrzehnte studieren um den gesamten Götterkult zu verstehen. Und dann immer diese Namen, die ich mir nicht merken kann. Wie auch immer, für die Hare Krishna bin ich eh zu "passionate ...

... had planned on leaving a donation, but the deceitfulness of putting it into a chant and making me repeat is and promise money really ticked me off. I refused to repeat his chant...and he kept haggling me, and asking me how much I was going to donate. I repeatedly told him I would make a donation, but that I would do so directly to the donation counter and that it was between me and whatever God I believed in to know...he was not happy with my response ...

... a touristy little town, beautifully situated on a lake. Unfortunately for us we are and I quote "like mad dogs going around Rajasthan in the summer" so the lake resembles a puddle with green sludge floating on the surface, the picture postcard view perfected with several lorries and diggers in the dry patches, giving it the look of a flooded quarry. <br><br>Still the town is fairly used to bainnins like ourselves, and this is reflected in the myraid of stalls selling crusty clothes ...

... puch it on me or tell me how I am all wrong for not having a religion and how I will burn in hell for being a Devil child. My mother went through this religious self-discovery period when I was 15-17 years old and did not give me a choice in the matter of going with her to every single meeting, church or excursion. I hated it. I hated it with every fiber of my being. I was being dragged to something I didn't want to do and as a result I developed a huge aversion to religion ...

... standards. We are generally limiting ourselves to one shared large beer a day (!), usually purchased from special small shops selling alcoholic drinks (which close promptly at 20h00). They are often called "English Wine Shop" for some reason. (Around 1 Euro for 660 ml from shop or 2-2.5 Euros per beer in a resto/hotel). As you might gather, food and drink are incredibly cheap if you eat at decent restaurants where the locals do, and still extremely reasonable from most hotels.

... to get out of town and have some freedom of movement. The traffic can be a bit disconcerting at first though - maniac bus drivers on the wrong side of the road and camel led carts. We drive a way out in two different directions but find no temples, just small villages. Later we ride up to the the base of the mountain the Savitri temple is atop. Savitri is Brahma's first wife. There is a great view of the valley and Pushkar lake from the top ...

... of back alleys where cows like to wander and children play. The houses are built around a central courtyard where there are sometimes impromptu jam sessions. The family has three brothers and one daughter living there and each works for the family business. The dogs there have just had four very cute puppies. We became friends with beautiful, intelligent artist Dooga, the daughter who is heartbroken because the parents have set up an arranged marriage for her when ...

... I see.<br><br>Me: You're wearing a hat and it's really quite hot in here. Look, I'm sweating because I'm so hot.<br><br>Old man: Madam, I am not understanding your English, it is very not at all clear!<br><br> I gave a huge uncontrollable belly laugh, harbouring identical sentiments about his own brand of the language and the old man, apparently pleased he'd said something to make me happy, gave a stupendous head waggle and a broad grin as he shook my hand and departed.<br><br>