Hotel Teerth Palace Pushkar

... a cloud in the sky. The road we are following is a dry dusty sandy one which is good for toning the old legs, but is starting to get tiring. 10 minutes later we are still walking in the head and wondering where on earth we are going, but eventually we get there. We are staying in one the old palaces which has been renovated, paradise found!!<br><br>Air conditioning and a shower soon put us to rights, some chai and a sit on the balcony soon ...

... the popular neighboring hotel due to it being full.<br><br>The room at that hotel was very nice and the price was acceptable but I told her that I wanted to look at the other hotel before I made a decision. She told me that the guy from the first hotel only sent customers to the Everest because he would get a big fat commission and the rooms were not very nice and were expensive as well ...

... Ein Bild schaffte es sogar auf die zweite Seite der Zeitung Rajasthan Patrika, wie der Kellner beim Frühstück am nächsten Morgen zu präsentieren wusste. Dieser Tage ist Pushkar aber nicht wegen des Grases sondern wegen des Kamelmarkts im Visier des öffentlichen Interesses. Einmal im Jahr (jetzt) findet in Pushkar der weltweit größte (wie zumindest behauptet wurde) Kamelmarkt statt. Also, schnell einen Kamelritt durch die Stadt und über den Markt, sehr beeindruckend.<br>

Ieri siamo arrivati a Pushkar. Il piccolo paesino e' un enorme bazar. I turisti escono dai negozietti della via principale con borse piu' grosse di loro. Ci sono vestiti, bracciali, anelli, borse, incensi. Insomma di tutto. L'atmosfera e' particolarmente rilassata, i baba e i santoni si aggirano per le strade pacifici e gli abitanti trattano i turisti in modo che stiano il meglio possibile: piu' sei ...

... temple and then beg for the money to support them and their life. If I'm going to donate money in India, it will be to the many impoverished people of this nation that didn't have the luxury of being born into a lazy I mean high social class. Keep in mind this is my interpretation of the social class and is strongly based off of my experience and observations in India, And a bit out of anger for the situation!! <br> <br> Soon it's off to the Taj Mahal!!

... and a red and yellow thread braclet; the so-called 'Pushkar passport'. Supposedly if people see it on you, they know you have already given you money and don't try to hit you up for more. So in effect it's a passport to a hassle free existance. Ha. I'm not sure if it works, but I intend on keeping in on until I leave this country. Anyway the way I see it, if karma does exist and he was a chancer, the universe will it sort out. If there is no karma and he was just a chancer, it ...

... to inquire about a body massage. Sandy had done an ayurvedic massage and said it was quite fabulous. They told us it was RS$600 (too expensive) and we asked how much the rooms were. They said RS$1000 (also too expensive) but then asked us how much our budget was. We said we were paying RS$150 for our room at the moment. They said they had a room for RS$200. We went to look at it. It was a pretty decent room...albeit hard to get to. We had to walk up a flight of stairs and then go ...

... travellers. Anyway, we have decided to limit our bus travels unless absolutely neccessary (although we still have the return leg this afternoon....) Pushkar has been a great place to spend 4 days. There is one main street filled with shops of all kinds, and far cheaper than Delhi and Jaipur. It wraps around a lake where Hindu pilgrims ...

... after five minutes and begins preparing a string necklace for each of us which holds some sort of seed or fruit pit that has been dipped in the ghee that fuels the eternal flame in the Ganesh temple. This seed must sit in exactly the right spot on your chest to line up with the heart chakra, apparently good for your health. After we have finished in the temple we retire to his little room were he teaches us another mantra and even ...

... the hindu wedding like a feast, a procession, vows with priests, gods and goddesses, present giving, the couple being tied together, a fire ceremony and a breakfast. We witnessed lots of wedding preparations like singing and henna painting for the ladies, stringing garlands of flowers and then bands in the streets, loud, marching brass bands every night who walk through town escorting the bride and women. Next the turban wearing groom appears on decorated horse back with ...