Passing through Pushkar

I traveled last night by bus to Pushkar from Ahmedabad, which was a 12 hour overnight journey in a tiny little bunkbed that I fit into like a shoe. I found it mildly spooky to be the only visible foreigner on the bus, only because I also found that everyone I tried to speak with did not speak English. That made me feel a little vulnerable (as well as reminded me of how lazy I am as an English speaker!) That feeling of vulnerability has two sides for me: on one side it causes a little anxiety, having to pay close attention to sounds and body language instead of words (when trying to find the toilet between stops.) On the other side is the feeling of lightness that comes from that, with the only choice being to trust in the people around me. I was happy to arrive in Pushkar after an ok sleep on that bumpy bus with many stops and plenty of extra passengers. I usually have a no-bus policy when there is the option of taking the train, but once again, the train was booked days and days ahead.










Pushkar is another traveler's mecca where people arrive, unpack, and dig in to the mellow lifestyle. It is a hindu pilgrimage center with a local population of 14,000, and it has around 400 temples and several bathing ghats surrounding the small, beautiful lake in the center of the town. There are also lots of monkeys here! It feels much more Indian than Goa does, sharing only the tourist destination aspect- tourist geared shops, restaurants, and guesthouses. In the bazaar there are treasures from all over India, as well as many clothing stalls. "We can sew your designs, good prices!" I came through here to check that out...as well as to chill a little in between the urban madness. Two days here, then to Jaipur.