The Permanent Tourist

A cruise through Ajmer and over Snake Mountain brought us to Pushkar, India. Situated on Pushkar Lake, and very aptly named, the city is considered one of the five holiest pilgrimage sites. Pushkar is home to the world’s only temple dedicated to the Hindu God of creation, Brahma. Given that the city is holy, expect strict prohibition and a vegetarian diet. There was no meat to be had in any of the dishes. The carnivore in me was quite displeased, especially with so many delicious cows wandering around. We were afforded a couple un-rushed days in the spiritual municipality.

Yet another example of why I am glad that I can, and will, no longer join on discount tours for younger folks. Hotel New Park left a lot to be desired – the bathroom reeked of black mold, the mattresses rivaled a rock for comfort level, music blaring in the area was earsplitting at night, and there were no restaurants nearby for meals. The motel was far from town, and the journey there was punctuated by the unsavory characters we had to pass en route. The one saving grace was a pool on site, so I managed a pool day alone reading. Alone-ish… I was joined by a German Shepherd and one ogling man poolside. Some of my favorite pool rules (which were also subject to change anytime without notice):

• Swimwear is a must swimming activity
• Children below 14 years must be accompanied by an adult in swimwear
• People with long hair must wear a swimming cap
• For hygiene reasons all person are requested to take a shower before using pool facility

A short tuk tuk ride and then a hike took us to Savitri Temple at sunrise. Thankfully, there is one way up and one way down, so I was able to keep a quick pace up the trail. The trek started relatively flat until the 930 stairs steepened the climb dramatically.

A tiny cafe/convenience store was perched up on the top awaiting us early risers. It also served as a respite from the chilly wind whipping around the peak. Oh, and also a reprieve from the damned monkeys. Those little assholes came in packs. Once again, the monkeys congregated on a hill behind us. Then began their screeching attack chant. I was not forced to chase them with a chair this time – the cafe owners were prepared and let their dogs loose on the evil creatures. The monkeys were not afraid of people, but they certainly fled from the dogs.

Please meet Lion, the adorable puppy that lives on top of the mountain. Had the owner said no, I absolutely would have larcened this pup, especially since that’s a well known theme I have on my travels (accidentally thieving dogs).

We patiently waited for the sun to break the top of the Thar Desert Mountains, and we were blessed with a clear day. Clear-ish, really. Except out in the middle of nowhere, there is a general haze blanketing India. As per usual, we warmed our hands and stomachs with masala tea that they cafe owners kindly allowed us to refill free of charge. I really wanted to make off with their adorable puppy that loved pouncing on our feet. He was the least scary Lion I have ever encountered. Not the most accurate name for such a tiny, sweet puppy.

Julia and I spent the first day wandering through the narrow streets, in and out of bazaars. As with most of the Indian cities, the alleyways were lined with shops. This was our pre-shopping shopping trip – we scoped out the various store fronts. On the second day, Julia and I made multiple bartered purchases from many boutiques. We attempted to haggle with one particular shop keeper, but he was having none of it. We left at one point, enjoyed a coffee and pastry at a French bakery, hoping that our quick departure would spur him into a change of heart. Alas, it did not. Upon our return, he insisted on his original price. Being the gullible westerners that we were, we still paid because we fancied the attire he was peddling.

Also, expect to share the boulevards with the cows, who will join you on your shopping excursions.

Dinner was courtesy of Sunset Cafe on our first night, and as one might imagine, it provided a glorious view over the lake and sunset. Julia and I shared a few curries and flat breads – paneer an aloo gobi with butter roti and plain naan. The lake was a popular evening location for everyone in town. Stairs leading down to the water were crowded with people enjoying the view.

Cuisine in Pushkar came from a wide array of cultures. Indian (obviously), Israeli, French pastries, and Mexican to name a few. As long as you didn’t ask for meat in your meal, you could eat all varieties of fare. Beware of purchasing “fresh” fruits and veggies from the street venders. Flies had even burrowed into some of the produce. Beware of phallic looking fare.

My roommate during these fifteen days had… idiosyncrasies. She came with more baggage than I would have packed on a three month vacation. On top of her huge roller suitcase, she had three additional duffels, one of which had ripped and was rendered unusable. While in Pushkar, she bought yet another duffel with the express purpose of combining the other three within it. I watched on in stunned disbelief as she repacked and decided to keep the useless, torn bag “just in case.” I stared at her purely out of morbid curiosity, as she attempted to force the ripped, larger sack inside the smaller, new duffel bag. The square peg, round hole conundrum had apparently not been a part of her childhood, and common sense did not prevail. After several tries at fitting the larger bag inside the smaller, she eventually ripped the zipper on the new pack as the physics failed. Panic ensued until I fixed the zipper for her once my bewilderment passed. This was the same person that asked our Indian cook, who had literally just commented that she was born in Pushkar, if that also meant she was originally from Pushkar.

Onward to Udaipur and Ahmedabad packed in an SUV. My small frame was everyone else’s first line of defense between us and the bus driver behind us. He trailed far too close for comfort, almost rear ended our vehicle on more than one occasion, and I could see the spittle flying from his mouth as he shouted at our driver in a homicidal rage. He laid on his horn continually until he narrowly passed us in oncoming traffic. How there are not more fatal crashes in India is beyond me.

March 2024