Pushkar - a Holiday from a Holiday!

A trip into the desert, either on foot or by camel, to watch the sunset is a must. The town itself is a great place for people-watching as you sit in one of the many rooftop terrace cafés above the narrow bazaar street. A colourful mix of pilgrims and hippies provide almost constant distraction, as does the noise of temple bells above the strains of contemporary musical entertainment. The bazaar, being one long street, is easy to negotiate and has a broad selection of retail therapy outlets. Around October every year, Pushkar is home to the biggest camel fair in the world. Consequently, the bazaar has a good number of shops selling more unusual authentic tribal items that can be bought for a good price (provided it's not during camel fair time). Pushkar has more than its fair share of cafés providing Western-style food, which can be a treat if you miss parrage and conflaks for breakfast. The nicest thing about Pushkar, however, is the laid-back atmosphere. Everything is done at a leisurely pace, and it’s a great place to take a timeout and relax.

Quick Tips:

There can be a lot of hassle from temple touts. You will suddenly find a flower being thrust into your hand by a pushy young guy in a suit. He will insist that you MUST now make a donation and take puja or you will not be blessed by your stay in Pushkar. If you do give into this veiled threat, you will receive a piece of red string on your wrist known as the Pushkar Passport, which will then give you unrestricted access to the ghats. By chance, we already had string around our wrists from an earlier puja elsewhere and were left alone by the touts. This meant we were free to wander the ghats AND make donations where we pleased rather than on demand. So, to avoid the hassle (but not to dodge making donations), take your own bit of string.

Best Way To Get Around:

Really, there is no need for any form of transport around town, as it's so small and compact that your feet are all you need. It is possible to walk out into the desert, but better if you go by camel or cart.

If we travel by train, our hotels are picked from the Rough Guide and booked in advance. If they're ghastly, then it's our own fault for being lazy and not shopping around. When we travel by car, the hotel arrangements are left to our driver and good friend Negi. Not all hotels provide accommodation for drivers, and as Negi does a lot of driving for us, we think he deserves a comfortable rest in between. This means that if a hotel is ghastly, then we blame Negi. Although he's managed to book us into some pretty peculiar hotels in the past, none of them have been ghastly and some of them have been real gems. The Green Park Resort fits both classifications.

Opened 6 months earlier, this neoclassical, still-incomplete palace of a hotel can be found on the outskirts of Pushkar near the Gurudwara Temple. About half kilometer down a leafy, sandy lane, it stands surrounded by tidy allotments of marigolds and roses in continuous bloom. You really feel as if you're in the heart of the countryside. The hotel itself has a pleasant landscaped front garden, while the grounds at the rear have been partially planted with trees. The owners are planning a swimming pool for the back garden that has great views across the fields towards the Savitri Mandir on the top of a tall hill overlooking the town. One of the eight planned chalets had already been built, and it was the most curious style of Indo-Swiss architecture, but hey, why not? The rooms, all with TV and A/C, were quite luxurious and definitely more up-market than we were used to. The bathrooms were spotless and the fittings unbelievable. Sinks, toilets, tiles, and everything else were obviously all very good quality, but what a bizarre clash of styles and taste. The rooftop restaurant was excellent, and it was a delight to get up and have breakfast while the sun crept over the hills behind.

On either side of the hotel were small farmsteads, and you could sit and watch the people planting, harvesting the flowers, and milking the cows. It was a very tranquil spot. However, the real clincher for this hotel was the service. It was here that two of us went down with what turned out to be dysentery (not caught here). The family that ran the hotel provided a nursing service that was over and above the call of duty. All day they were in and out of the room shared by our sick friends with bottles of water, medicines, bowls of soup, more toilet paper, extra blankets, and heaters at night. They were wonderful. Nothing was too much trouble, and at night, someone sat outside their room in case anything was needed. When we left, it was like leaving good friends behind, and although the decor may not have been to our taste and we don't really care about TVs, we would certainly stay there again when in Pushkar.

Over the years, we've eaten at many of the cafés and restaurants in Pushkar, but Raju Terrace remains the old favourite. The main reason for this is the variety and quality of the food. For one of us in particular, it is the homesick food on the menu that is the big attraction. Most of us are quite happy to venture into the hot and spicy that is the norm in India, but our friend is allergic to many spices, including the ubiquitous chilli. Consequently, she spends weeks living on toast, bananas, and soup because nobody in Indian eating establishments seems to believe that someone really, really does not want spicy food! At the Terrace Garden, however, all tastes are catered to, and while we pig out on the hot and spicy, our friend can indulge in the excellent vegetarian shepherd’s pie or cheesy baked "patatos" at the same time without feeling like a social misfit.

Regardless of whether you're eating Indian, Chinese, or "homesick" foods, the portions are very generous and definitely a good value for the money. The food is always piping hot and freshly cooked. They also do marvelous banana and honey pancakes. The restaurant itself has a lovely ambient atmosphere, and the view across the lake looking towards the steps at the Sunset Cafe is superb, especially at sunset. The roof terrace is partly shaded by traditionally patterned awnings, and there is enough room between the tables for you to have a decent amount of privacy when eating. At night, the lighting is provided by subtle fairy lights and lamps, and the choice of music is discrete and usually contemporary Indian.

Once upon a time, it was Raju himself who went around the tables asking the clientele if everything was okay. Now, however, Raju has turned his attention to politics, and although present on many evenings for a chat, it is Satu who has taken over the duties of host. Raju was a hard act to follow, but Satu is great, not only in the restaurant, but also as a useful and amiable source of information about where to get something or how to get somewhere.

One bonus about this restaurant is the fact that the terrace overlooks the lake on one side and down on the street on the other. The street is fascinating enough at the best of times, but if you're in Pushkar during the wedding season (January to March), then you get a fantastic view of the wedding processions from the roof as they pass down the street. In one night alone, we watched seven weddings pass below the terrace. And I don’t think there can be many places in the world where your meals are "All Cooked With Love!"

Having already bumped over several serious deserts on camels in the past, it had never crossed my mind that a quick trot into the countryside around Pushkar would be anything to write home about. How wrong can you be, eh? There are a number of set-ups in Pushkar offering day or overnight trips into the desert, and their prices and facilities seem to be much the same for your standard trip. Some of the more up-market hotels provide the same trips, but at a higher price, because your camels come complete with haute-couture and a couple of flag bearers to accompany you.

Originally, only two of us were going on the afternoon trip, and we opted for our own camels with attendants. Our two friends (60 and over) insisted that they were too old for gallivanting around the desert on a camel, but then changed their minds when Ladu said he could provide a cart with pillows, cushions, and blankets for the "aunties."

We met mid-afternoon and were led across the arched bridge over the lake to the camel park at the other end. The aunties settled into their cart like a pair of overindulged maharanis. My sister and I mounted our camels with the attendants sitting behind us. We headed southwest around the base of the hill that dominates the Pushkar skyline and is home to the Savitri Mandir temple on its summit. At first, we passed small dwellings and holdings with the usual assortment of kids all shouting hello at us. There was plenty of evidence of a good water supply for irrigation here, and many of the farmsteads had the most amazing fields full of marigolds that are used to make the floral garland offerings at the temples.

As we passed beyond the mountain, we reached the desert and a number of abandoned farm projects where the water supply had run out a few years earlier. Our attendants were quick to point out signs of wildlife, including lizards, a herd of deer, and some beautiful but unknown birds. The desert itself was not spectacular, but it was a great view and a lovely, warm evening, and the attendants were really friendly and chatty.

My camel was well behaved and I got to canter off (without my attendant) like Florence of Arabia. My sister's camel was a slobbering adolescent with willful tendencies that made funny squeaking noises.

Part of the trip led us through some interesting gullies deep in the sand before reaching the Camel Mela ground on the north side of the mountain. What a mess! The whole area was covered in mounds of plastic bottles and other rubbish from the mela. The villagers here spend all year gathering it up to get it clean in time for the following year. By the time the sun sets, though, the reflections from the plastic have faded and the view is stunning. It is a great way to spend an idle afternoon in Pushkar.

On a trip away, there comes a point when I start thinking about gifts to take home. Having once spent an afternoon before a flight home trying to get three large brass waterpots into one medium-sized backpack, I have now learnt to THINK SMALL! For this reason Pushkar, with its easy to negotiate, one street bazaar, is usually where I do my retail therapy. What I like most about this bazaar is that it has more than its fair share of shops selling unusual items. Because the camel fair is held here once a year, Pushkar is the base for many traders specialising in tribal artefacts, embroideries, and all manner of weird and wonderful things for dressing your camels in. The other main factor in the diversity of shops in Pushkar is the presence of a large number of 'New Age' travellers. Consequently, it is possible to buy anything from day-glo miniskirts to those 'must-have' juggling things that you set fire to.

One of the oldest 'camel' shops in Pushkar, owned by Ashok Shivani, can be found on the left-hand side as you walk from the Post Office towards the Vishnu temple. A very small hole-in-wall shop that can be identified by an ornately decorated model camel on the front step. Inside is a glory hole of treasures. Beautiful old cholis (blouses), dowry bags, tobacco pouches and purses all covered in minute hand-embroidery, mirror work, cowrie shells and old coins. The embroidery silks and fabric are all in the beautiful muted shades found when the dyes used are from natural sources rather than the bright chemical dyes used for more contemporary items. All manner of strange pieces of harness and tassles for camel dressing make unusual gifts as to the variety of bells in various shapes and sizes. The proprietor has won many prizes at fairs around the region for his 'best dressed' camels and has a wonderful photo album of his prize animals in their finery. Although there are similar, newer shops in Pushkar, Ashok, is able to provide a knowledgeable explanation of what a particular item is for and where it comes from.

Music CDs and tapes are another good buy in Pushkar. There is a cluster of music shops as you head towards the Vishnu temple, on the right before the lane leading to the Sunset Cafe. In particular the Shree Ganesh Collection is a great wee shop to hang out in listening to music. Jorawar Singh, the owner, lives and breaths music and it is no trouble at all for him to play track after track while you drink chai and make up your mind. If you hear something you like playing in a cafe around town and Jorawar doesn't have it in stock, then he'll have it for you the following day. There is a broad selection of traditional Indian music as well as contempoary and fusion Indian music. Shopping in Pushkar is easy and remarkably hassle free compared to many other places in India.

If you only have a few days in Pushkar, it would be very easy to spend that time just wandering up and down the main street, grazing from cafe to cafe and browsing from shop to shop. It really is worth it, however, making the effort to explore some of the quiet 'country' lanes, particularly around the south side of the town.

We set off down the lane next to the gleaming white marble of the Gurudwara temple opposite the bus stand on the Ajmer Road. This temple has been under construction ever since I first visited Pushkar 5 years ago. The building work tends to be in fits and starts as donations come in, but I was told that they were hoping to have it completed within the year. After a hundred metres or so, down the sandy lane there is a fork in the path. Take the right-hand lane, heading downhill slightly, and you will come to an wonderful tree with a curtain of aerial roots hanging from the branches. Beneath this is a small shrine to Hunuma,n and there were two sadhus sitting in the shade, sharing a smoke, when we passed.

The lane eventually turns to the right and crosses the Lake Bridge. About a hundred metres long, this low bridge is also a relatively new construction and was designed to compliment the style of the bridge at the southern edge of the lake. It was also built to take traffic heading to the southern farmsteads away from the centre of town. In the hour or so that we sat on the bridge, the only traffic was three horses, one camel, and two women who had obviously been shopping for vegetables!

The only time that water passes under this bridge is when the lake overflows, and this is rare even in the monsoon season. On the side of the bridge looking away from the town, the land is a patchwork of fields, the majority of which are full of the flowers used to make garlands for the temples. At the far end of the bridge, you can either walk along the ghats around the lake back to town or, more interestingly, continue up the sandy track behind the ghats. This route leads through an area of 'rural'-type dwellings where women sit outside huts, sifting rice, or file past carrying enormous loads of firewood on their heads. You do not feel as if you are intruding at all - every household greets you with a 'namaste' as you pass. Herds of goats forage at the side of the track, and buffalo look at you quite indignantly for no particular reason.

Eventually, these huts give way to more substantial buildings enclosed by hedges and high walls, in some cases. The trees overhead play host to a huge variety of birdlife, and in the evenings, it can be quite noisy. There is no real worry about getting lost in these back lanes. If you keep bearing right you will end up back in town at the eastern end of the bazaar. If you carry on westwards you will reach the Camal Mela grounds on the edge of the desert. The amount of rubbish here, left over from the mela four months earlier, was astounding. Plastic bottles by the thousand littered the ground as far as the eye could see. However, I was told that the clearing of this rubbish provides work for people who would otherwise have no source of income. Rubbish notwithstanding, there is still a fantastic view of the sunset from this vantage point. It is also possible to tackle the steep climb to the Savitri Mandir on top of the mountain whilst on this circuit. Allow at least an hour to get to the top, and if you're heading off to watch the sunset, then a torch would be a good idea for the trip back.

If you are not heading up the hill, then the circuit takes about 2 hours without any stops, but it is possible to explore the route for a whole afternoon with little detours down tracks and numerous distractions. There are a few chai stalls on the way, but take plenty of water with you, as it can be a bit dry and dusty in places. It is also a very tranquil experience, and from some of the vantage points along the route, it is possible to get a feel for the spiritual side of Pushkar, in contrast to the more commercial hub of the town.