Pushkar Camel Fair 2009

Saturday morning at 5:13 am we boarded the 2414 in Gurgaon and headed towards Ajmer. It is a city southwest of Delhi that is the closest to the Pushkar Camel Fair. We were pleasantly surprised by the AC First Class accomodations and enjoyed our 2 person private sleeping car on the ride over. It was really fun to watch out the window and see the change in landscape. As we headed farther west it started looking more like a desert with rolling hills. We don't have hills around Delhi as it is flat like South Dakota. We had our first experience with non Western toilets. Thankfully they didn't smell as the pipe goes straight down to the train track. Never have to worry about sewage back up on the train! As you can see in the picture you put your feet on the two stands and then just squat down and hold on to the handle that is always on your right. You hold on with your right hand (eating hand). I was just glad I remembered to throw in some tissues...those were not provided. 12:30 pm we arrived on time in Ajmer on platform # 2 and we headed out to hitch a ride to Pushkar. The minute we stepped out of the train station there were atleast 25 men lined up offering us a ride. One man who spoke very good English said Ambassador Car and Ben jumped on his offer. Ambassador cars are old British looking police cars that all the government officials ride in around Delhi. Usually they have a flag flying on the front from some country and they are carrying someone from the embassy. Sometimes you will see them driving on the highway with an escort car in front and back. It was really neat! We arrived in Pushkar and worked our way to the fair on foot through the numerous streets of shops selling clothes, food, clay pots, swords, and camel gear. We stopped at Pushkar Lake which is one of the holiest places for Hindu's. My guide book states, "Pushkar is considered high up in the hierarch of Hindu places of pilgrimage. It has one of the few temples to Brahma, the creator. This is the occasion for one of the largest cattle and camel markets in Rajasthan, where the abundance of colour, jewellery, turbans and moustaches is unmatched." Insight Guides India Personally I would have to agree with the guide books description as the Pushkar Camel Fair was full of colorful turbans and sari's with all of the locals selling their handmade crafts from the year. Ben and I sat on a camel, watched woman bend steel rods with their breast bone, got our hands painted with henna, and really soaked in the local culture. We wondered around the fair for a good 6 hours and then finally decided we had seen enough. We took a taxi from Pushkar to our resort in the country 9 km. We found the Pushkar Resort to be a true desert oasis with lush green palm trees and plants. It was only the second time since arriving where I didn't feel I was in India necessarily. The first time was the beautiful DLF Country Club. These places are few and far between! I had the feeling like I was back in Phoenix, Arizona. It was a beautiful getaway! We got a full nights rest with no yelping dogs outside our windows and took Sunday morning to have breakfast with some friends from the Norweigan Embassy in Delhi. We each got an hour massage and then headed back to the train station for our adventure home. The taxi driver stopped us at Ajmer Lake and the Soni Temple for a few pictures. We found the train station to be packed full of people the way a person truly pictures an Indian Train Station. As you can see in the pictures there was wall to wall people and we had to push our way through to get on our train. Our train compartment on the way back was not near as cozy as the ride over, but atleast we had our privacy and a lock on the door. Ben really enjoyed wondering up and down the train while I sat in the compartment and worked on reading "Eat, Pray, Love." Arun greeted us on the platform as we arrived back in Gurgaon around 9:15 pm last night. It was a good feeling to be back in a familiar atmostphere, but we really did enjoy having a weekend getaway to a new place. On the ride home last night we saw atleast 6 different wedding groups in the street. Most of them had a generator in front with men carrying lamps that looked like they had been pulled from grandma's living room for the event. There was a marching band playing music, a group of people dancing, and then the family, and then either the groom on a white horse or a carriage with the bride and groom, and then a generator being pulled behind to provide light. It was really neat to see! We then saw several of the reception venues where they were headed as they were all lit up as well. Indian weddings last several days and can have 700 people in attendance. They are really a big deal as the woman is leaving her family and joining her husbands...literally as they usually all live together. We are hoping we have the opportunity to attend a wedding here before we leave. Enjoy the pictures and keep the emails coming. We love to hear from you!