Passing My Last Days in Pushkar
Trip Start
Nov 08, 2009
1
17
19
Trip End
Dec 15, 2009
Pushkar, Rajasthan, India
Wednesday, December 9, 2009
Day 14 (Dec 10): Pushkar
~Comfortably sleeping in until 8:30 before arising to pack in anticipation of a day at the market, an afternoon at the pool, an evening dinner at a farmhouse and an overnight train ride back to Delhi
~After a Power Bar and peanut breakfast in my room (food at our hotel costs 4x to 6x what it has elsewhere so far), meeting up with Juran to knock out some end-of-my-trip shopping at the local market, including backing up my pictures (on Krista's memory card) to a DVD
~Spending about 150% more than I budgeted on gifts at the market, as there were so many good bargains (I.e. hand stitched cotton/silk couch pillow cases in multiple colors/patterns were 3 for $2.25 and men's long sleeve cotton shirts were $3)
~Dining on a deliciously fresh "nan wrap" of garlic cheese, grilled vegetables and spices (for less than $1) cooked to order in a large wok market-side
~Winding down the 85 degree afternoon at our hotel relaxing by the pool, writing this journal, watching pidgeons swoop down for drinks and reading with the guys
~Cleaning up, securing all the purchases I made this week in my bags (I'm using 3 instead of 2 now) and heading out of Pushkar (and towards the train station) to a farmhouse for one last Indian meal (and cold beers, which cannot be sold in Pushkar, as it's a Holy Brahmin city-with over 150 temples for that matter!)
~After an hour drive, arriving at the Amjer train station at 8pm and already looking forward to popping some Tylenol PM to ensure a solid night's rest on what had been touted as an adventure: the second class, common-cabin overnight train to Delhi.
~Securing a "third floor" bed in a cabin full of Indians returning from a wedding, climbing into it, popping the Tylenol, pulling the supplied sheet and blanket over my head and calling it a night!
Day 13 (Dec 9): Udaipur to Pushkar via Amjer
~Despite (or possible in light of) nearly knocking myself out coming back from the bathroom in the middle of the night and cracking my head on the 5.5' doorway b/t my bedroom and the bathroom, managing to get some good rest prior to arising at 5am to catch our train due north from Udaipur to Amjer
~Enjoying a breakfast of apple crumble cake purchased from the German bakery in town the night before
~Passing time on the 5 1/2 hour train ride by reading a few more chapters of Nehru's The Discovery of India (a pseudo-political history of the country written by one of its Independence movement leaders in the late 1940s) and listening to a few more of Piper's sermons on the book of Romans
~Taking Indian-made old school looking taxi cabs over the Snake Pass and into the 20K-person village of Pushkar and the Tahr Desert
~Checking into the largest hotel we've been to so far here, Jagat Palace, with well landscaped grounds and a spacious pool, but which is located adjacent to a "Party Hall" where weddings are held and a 15-minute walk from the village center/market area
~Heading east of the hotel via camel (mine was named Mr. Johnson) for a 2-hour ride through surrounding countryside, farm fields and into the Tahr Desert
~Partaking of chai (tea) and biscuits while watching the sun set over the surrounding 3,000 foot red, brown and rocky mountains
~After cleaning the camel smell off of us, walking south of the hotel, through the middle of the wedding (with lots of loud, live music and men/women dressed in colorful garb) and to a neat hotel rooftop restaurant which served up great food, lassi and even a Bollywood/historical Hindi movie called Jodha
Ahkbar on a big TV afterwards
~Walking back through the wedding area and noting the thousands of "used" red firecracker carridges on the ground that we had heard being shot off during dinner
~As the wedding wound down outside near midnight, winding down my night by taking a long, hot shower (with good water pressure) for the first time in weeks, putting in some ear plugs, and pulling up the covers in my bed
