We had stayed in Jaipur longer than expected and finally it was time to move on. We booked a train to Pushkar.
The train does not go to Pushkar but stops in Ajmer. From there it is a short 1/2 hour taxi ride through a winding canyon. Pushkar is one of the oldest cities of India. The date of its actual founding is not known, but legend associates Lord Brahma with its creation and is even mentioned in The Mahabharata. It's biggest attraction is the Brahma temple, of which there are very few in the world and therefore a Hindu pilgrimage must. There is a huge bathing ghat in the where one can also do a flower ceremony, promising to obey the precepts of pure living, tossing the flower petals into the ghat, receiving the red smear on the forehead, a red string on your wrist (so you don't get harassed by yet another sadu), and a small contribution for his services – of course.
Pushkar is puja central. The drums and horns seem to go on all hours of the day and well into the night. When it finally settles down enough for one to get some sleep, the Muslim morning call to prayer starts at 4:00 AM. We were even fortunate enough to have a wedding celebration go on just down the street from us one evening! Even ear plugs could not block out the racket.
While waiting his turn outside an ATM, Ed got attacked by a cow. The cow rammed him hard enough to knock him down. There was always several cows that seemed to hang out on that particular corner. Maybe Ed inadvertently got mixed up in the ATM / cow turf wars.....
For the most part, Pushkar was a laid back town. We spent most of the days just chilling out and touring the markets, of which there were many. Ed also found a nice little barber shop where he could get an old fashioned shave with a straight razor. For a dollar (with tip) he felt it just wasn't worth the effort of shaving himself.
After 3 days we said goodbye to the White House Guest House and caught our train to Jodhpur.
Places to stay: Hotel White House
