If I had it to do all over again, I think I would have bypassed Jaipur and spent more time (and money) in Pushkar. I really got the sense of being in Rajasthan here, and though there are many tantalizing shops, I found that the merchants weren't so pushy, they started out at a much lower price and the quality was better. Shopping aside though, I found Pushkar totally enchanting, colorful, and beautiful. This is a holy town and there are many temples along with chanting well into the night, every night. I was here for the first day of the Holi festival which was amazing - the costumed reinactments are deep with meaning but entertaining and uplifting along with the music; flowers and scented water are thrown on everyone - I was covered with yellow and white flower petals; this went on all night and continues for 7 days. I left at 1 a.m. because I had to catch a bus out early that morning - I had a long walk back to my guesthouse down twisting narrow alleys -I was scared because the streets were dark and completely deserted; just me and the cows! I was surprised since there was such a huge, wide-awake crowd at the festival - I guess I expected there to be other people walking home. But apparently the whole town was either in attendance for the duration, or asleep! Holi starts on different dates around India; I'm in Udaipur as I write this and was told that Holi starts here on March 7th - two days from now, so I'm extending my stay to catch it. The bus ride from Pushkar to Udaipur was a bit bumpy but comfortable without much to look at until we crossed the rugged, rocky mountain - absolutely gorgeous.
