Pushkar

After expert driving by Mr Singh, of 6 hours we arrived in Pushkar. Pushkar is a small town, a pilgrimage destination for Hindus. It has a sacred lake and the only temple in the world dedicated to the God Brahman. This dominates the culture of the town which is surrounded by mountains, nature and the beginning of the desert.
We walked through the town which is one large market place, sharing the roads with cows, cars, auto rickshaws and motorbikes and did a bit of shopping. We watched them make us the most delicious masala tea, while sitting in a street cafe stall, while enjoying watching the passing traffic, and then went to the lake. We participated in their traditional water ritual to remember ancestors and family which the pilgrims come for which was very interesting. We then visited the temple and then took a cable car to the top of a mountain where there is a temple dedicated to Savitri. And watched a beautiful sunset over the sand dunes before heading to our resort. Our resort, the Greenhouse, has luxury tented chalets that felt like a safari resort in Africa with warm staff and lovely food. Everything was green and spotless, a stark difference to the town.

The next morning we had a quick camel cart ride to the border of the dessert which was quite green following all the rain. We passed many gypsies and food stalls so we’re grateful to have our guide as we would have been hounded!
The area has a natural beauty but is sadly not well maintained by the locals with litter everywhere, erosion and dust. There are efforts from the government to improve hygiene and the litter issue but it will take years.
The geography and the tribal areas are so similar to Africa in many ways we feel quite at home. It is just like driving through parts of rural Africa.
Our guide was a local and his family have a temple so he is very knowledgeable about the Hindu religion. He was quite balanced and gave us many insights including his views on the various religions, the Indian government and many other topical issues. It really is interesting hearing the various views and comparing them to our other guides. There certainly is a wide variation of opinion from South to North.
We are being so well looked after by our tour operator, the guides and our driver, Mr Singh.Read more