Pushkar

Having spent a few days in Jaipur watching the cricket and generally not doing much I decided it was time to move onto the next place on the tourist trail of Rajastan - Pushkar.

The city has been an important backpacker hangout for many years due to its interesting and densly packed streets and holy lake lying in an oasis in the middle of the desert. The town is surrounded by hills and peaks which seperate the place from the surrounding desert. It's also located in the heart of the state of Rajastan within striking distance of most the other main desert cities.

Unlike Jaipur the central streets of Pushkar remain firmly the domain of the walkers and not tuk-tuk or rickshaw drivers. It's actually very liberating being able to strole down the streets without continually being pestered with 'rickshaw sir, you must have rickshaw' every metre of so. As you strole down avoiding the cow shit and assortment of animals you feel like you are really in the middle of India.

It's also a sacred pilgrimage site for Hindus' who believe one of their Gods resides in the city in (or by) the lake. Visiting the main pilgrimage temple I found myself in a horde of Hindu men and women taking all manner of offerings. Strangly judging by their cloths and appearance they seemed to come from a range of backgrounds, including the lower 'untouchable' class of people. As you climb to the top of the temple you are approached by men offering flowers to give as blessings. Call me a skepitcal person but I have heard stories of these people demanding rather large sums of money when you accept the flowers. So choosing caution I opted to sidestep these guys and visit the temple without blessings.