Pushkar, Rajastan

Friday 29th May

Pushkar: A small town (15,000) full of charm and colourful (& cheap) clothes, and jewellery shops a plenty. (Yesss!!!) A pilgrimage destination, with one of the worlds few Brahama temples, and rows of sacred ghats around a lake, amongst which Gandhi's ashes were scattered. Booze amongst other random things like eggs is prohibited but Anna and I had a sneaky beer on our camel trek and night in the desert. Other highlights include having a jewellery making lesson and producing a ring with 'Carla' written in Hindi, sleeping in the sand dunes, donning my bikini in a guest house pool, blissfully wandering about and shopping, and just hanging with a good crowd of people. Oh, and the view from the Savitri temple high on the hill. I loved this place so much.

Accomodation: Pink Floyd guest house. 100 ruppee single room. doubles 200 ruppee. In hindsight: Nearby Naraya Palace has a swimming pool! Hotel Om also looked good and similar prices for both.

Yet another incredible day!! Will this never end?!I I hope not!! The bus ride was, admitedly bloody awful! I hit air every time we went over a bump which was like, er, a lot! Added to that, despite it being SLEEPER bus, at every conceievable stop it was deemed appropriate for the street hawkers selling their Chai (Indian tea) or what not, to come and bellow so loud it would have taken a miracle not to wake up the whole of Rajastan. I think most people, the locals, those in the know, just knew there was sods chance of actually getting sleep on this bus and so took every opportunity to stretch their legs. However me, being a gimp kept optimistically hoping I would eventually drop off. No chance, especially with the loud Hindi music they favoured us with every time the bus took a break. But I'd booked a sleeper damn it and I was determined to spend some time in the land of nod! However, in the back of my mind was Annas exerience of Indian men on overnight transport and I think I was worried about being groped so that probably didnt help. However I had no problems in that department thank goodness.

Once in Ajmer, we then had to trek for over a kilometre with our heavy bags at about 5.30 am as the bus didnt stop at the, yeah bus stop...! Probably another way of giving the rickshaw drivers more dosh. Personally I would have got a rickshaw but Ducky and Alaina are on even tighter budgets than me! Once there, we got a bus to Pushkar for 9 ruppees, and arrived in Pushkar. I really wanted to stay in a hotel with a pool but the others were set on Pink Floyd and weighing up the options it did have the coolest (temperature wise) rooms and after 3 nights of not good sleep, I decided in the end to join them there. Got a room for 100 ruppee. Everyone crashed out for a few hours in the morning but I didnt sleep as was kept awake by a noisy fan so eventually admitted defeat and changed rooms, slightly upgraded (meaning I now have a window, although still not to the outside!!)

I had already had an early breakfast before my attempted kip, and when I woke up the girls were still sleeping and Josh, a guy we had met on the bus, had gone out so I went up to the roof restaurant and got chatting to a couple of kiwi guys Mat and Hamish I arranged to meet later that evening to walk up the hill to see the sunset.

By the time I finished the girls were awake and I headed out with Alaina to the wonderful shops selling amazing jewellery and clothing. I am gonna spend a relative forture here its just so amazing and gorgeous bright coloured clothes you just wouldnt find in England. Im gonna stock up! Spent a happy few hours, Pushkar is such a cool place! ! also found a jewellery shop with an honest guy I bought a couple of rings off (280 for smaller one, 535 for larger one) and then had a jewellery making lesson where I made myself a ring with my name in Hindi, to commemorate me time in India which is increasingly becoming more and more special to me. South east asia pales in comparison although I obviously had a wonderful time there too but Im glad I did it this way round, its like India is the climax of my travels. I am content in company or by myself and am loving every second. The lesson and silver cost 300 ruppees and Im gonna make my Granma a necklace or something for her birthday present. It was hard work though, I had to draw the hindi letters of my name on silver, and then saw it out which took quite a long time and actually hurt the muscles in my hand and back! Guess just muscle groups I am not used to exerting. He helped me on the harder bits and as I was running out of time before I met my friends, helped me in other parts just to quicken up the process. I have so much respect for jewellery makers, it is so skilled and time consuming. Patience is not one of my strong points, ha ha, but it is a satisfying process. However, I had trouble focusing, I know Im a bit long sighted but it normally doesnt effect me in day to day things. I would like to learn more jewellery making techniques, maybe its something I could do alongside my acting..

Met the guys, Hamish and Matthew and another called Christian, and walked up the hill to the high temple which took about an hour, accompanied by a small kid, to a beautiful sunset which we watched while drinking Chai and listening to chilled out Hindi music. I have a feeling of contentment and happiness here. I wish I was like this all the time and my depressive patches didnt always interfere. I read a book where the guy claimed in his own life a good period is always followed by a low period and vice versa. I think this may well be true. He copes with it by not getting too caught up in the extremes of either. But Im not sure I totally agree. The thing is when I feel low I feel really low and almost feel whats the point in living. But I wouldn't want to go without my highs because I feel on top of the world. Im just gonna make the most of it anyway and hope it lasts til I go home. Im starting to feel Im actually living an alternative reality. Travelling is now my norm, and what a wonderful life! It cant last forever though. I need to earn some dosh too! However I am seriously considering spending my 30th out here but am not gonna stress about it, and am not gonna make any decisions until nearer the time. I wouldn't extend it by too much. Maybe until the end of July which means a 6 month travelling which is a pretty significant length - esp considering it was only meant to be 2 months booked 3 weeks in advance! Then spend August in Ciren and move London in Sept. And throw my Indian party!!! Am already excited!!

Anna and I booked our camel trek and booked tickets to Jaipur - she has decided to skip Jophur which is nice to spend a bit more time with her and travel to the next place together.

Ate in a street stall - veg thali with the guys. Am feeling very tired but didnt sleep last night so no wonder! Will have to get them to turn the TV down it is blaring out and Im right by the common area!

Thanks God for another amazing day. 'His mercies are new every morning, His mercies are new every day.'

Saturday 30th May
Sunday 31st May
Pushkar and camel safari

Well, the electricity cut out as I was trying to get to sleep last night, which added to the baby wailing, dog barking, women schrieking and TV blaring was kinda typical!! My right arm was, I know I know Im a right wimp, actually throbbing in pain from the silver sawing motions of my jewellery making exploits yesterday! It sounds crazy but you kinda use muscles you never knew you had, and the concentration required to not cut off my own thumb or forefinger, made me quite tense..!

Anyway, with Alaina and Anne in tow, I met the guys (Hamish and Matt) early at Naraya Palace and headed out to the Ghats, the idea being before it got too hot and to catch the people washing. Unfortunately many of the ghats were not in action due to the low or non-existant water levels, and it was a shame the lake wasn't in full flow as one could imagine how beautiful it would be, as in Udaipur. There were Indians washing in the Holy water, but photographs were strictly prohibited even though I managed to get a sneaky one from a superior vantage point later. We had some old Indian guy come and rabbit away at us for a while but I can honestly say I didnt understand a word of it! I caught something along the lines of 'your country, my country; which he liked to repeat a lot through his half set of teeth, but that was about it. I declined the rose petals offered a-plenty, but Anne took some and went to sprinkle them on the water while reciting a hindi prayer. Obviously being a Christian stops me following the sort of worshipful actions of HIndus but it does interest me. Apparantly to be blessed by a guru, and to say the names of family relatives you want blessed costs 150 ruppee each. Kind of exploitative if you ask me, as prayers should be free...!

We had a nice lunch at some rooftop cafe 'Sanjays' and then I happily bartered for my silk dress, cotton dress and mental silk ali baba's getting them for 150, 250 and 250 respectively. He wanted 850 originally and his assistant wouldnt go below 800 or so, but having gone to some other shops I knew what clothing went for and bartered hard, the guy said I was 'strong women'!!

I spent a lovely relaxing afternoon at the pool at Narayan Palace which I could have kicked myself for not booking myself into. Its kind of like a holiday resort and so nice to be back in the old bikini espeically in such extreme heat. There was a whole crowd of westerners there and fun to just chat, sunbathe, laze in the hammock and read my book.

Anna and I set off on our safari around 5, ali baba pants and head scarves galore. Yes, we wanted to look the part trekking into the sunset and spending a romantic night under the stars with no less than three males, at least two big and strong enough to lift two fully grown adults at once and our bags! But alas, the muscles were substituted by lanky legs, a distainful face, loooong neck, and, more worryingly, a serious spinal defect we were informed was a 'hump', The fun began straight away, after the obligatroy 'before any fatal injuries or sore bottom' photographs, when we sat astride the camel (bigger than I imagined?!) and in some sort of gangly rocking motion, the creature reluctantly and awkwardly jolted itself upwards one end at a time with me clinging on for dear life. Ok, I know this sounds like an exxageration, but it was scary being forced to such extreme angles in the ascension of one half of the creatures legs, and it wouldnt take an awful lot to have plopped to the ground! On the camel was only slightly reminiscent of any childhood memories I had of getting on the back of a horse. For a start, it was a lot higher. Secondly, my flip flopped feet were stuck at an odd angle into a rope which acted as stirrups. Thirdly - and this was of the utmost concern - I didnt have anything to actually hold on to! Some pathetic excuse of a handle was protruding out of the 'saddle' ha ha in front of me, but it didn't fit one hand on, much less two. But I was on. Feat number one completed. Now to number 2. The otherwise simple act of 'walking' was itself a challenge, namely because my personal walking style involves moving in the forward trajectory greater than the upward one, which on a camel is apparantly in reverse ie I hit air every time the creatire moved forward. and I found I was little more confortable gripping slightly with my heels. The guide had his bit of fun when the camel started trotting (did you know they trotted?!) which at first was met by strong objections from yours truly. He didnt push it. He wanted his tip.

I found the only way to sort of get into the swing of it, excuse the pun, was to join in the groovy hip thrusting action in simulation of the guide leading on the camel in front of me, with Anna on the front. Variations ensued including the camel stumbling (solution: panic and pray) ascending a hill (hold on tighter and pray) or decending (lean back and pray.) I have never put so much faith in an animal before! As we bumped along, I warily eyed the rocks mingled in with the sand and planned my path and James Bond style fall and roll, should the worst happen...

We trekked for about 2 hours, with a stop to buy some beer which would be the first Ive had since Goa. Only two weeks I know, but it seems like a lifetime ;)

When we arrived, it was still light and Anna I an went of a little walk, on our own legs across the dunes. We managed to get, well frankly lost on the way back and got a little worried especially when we saw unfamiliar animal tracks and the sounds of what could realistically be wild dogs (aughh! I havnt had rabies jab!), but with the aid of my trusty torch (thank goodness I remembered to buy new batteries earlier today) we did eventually return to civilisation in the form of a camp fire. We chatted away while the guys prepared food - a welcome sight, as Anna observed as its always the women here who do domestic chores while the men do not a lot! Some gypsy musician came and played a couple of Rajastan songs after which I tried the instrument myself but managed to sqeak rather than play it. Its a single stringed instrument similar to a violin in that the left hand fingers position on the string varies the musical pitch, and the right hand holds and moves the bow across it.

Drama threatened when we noticed the clouds rolling in, and the wind picking up. But (fortunately as we had no cover) it passed, and sprawled out on our makeshift bed, and trying to push aside the fact there were ants crawling around me (rather large ones as it happens) I drifted off into a fairly comfortable sleep. It got cold in the night and we retrieved the cover we had been using as a pillow. We got woken up at 6.30 am which I wasnt happy about! Had a gorgeous and rather large breakfast, before making a much more direct journey back home. So direct and fast (we did a lot of trotting and I almost enjoyed it!) I had to mention to him only 30 minutes had passed and it was supposed to be 1 1/2 - 2 hours of trekking. He huffily turned back into the dunes and we eventually got just over and hour out of him, but it was Ok as much more than that and your bum starts getting too numb anyhow!

We saw the famous Brahma temple, and I got my legs and armpits waxed (I know it doesnt seem newsworthy but it is, it really really is!!!!) and attempted to draw out some money but no notes we dispersed. Most excitingly I got my ring I made 2 days ago re-sized as it was a bit tight (as it was a soft silver he simply banged it a bit with a hammer to stretch it), and my ring I bought in New York mended. I gave him 20 ruppee so am happy.

Time to return to the lovely pool and vegetate for a couple of hours before getting the bus. Ducky and Alaina have decided to do the camel trek tonight after all, with the 2 guys that were gonna do it with us but couldnt get their arses together to book the ticket yesterday! The lure of hammocks! We should be seeing Ducky tomorrow night in Jaipur but it was 'bye to Alaina (kiwi) as after a bit of a rocky start, I did enjoy spending time with her and she was fun to be around so will miss her.

Our bus left nearly an hour late and it was a bit frustrating and very hot but, this is India. On to Jaipur...