It was another great day at the fair. I wasn't sure if today would be more of the same, but as soon as I approached the mela I knew today would have a different feel. There are three masses here for the fair--the camels, the tourists and the religious pilgrims. The day I arrived in Pushkar, it was all about the camel trading. Now the trading is dwindling and the feel has shifted toward celebrating Kartik Purnima. The religious pilgrims are reaching the town in droves. During Kartik Purnima, which occurs on November 10, thousands of pilgrims come to Pushkar to bathe in the sacred Pushkar Lake and wash away their sins.
There was a variety of happenings throughout the town.
There was a parade through the fair grounds.
Those marching looked a bit different than those I typically see in the parades in NYC. I'm told this man is dressed as Shiva.
And this boy as Rama.
I was loving this tractor.
As well as this van.
I got into my first fight while traveling...
Trucks were throwing marigolds off of them and a flower fight broke out.
I got involved in a marigold fight with this young boy.
Everyone was enjoying the flowers.
Including this boy
And these gypsie girls who were spinning around in them.
Tight rope walkers performed.
Horses showed off their muscles.
I'm not sure what was going on here.
People were dancing in the stadium. The men danced separately from the women.
The ladies dancing together.
This man was dancing up a storm all over, even after the music stopped.
These girls were excited to ride a camel. You can see my favorite dancing man jamming out in the background.
The locals played the foreigners in a ghota dari match. The men tried to touch the far white line without being tackled by the opposing team. It was kind of like a football match without a football.
I had to make my daily rounds to see the camels and visit my favorite chai shop. This camel won my cutie-of-the-day award. I didn't have the heart to tell her she had some hay hanging from her chin.
This little lady was a close second. She is only a few months old and probably the youngest camel at the fair.
I sampled some camel milk ice cream. It didn't taste any different than ice cream made from cow's milk.
I finally got my first lesson in making roti.
They use this white bag to place the dough inside the hot clay pot.
The roti stick to the sides of the pot.
These metal skewers are used to remove them. They were darn tasty.
I was the only tourist eating here, which usually isn't a good sign for the digestive system. But the food always seems to taste much better at these places.
The other chef in action.
I had enough city action for one morning, so I decided to take a motorbike ride outside of town to Besnat.
The view made it well worth the hike to the top.
On my way back into town, I saw many camels starting their long walk home. It is amazing to hear how far these camels walk. Many camels were pulling people and supplies on wagons.
I made it back to the mela just in time to watch the sunset. The camels leaving town stirred up a lot of sand and dirt. It turned into a hazy mess.
So long, my hairy friends--safe travels.
There was an evening cultural show in the stadium with Indian dancing and
singing. I watch for a bit before I headed out for some dinner. I ate with a photographer and geographer from Kentucky. He is also a part-time professor at the University of KY. He has been traveling in Nepal for 3 months taking pictures for a cultural book. He uses one of those old cameras--the kind where a hood is placed over the head. He only carries 100 negatives for his 4 months of traveling, so each shot is carefully planned and executed.
Tomorrow I leave Pushkar and ride to Delhi for my flight to Bangkok and then to Luang Prabang, Laos.
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Location:Pushkar, India
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