Pushkar

There are no buses that go directly from Jaipur to Pushkar. You will have to transfer at a bus station a half hour from Pushkar. Here you will encounter the real worst bus. Here is a picture.


What you can’t see are the flesh-eating gnats that will nibble at your ankles during the bus ride. Bug spray recommended.

When you get off the bus (is this even Pushkar?) you will have no idea where you are. You will wander through Pushkar’s labyrinth alleys asking people “Where’s Pushkar Palace?” This is what Indian people will think when you ask this: “You are rich. How can I separate you from the rupees you must be carrying?”

Pushkar is a holy city. Which means that in order to enjoy its famous “1000 temples, and 52 ghats” you will be constantly removing your shoes. Wear sandals.



At any of Pushkar’s famous ghats (holy steps leading into the lake) you will find men who will give you flowers. If you take them into your hand, he will sit you on a step near the water and make you recite some mumbo jumbo prayer – after which you will throw the flowers into the lake, and receive a “holy” maroon and yellow string bracelet on your wrist and a bindi on your forehead. The whole thing is very half-assed ceremony, and at the end of it, you will be cornered into giving money for charity (which, of course, may or may not be at all legitimate).



As clever as you may consider yourself, you will be tricked into doing this twice.
The 1st time: a guy will come up to you with the flowers and tell you it’s a holy thing. This being your first encounter with Pushkar, you indulge him. But, after being rankled for “charity” you vow not to fall for it again.

The 2nd time is a bit more involved: First, you will go to the famous Brahmin temple (one of the few in the world). When you enter the temple, a guy will give you flowers. He will tell you to leave half of them in the temple, and deposit the rest into the river. (Meanwhile, in the temple, you will be terrified of being stung by one of several thousand bees – that gather around all the flowers that are left there…) At the river, a guy will spot you with half a handful of flowers, looking out of sorts. He will approach you, and tell you (very politely) what to do with the flowers. As he gives you the instructions, you slowly realize what’s happening, as this ritual reveals itself to be exactly the same as the first one – complete with a request for money at the end (and so much more money than the first one…).


[One of only about 5 Brahmin temples in the world, where swarms of bees await you and the flowers you will be carrying.]

On the way back to the hotel that afternoon, you will get caught in a monsoon. The dirt-paved streets will quickly turn into muddy rivers. Of course, having worn sandals that day, you will get a small cut on your foot. Having already had one bad experience with the combination of cut-feet and muddy, feces infused water, you will quickly clean and spray the wound with an antibacterial agent (which just happens to be hand-sanitizer). Get made fun of for this.

It turns out that the “holy” maroon and yellow string bracelets that you will receive during these rituals are actually the “mark of the sucker” – so autorickshaw drivers will know to further over-inflate their prices – as if being white in this country wasn’t bad enough.


Pushkar: bindis washed off per day: 3