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The full moon rises over Pushkar as we settle into our Mughal tents. An electrified kerosene-style lamp gives a cozy glow to the tent interior while we wash up and prepare for dinner. The distant din of music and voices from the Camel Fair fades in and out across the dunes.
The evening's entertainment, illuminated by a bonfire on the dune, includes a dancer balancing a stack of bowls on her head while dancing with a drinking glass under each foot.
Next morning, we hit the streets of Pushkar where you can buy anything from a sari to a sword. The atmosphere is festive and the energy level high. I note a sobering sign: "Notice to Foreign Tourists: Drugs, Alcohol, and Non-Vegetarian Food Strictly Prohibited". Hoping I don't have a forgotten beef-jerky somewhere in my satchel, I stroll the bazaars in quest of a fashionable turban, preferably "pre-rolled". Unfortunately, none of the ready-rolled models seem to fit. I really don't want to come home with 10 meters of turban material and wonder how to wrap it around my bare head. Maybe next time.
The only Brahma temple in India is located in Pushkar, hosting a steady stream of tourists and worshippers. Some of our group participates in a "puja" at the sacred lake here in Pushkar, to which Hindus come on pilgrimage for ritual bathing. Legend has it that the lakes around Pushkar were created when Brahma, Creator of the Universe, dropped a lotus, and where it fell and touched the earth, the 3 lakes sprang forth. Bathing on the full moon (Purnima) during Kartik confers special blessings.
Food and entertainment are in no short supply. I'm disappointed to have missed the old wooden Ferris wheel which was replaced by the newer, high-RPM model.
There are clearly many poor in India, but wherever you go, the bazaars of the cities and the stalls of the villages seem to be heaped with food, more than anyone could possibly eat. I guess that proves there's food to eat if there's a rupee to buy it.
During the festival, camel traders converge on Pushkar, and this is the place to show, buy, sell, or trade a camel. The camels in India are one-humped Dromedaries. The 2 humps of the Bactrian have been selectively bred out. These animals can live on scrub brush and go a month without a drink of water. They're a little temperamental, but very practical.
Sugar cane, left, and on the right: That mound of flattened patties is
dried dung, which is used as a cheap, general purpose fuel. Dung dries
faster than wood grows on a tree.
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