Nov, 2019
On a recent business trip to India, we decide to take a trip and check out some parts of India we had not been to, and that looked interesting, as well as attend a Marwari wedding in Rajasthan.
First stop was Pushkar. We took an early morning flight from Mumbai to Jaipur, where we had arranged for a car and driver to pick us up and take us to Pushkar. We landed in Jaipur, and our driver was waiting for us. As we left the airport, I asked the driver to help us get a local SIM card. He informed us that for foreigners to get a SIM card, it would require going to one of few shops that cater to foreigners, and that they would not open till later.
So instead, he suggested that he would take us to a local shop, and get the SIM card using his own ID, for us. We agreed, and he took us to a really small hole in the wall shop, where he purchase for us a SIM card and service for Rs200; which would give us unlimited talk time for 1 month, and 1GB of data daily. This came to a grand total of $3.00 for us, for a whole month of service. And the carrier was Vodafone, a large international carrier. India is good 🙂
We started driving from Jaipur to Pushkar, and I asked the driver to stop in Ajmer, which is on the way, in the Aravalli hills/mountains. Ajmer is famous for Ajmer Sharif Dargah, a shrine of Khwaja Moinuddin Chishti, a Sufi saint. The Mughal king Akbar and his queen used to come here by foot every year on pilgrimage from Agra in observance of a vow after Akbar had prayed here for a son (& eventually, his wife did conceive his son). We had been here several years earlier to visit the Dargah, and I wanted to take some pictures. Unfortunately, they did not allow camera’s inside the Dargah, and I was loathe to leave my camera with someone I did not know. So I took some pictures outside the very busy Dargah
We then drove off to Pushkar, where we were going to be staying for a few days to check out the annual Camel Fair. We wanted to be comfortable here, so we had booked at the Westin hotel, which was a short distance outside the town of Pushkar, on a dirt road. The Westin itself was very nice and well-kept property as expected, and extremely attentive staff that made the stay a most enjoyable one.
Pushkar is famous for the Lord Brahma temple, the only one in India, and has many ghats on Pushkar Lake, where pilgrims bathe to have their sins forgiven. The most famous event in Pushkar is the Pushkar Camel Fair, held once a year in November, where people come from all over India to buy and sell camels.
We were fortunate enough to be in Pushkar as the Camel Fair was starting. Camel fair is a misleading term, as there are many horses are also bought and sold here. The Camel Fair takes place over several days, and terminates with the annual pilgrimage of Hindu’s to Pushkar Lake and the Brahma Temple. We left before the annual pilgrimage started as it was supposed to get very busy.
Below are some images from Pushkar town
The Camel Fair, being over several days means that as camels (& horses) are sold, other camel / horse traders come in sell their animals. So there are always hundreds of animals here, with their owners. So the place is busy, bustling, and active with supporting trade like horse and camel paraphernalia, household good, fresh fruits and vegetables etc being sold, food stalls, entertainment, etc. Below are some scenes from the Fair
The area around the fair was the site of many makeshift shops and stalls selling everything from household good, to camel & horse paraphernalia, fruits, vegetables, footstalls etc; to supply the demand from the many people who come to the Camel Fair
We took a cable car up to the Savitri Temple (Savitri was the wife of Lord Brahma); which was on a hilltop overlooking Pushkar. You can also walk to this using the step pathway, but we took the lazy way up. We had great views from here of Pushkar, before sunset
Dinners were at the Westin; we decided to play it safe, at least in the beginning, by eating at our hotel. We stuck to vegetarian dishes
We then left the Camel Fair as it was coming to an end, and before the pilgrimage started.
Some thoughts on Pushkar, Camel Fair etc:
First, the Westin hotel was very nice, and was not expensive; we paid $80 per night. Breakfast was included and dinner cost us about $25 for two of us. Well worth staying here as the staff go out of their way to make the guests feel good, and the property is excellent, with all the amenities.
The Fair is large and colorful, but when you think of these hundreds of camels and horses having to relieve themselves, you can get an idea. Also, there were no public toilet facilities I could see, and I did see people going off into the bushes to relieve themselves. No sure how hygienic all this is, but it is what it is. Definitely worth seeing this spectacle once. Another bucket list item checked off 🙂
We then drove off to Bikaner, Rajasthan, to attend Ankit & Palak’s wedding.
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Absolutely fascinating
You do a swell job describing and detailing
Thankyou so very much for taking us there
Wow; thanks for the nice feedback; really appreciate that.
Glad you enjoyed it. And you are most welcome 🙂
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Loved every image…Wonderful.
Did Dilshad end up buying the camel..:)
Love, Light & Cheers
Thanks Muslim, for the feedback; glad you enjoyed.
Good thing that Dilshad’s deal for the camel fell through 🙂 🙂
Very nice. Enjoyed it.
Thanks Wajid; so glad you enjoyed it. Thanks for the feedback
Sounds amazing.I need to go to the camel fair next year. I think Dilshad bought that camel-you just dont know.
It looks like a small lake but i guess it is holy as Brahma was born there.
THanks Mahamud, for the feedback. Appreciate that. Definitely worth going there once.
Now I need to figure out what to do with that camel 🙂
Thanks for sharing. Obrigados
Oh I am so envious!
You know how to plan your adventures and provide to your readers a wonderful recap of the trips you make. I was so impressed to read how you find well versed Drivers and even find deals for $3 for a SIM card and Hotels.
Do consider planning a fun trip for some of us ladies which we could handle!
Thank you for sharing this incredible journey with us.. Take care..Zubeda
Keep up this passion
Thanks Zubeda, for the very kind words; it made me so happy to read that you enjoyed the blog.
Really appreciate your feedback
Enjoyed your travel log Ali. Excellent pictures. Who made your web site? Can you share?
Thanks,
Mansoor Ladha
HI Mansoor, Many thanks for the feedback, I appreciate that.
I have PM’d you the info you were looking for.
Lovely – amazing colors of Rajasthan thanks for taking me down memory lane – was in Pushkar in………..in…………… 1978 !!!
cheers
Benita
Thanks Benita;
1978 was a loooong time ago; wonder what it was like back then. I was told that over time, the size of the fair has dwindled down, due to better communications and hence easier trading
Hi Ali and Dilshad – again I enjoyed reading this blog on Pushkar. I see you had lots of fun. Now the word “Pushkar” in Cutchi means “lot of whatever” one is describing. A literal translation could mean – “Push it or whatever”!! Thanks Zahir
HI Zahir, thanks for the feedback. Something I did not mention in this blog is that when the locals at the camel fair were talking to each other, we could understand snippets of their conversation as they were many Kutchi/Gujarati words sprinkled in their conversations. I am therefore not surprised at your explanations; they may well be those meanings in Rajasthani 🙂
Thanks again
Looks like wonderful trip
Sadru Jivraj
Hello Sadru, Thanks for reading my blog; I am glad you enjoyed it.
Thank you once again Karim for your travelog. Hope someday Noor and I make it to a few of these exotic places you and Dilshad have been to.
With Best Wishes, as alway!
Amir
ps: someday hv to tlk with you abt getting good hotel prices, Indian tourist visas (for ex-Pakistani US Citizens), etc.
HI Amir, Noor,
Good to hear from you and thanks for the feedback. Always happy to help out where I can 🙂
Thanks for sharing Ali , Rajasthan is very beautiful state and people are friendly . The fruit that grows under water is called singhara, it is very delicious. Thanks
HI AJ, thanks so much for the feedback on my blog, and for identifying the fruit that grows underwater. I did eat some and it was good.
Thanks again AJ
Very interest,, we always love to read your blog. Very well explained in detail.
HI Farida & Zool, Thanks so much for the nice comments; I appreciate them