Notes from Bikaner and Pushkar, India

My friend Nobuko, sharing her travel experience through India.

7 July 2012 in Bikaner

The temp is around 44°C  during the day. At night, it is still a sweltering 37°C! But so far I have been managing with just a ceiling fan in my room. An A/C would be comfortable, but I know my body does not take extreme temperature differences well, so I would get sick if I had an air-conditioned room.

I’ve met a nice Danish couple today, and we plan to go on an overnight camel safari into the Thar Desert tomorrow. Wish us luck!  I am going to wrap my face and head like an Arab woman to stay cool and not to lose too much moisture from the heat and dry air.

4 -6 July 2012 in Pushkar – A Mixed Bag of Holy Glory and Sleaze

I have changed hostels, going from the Shree Palace to the Aroma Hotel and it was the right decision. The energy shifted right away and I met some very good people, other tourists and locals alike. By July 4, a nice breeze came into town, which made it much more tolerable to be there.

I had initially gone to the Aroma Hotel to take a yoga class – as advertized throughout the town with flyers. But the teacher, a guy in his early 30s, said it is too hot to do a yoga class. Instead he offered,  “What about a whole body massage instead? Very cheap, I make special offer for you. 200R for one hour, whole body massage!”  The fact that he kept emphasizing “whole body” (perhaps another way of saying “No body parts left behind” = “I will touch you everywhere”?) and not agreeing to do yoga at a cooler time made me say NO. Apparently this is the low season for him,

not only in terms of business, but also in terms of getting carnal pleasure. He should wait until October, then he might get lucky.

I finally made it to the Holy Lake which is surrounded by ghats/temples. It’s not a very welcoming place, but I guess it should be so since this place is a pilgrimage site, not a tourist attraction. Along my around-the-lake walk, I was approached by men who gave me flower petals to the lake to pay my respect. This was actually the notoriously reported Pushkar Passport scheme, where they insist on you to give a hefty donation. I said, “No, thank you.” and walked away. But I’ve heard other people’s stories, who felt threatened enough to pay something.

After a full stroll, I asked a friendly looking young couple from Belgium to take my picture with the lake in the background. We had drinks (non-alcoholic, of course) and talked for a bit which was such a nice respite from dealing with people, who either want to sell you something or act sleazy.

I have also been getting up early – not because I am disciplined, but because of the heat.

On the next day, the same couple and I took an early morning walk to a Hindu temple on a hill. It was a mere 800 meters, but the climb was challenging and squeezed every bit of sweat out of my body. We were greeted by a group of monkeys along the way. The young ones approached us without hesitation. They are small, but I am scared of monkeys… One was cradling an incredibly cute newborn who kept looking at us. I admired them from a distance. Once we got to the top, there was another group of monkeys and they were aggressive! Then I was too scared to go into the temple.

I have frequented the Aroma Restaurant for the last few days. It does not have a lake view, but so what; the friendly staff, great (and cheap) food, and the garden setting with ample shade made me go back there time after time. They serve great Thali, and also two dishes called Bati and Dosa (Rajsasthan dishes) which are very tasty!  And one more reason for my patronizing this place is because I developed a crush on this one waiter, for his voice… Now I feel like a dirty old woman!

Quite honestly, I have had enough with bazaars. I am not a shopper, so it lost its initial charm after seeing so many of them in every place I have visited. But Pushkar has so much one can do. I guess that is why this town is so popular with long-term visitors. I went to take a dance class at the Saraswati Music and Dance School. I wanted to try classical dance, but the teacher told me that he cannot teach me anything in one class. So he taught me Bollywood dance instead!  In a tiny room, without windows, the air heavy as in a sauna,  but two huge mirrors, I jumped around mimicking the teacher. Afterward he complimented me so much that I misinterpreted it as an official invitation to join his dance company and go onto Bollywood as an extra dancer. After my expressing the excitement, he politely clarified that this was not the case.

I also had a massage from the teacher’s sister, Deepa. This is the first and only Indian massage I have had so far, so it’s premature for me to form an opinion, but it is almost too gentle. It reminds me of a Swedish massage, but without localized kneading.

Dhanna Das is an artist, who had shows in Delhi and Paris in the last few years. He works at the Aroma Hotel and right now he is also painting the walls of the Aroma Restaurant. He did a sketch of me, and gave it to me. In return, I let him have my sketch of him. That was a fun project for me.

Pushkar initially appeared boring, but it grew on me. Maybe I will go back there once more for a longer term and train to be a Bollywood dancer since I have a self-acclaimed rare talent!

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