In the morning we prepared to take a tedious five-hour bus ride from Bundi to Pushkar. Raghu, our guesthouse owner, announced that he was going to Ajmer and would we like to join him. (His wife had moved there with the children to attend school) We happily agreed. Pushkar is only a half hour bus ride from Ajmer. It was still a tedious drive but far more comfortable than the bus and on the way Raghu entertained us with family history. He insisted on us meeting his wife who graciously served us tea and snacks.  

She admitted missing Bundi and meeting the guests in the hotel there, but the children’s education was more important.  

Pushkar, a temple town, is likened to a mini Varanasi with its bathing areas for pilgrims.

The town has changed significantly since we were last here ten years ago in the same manner as Udaipur. But Pushkar is still beautiful nestled in a valley, its lake surrounded by ghats and old havelis.

In the early morning light, geese parade,

and pelicans glide.

Unusual hills overlook the town and the more energetic climb to temples at their peak. 

The ghat is shared with the black faced monkeys, often creating mischief.

Decades ago, Pushkar attracted hippie backpackers, but is now a commercial hub for the textile and silver industries. The change in merchandising from when we were last here took us by surprise.  Indians and foreigners are now more sophisticated in their purchases and many buy wholesale to export to other markets in India and abroad. Retail prices have risen and the style of the clothing is less interesting, taking on a more mass production, western style look.   

We stayed several nights in an attractive old haveli, the room was luxurious but too small and, looking into an inside courtyard, very dark. Also next door, sat a noisy wedding hall (this is the wedding season). So we moved on.

Our new room is bigger and quieter (until the weddings caught up with us here too). It boasts a large rooftop balcony we have to ourselves, where I can do yoga in the morning sunshine, accompanied by a chorus of birds–minus squawking crows.

The first evening, enjoying the view at sunset, we saw a huge peacock in a nearby tree, but by then it was too dark for a photo.

Close by is a Sikh Gurudwara looking like a palace from the astral plane, especially at night. It’s less ethereal when the Sikhs begin their amplified chanting of the Guru Granth Sahib at 4 am and continue till 6 am. Fortunately, this only happens on weekends.  

We had planned to only stay here six days and then take the overnight bus up to Himachal Pradesh.  But the weather is still too cold. So we’ve decided to stay for the remainder of our time in India in Pushkar. We’re disappointed to miss the mountains and our friends there but we won’t miss the cold and rain!  

Several of our friends from Gokarna have been coming here for years and we’re happy to reunite with them.  Marina first came here forty years ago and has been returning almost every year since.  She knows all the shopkeepers (some since they were children) and shows us around. One particular cafe, Honey Dew, is owned by the same family she befriended on her first stay. The charismatic owner died tragically from a rare form of cancer several years ago and his wife and son are trying to keep the cafe alive.  Marina has invested much time and effort in helping them. With so much competition in a small space, staying profitable is not easy.  

Karel and Kryztyna arrived for a few days before moving on to Jaipur. We said goodbye over breakfast with a promise to visit them in Prague again.