The third week of February was deemed to be one of the most auspicious times in 2007 for weddings and I arrived to Pushkar right in time. A tiny town hosting a holy lake and home to many in the Brahmin caste, Pushkar is an ideal and romantic setting for getting married. Apparently many Indians agree because each night, all in this tiny town, there were upwards of 150 weddings performed. All the ceremonies took place at one time on the camel fairgrounds but every individual marriage devoted the earlier part of the day with the fanfare of a marching band and parade (both one for the bride AND one for the groom) moving slowly through Pushkar’s narrow streets. At night I was “rocked” to sleep by the several ceremonies that were in earshot of…well, everywhere in town. Did I ever mention the lack of noise control regulations in
Actually I did enjoy sitting on my guesthouse’s rooftop chill out cushions looking up at the stars while listening to the current hit songs of
The catchy festive atmosphere naturally reacquainted me with Ali, the colorful hat man. I met Ali four years ago when I bought several hats from him. In the years since his hats have become much more colorful and expressive. They range from a summery hat made with vibrant silks accented with sequins…to a warm wooly top hat for your funky cooler evenings or if you want to be noticed out on the slopes skiing or snowboarding.
It’s my second time to stay in my favorite guesthouse in Pushkar and until Ali pointed it out, I have never made the connection that the cute family sewing on their front porch across the street is the same hat making workshop! Ali’s father is the chief sewer and while working in the sunshine and fresh air he is kept company on his front porch by his grandchildren and their pet goats. I couldn’t help but laugh when one goat came running out their front door straight toward me and threatening a butt on my butt.
I didn’t realize that goats can be loyal territorial family protectors!
It’s my 4th time in Pushkar and this place, when looking beyond the tourist offerings and signs (in English, Hebrew and Korean), is a really wonderful source of a magical feeling that brings nice friendships. Having almost reached my halfway point of my journey I needed the addition of friendships to share my experiences with. Pushkar has proven time and again to be a reliable source for the nice travelers who choose to dwell there. Not only do I continue to run into folks I know from previous visits, but I even ran into a woman I know of from
About halfway through my stay Ron (pronounced “rhone” with a phlegm-y “r”) from
His sense of humor is exactly what I needed…
silly jokes and laughing all the time. Hanging out and letting hours slip away as we roamed around town joking about all the crazy India-isms. Like, for example, the children who unrelentlessly beg for school pens. I am sure for someone who hasn’t been to
So this first chapter of Pushkar comes to a close…I’ll be returning in one month.
And in the meantime, who knows???
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