 After
a very poor night's sleep I wander into town for some breakfast. The
sights and smells of Jaipur are tempered by a permanent haze of pollution.
Cars, mopeds, jalopies all doing their bit to add to the blue fog
that haunts every Indian city.
Back
at the hotel I am saddened to find that Doreen has already departed.
I would have liked to say farewell to her and the kids. I catch
up with Brian and Stacy. They appear to have slept better than me
and are eager to get off. As soon as Pappu is located and the car
is packed we are once more on the move.
After
a few hours we pass the holy lake of Ajmeer. Pappu reliably informs
us that visiting the lake seven times is equal to one Haj for Muslims.
By all accounts one of Mohammed’s descendents was born here.
Eventually
we arrive at our next destination, Pushcar. We drive through a tightly
packed town; it’s full of stalls and tourists. There seems
to be more hippies here than a free festival. Pushcar itself is
famous because the Hindu God-Brahma was rumoured to have landed
in Pushcar’s nearby lake. On a more secular note, our hotel
is plush, we have a fantastic swimming pool and we are surrounded
on all sides by stunning mountains.
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Jaipur
life
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After
unpacking the three of us head for the pool - naturally! At one
end there's a large group of tourists frolicking. I try to suss
out where they might be from but the language gives no clues. Curiosity
gets the better of me and I end up asking one of the girls. It turns
out they (Israelis) have just finished their two or three years
conscription in the army. Once out of service they head down to
Pushcar to smoke as much of the local grass as possible before retuning
to their sensible, ordered family lives back in Israel.
That
evening I walk into town and am completely absorbed by the street
culture. There are stalls that appear to sell everything. CDs jostle
with tie dye fabrics, herbs, trinkets and tee shirts, pipes, potions,
massages and lotions. The array of food on offer is unbelievable,
too. I am happy to simply wander in the balmy evening heat taking
it all in. There are so many different races and cultures to enjoy.
There’s no
need to buy anything. Simply being here is a full-on experience.
The
views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the
opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC.
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