Pushkar to Agra

After Pooja ritual at Pushkar Lake

Buying jewelry in Pushkar

Jewelry bought

After a few days in Pushkar, I really started to get a better understanding of how holy this city was. It is one of oldest cities in India and is one of the five sacred sites for devout Hindus. While there are 52 temples around the lake, there is a total of over 400 behind them. No animal has ever been killed in this city in over 400 years. Even eating eggs is forbidden in Pushkar. They have complete respect for animals and you can just see the way the animals exist differently here. Our last evening in Pushkar, Karen and I came across a quiet temple and a man gave us a tour, introducing us to the Babas who are spiritual wise figures in India. He then took us to the lake to do Puja (Pooja) which is a hindu religious ritual ceremony of blessing where flowers and fruit are presented to different Gods into the lake into the lake for blessings for good health and happy life. Our last day, went to the market to shop and I ended up buying alot of silver jewellery as it was so cheap. Pushkar is known for its silver and good prices. I sat with the guy who designed all the jewelry for over an hour and in the end got 7 nice pieces of jewelry for 4000 rupees which is less than 40 pounds, a price I would usually pay for one piece in London.

Saying goodbye to Lotus Gardens

Lotus Gardens where we stayed was quite run down guest house but in a really natural and beautiful way. They have not renovated a single thing, everything has remained the same in 30 years it has existed. It's cheap and the two men who worked there Rokesh and Bnote treated us like family. I really loved Pushkar, the general vibe of the city and its people felt so warm. I must have sat with at least 10 warming locals during the days here who just wanted to chat over a chai tea. Spending evenings laying on a mattress under the tree overlooking the beautiful lake with good company and soulful music made me feel so relaxed for my first time in India. There is something really special about Pushkar that you cannot describe in words, and I felt somewhat sad to leave.

Taj Mahal

Ben (Israel), Natalie (Spain), Karen and I left that evening on a 10 hour overnight sleeper bus to Agra to see the Taj Mahal which was absolutely beautiful, even more up close. It's a bit expensive to go inside - 750 rupees which seems cheap in pounds but for India i it is overpriced. We bought two tickets and split it between 4 of us, going in separately so it was half the cost. We arrived that morning, found a room for the day and went to see Taj. It began being built by a Mughal emperor, Shah Jahan in memory of his wife who died after giving birth to their 14th child. Apart from this amusing building, I did not enjoy a single thing about this city Aggra. It felt very dirty and annoying with hundreds of people hassling you.  I was standing in front the Taj Mahal and rather than people taking photos of this magnificent monument, I had indian people asking to take photos of me and with me? I found that a bit strange.  It was the first time I felt excited to leave a place in India. We took another10 hour overnight sleeper bus north towards Rashikesh, the yoga capital of the world.

Overnight bus sleeper

Sleeping on bus

Travelling on buses in India is quite a story on its own. There is always some drama that happens, we are either being told off by people who speak no english and want our seats. Or they are trying to cheat us into paying extra for luggage. I am glad that we have Ben with us who has taught me alot in terms of how to be assertive and aggressive with the locals. Without that skill, you will suffer greatly in India and get completely ripped off.  Natalie & I shared a double bed which are on top the seats and you have a little curtain, however with the breeze blowing from outside the curtain is always moving and bystanders in the bus stand up and literally watch you sleep. For those who don't know what a maco is, it is a trini word for someone who is nosy and likes to mind people's business. And India definitely has the BIGGEST MACOS ever! They don't know how to just look and turn away, they let you know they blatantly minding your business. Imagine trying to sleep on a bumpy bus ride with the driver honking the horn loudly, letting lots of hitch hikers on the bus for free rides so they all stand in the aisles and sleep on the floors. The bus becomes noisy, crowded, hot and uncomfortable to sleep because people are staring at you. And while you hate some of these moments in India, it's what makes the whole experience complete. If I had to choose between taking the easy convenient way or the rough backbackers route through India, I would choose the challenging way any day as it's not only cheaper but you have far more interesting stories to tell.