Friday 28th March 2008
Pushkar is definitely a special little town. The tiny lake around which the town is
built is deemed as one of India's most sacred site - there is definitely
something very special about Pushkar!
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Our Pushkar guide, Mr Lala met us around 9.00 am. The beginning of our visit of Pushkar
coincided with a most colourful holy procession to the sound of an Indian brass band:
A wonderful sight, full of interest and unexpected elements: Indian musicians
smartly dressed in their navy blue suits... and walking along bare-footed... while the horses
dressed in ornate cloths had been fitted with colourful little socks!
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The busy streets of Pushkar revealed colourful little shops
selling from Paschimo wraps to the most colurful dyes, as well as temples, big and small and we
met a number of 'holy men' - many of them, we were told were 'fake' dressing up to ask for money...
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Our walk took us to the edge of the lake and we were offered a Hindu Blessing -
this was a very spiritual experience, something we will remember forever...
images of the morning:
Pushkar
Slideshow (24 images)
We left Pushkar around midday. The drive to Jaipur took about 3 hours (including
a stop for lunch)
This allowed us to rest
in the comfortable, air-conditoned car... In India, there is always something to look at!
As we arrived in Jaipur,
we were greeted by the wonderful sight of elephants in the middle of the busy traffic...
and then more camels - all dressed up!
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A visit to the tailor!
Having heard about the fast service Indian tailors can offer, I decided to choose some cloth and
have a made-to-measure Punjabi suit (ie a long fitted tunic top and baggy trouzers, gathered at the
waist complemented by a 'dupatta' (long scarf). To complement the outfit, I also ordered a little
bag to my specific shape and measurements to be made in the matching fabric. Having chosen the
matching /complementing fabrics of my choice, the head-tailor was called up to measure me (over my clothes!)
under the 'chaperonning eyes' of our loyal guide, Raj and the supervision of the
shop-owner! A slightly intimitading experience... but worth every second!
The time was 4.10pm... Having expressed the wish to wear my new {unjabi suit' to go out to
dinner that night, the head-tailor
picked up my chosen cloths, measurements and intructions and diligently headed back for his workshop.
I was assured my suit would be delivered at my hotel by 7.15pm that same night...
And it was.. and all fitting to perfection! The magic of India!
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Dinner in Jaipur that night was good. It was entertaining too! Brighly dressed dancers,
(probably 'spotting' our Western purses),
kept on coming over to display their graceful dance... At the end of our meal
we were made to follow them onto the stage!
images of the afternoon:
Arrival in Jaipur
Slideshow (12 images)
