Camels as far as the eye can see

Pushkar fair was mad!

It was full of the hustle and bustle of people, tourists and Indians alike and there was a fabulous atmosphere mixed with constant loudness 24hours a day. Our hotel was situated on the Main Bazaar road where all the stalls where and all the steps leading down to the Ghats where. It overlooked the lake which was an amazing view with a rocky mountain backdrop. It is said that Pushkar is the lake where Bramha is said to have lain a lotus flower and from that spot the lake grew. The temple is huge and colourful and crowded with the devotees praying for long life and good fortune. Several times a day the head down in crowds to the lake side to bathe in the holy water of the lake. You aren't allowed to take photos of the Ghats, Men and Women can't hold hands, you cant eat meat or eggs, and you can't wear shoes. These rules where repeated over and over again simultaneously in English and in Hindi several times a day. It woke us up at 7am and was on repeat through out the day. It was the soundtrack to my dreams for 3 days solid along with the eerie chanting and praying under our window throughout the night. No chance of sleep! We went to the actual Camel ground which was just awesome. Camels are quite scary though up close. Some of them where painted in all different colours and decorated with necklaces and bracelets. Sand Dunes as far as the eye could see,where flocked with Camels and tents. Just spellbinding. At around 5.30 everyone at the fair would gather at the main steps to watch the sun set at the opposite side of the lake behind the mountains. The vibe was just so cool, there where drums and singing and Sadus offering to pray for your family for a "small donation" a bit tacky but I ofcourse prayed for my whole family, rinsed my hands with the holy water, through some mushed marigolds into the lake, got a red dot on my forehead and a red prayer bracelet around my wrist. Whatever that means, but when in Rome... The funniest moment was when we where sitting in a really small cafe on th main street where we could see people milling past in both directions and then a white cow just comes sauntering by without a care in the world, as it it was the most natural thing in the world, which it probably is here. So that got a few laughs.