Monkeys gather near sunset. Some gaze placidly toward the pinkening sky, while youngsters tussle and tumble or practice jumps and balancing techniques. There are two main species, one noticeably more aggressive to both humans and their monkey cousins. One evening we watched a small band of these more aggressive red-faces (Rhesus Macaque) move quickly across the rooftops and completely scatter a larger group of the black-faces (Grey Langur). Even the baby macaques were able to send adult langurs running with a half-hearted charge.

This is Pushkar . . .

. . . where holy men and scammers gather by the lake, tourists and pilgrims arrive by the busload, and dreadlocked hippies mourn the loss of “their” special place. The true holy men are not concerned with tourists, while those with less scruples hand out flowers and offer blessings, only to demand a big “donation” in return. We opted to skip the “Pushkar Passport,” a piece of red string tied around your wrist by the priest only after your “donation.”  Instead, we enjoyed a few quiet moments before another holy man arrived, over-eager to bless us. It was frustrating to not be able to sit for more than a minute or two anywhere near the lake before being approached by roving musicians and singers looking for tips or children begging. The tourist street didn’t offer any peace either, though for those interested in Westernized Indian clothes or pillowcovers, bags or knicknacks, this is the place to be. The street’s one highlight was the tiny shop serving potato patties in a pita or between bread, with lots of spices and veggies. We stopped for those twice, along with the best “chikou” shake, made with a small, brown fruit I only know the name for in Spanish (nispero).

Lassi Wala

Another sidestreet was filled with barefoot pilgrims making their way up the stairs to the Brahma Temple, said to be the only one in the country dedicated exclusively to this god. This street was also a likely place to find the lassi man. Pushing a large, square cart, this master mixer adds just the right amounts of saffron, curd and yogurt to make the perfect famous, sweet yogurt drink, which he  serves in a clay cup with a small plastic spoon so you can savor every last bit. Pushkar is a strictly vegetarian (including eggs) and dry town, and we enjoyed some very good meals, including a nostalgic Tibetan soup and dumplings one night.

We had some nice walks in Pushkar, including one out into the countryside after a geocache.  Getting outside of the destination itself is sometimes the best part. Though it was a nice place for a short visit, we were ready to move on.

Additional photos of Pushkar can be viewed HERE.