Thursday, October 26, 2006
19 October, 2006
We left for Pushkar which was not a very long drive considering some of the others we had to experience. We arrived after two and a half hours of driving on something that we would call a highway. It lasted most of the way and the drive wasn’t too bad. Pushkar is a very small town and it is situated around a lake (which they refer to as the holy lake). Our hotel had a swimming pool and loungers so we had a quick swim before going out into the mid afternoon heat. We walked around the town and it was the first time that we could actually relax and look at the shops without being harassed too much and no cars were permitted either. The town has a very laid-back feel and it seems to be the place where backpackers spend a couple of weeks. There is Hebrew writing all over the show and there are apparently a lot of Israelis who visit Pushkar. Alcohol is not allowed and one cannot find any meat/chicken or fish either, purely vegetarian. We met an Aussie girl who was traveling through India for a year- crazy thing – and she was telling us how beautiful the North is. But she was also telling us about the buses and that is when we realized we were lucky to have Suresh as our driver. Apparently there is no bus trip without a few people vomiting all over and without picking up a few non-paying friends along the way. That is if it leaves on time and if you come out alive after a 13 hour drive with people sitting on you. Apparently the trains are not that different and sometimes they are worse. A Kiwi couple told us that they were on a 23 hour train ride which left late and the cabin they were in didn’t serve any food and they couldn’t get off. Besides the fact that they had a cabin with an Indian family making a noise and phone calls so that they would leave- which is what they did. I somehow don’t think public transport is the way to go. Getting back to Pushkar we sat at the pool for a while and as we were leaving we met an American couple (hi Liza and Matt – hope you well and survived India) who were a bit down and out and ready to leave so they joined us for dinner. We went to a really chilled-out hotel and restaurant called Seventh Heaven and lounged on the couches whilst we shared our stories and dramas. We pulled them through the ‘bad spell’ that one goes through now and then in India (usually after a long unpleasant drive of about 8 hours). We all went to bed happy and ready for the challenges that lie ahead in this crazy but interesting country.
We left for Pushkar which was not a very long drive considering some of the others we had to experience. We arrived after two and a half hours of driving on something that we would call a highway. It lasted most of the way and the drive wasn’t too bad. Pushkar is a very small town and it is situated around a lake (which they refer to as the holy lake). Our hotel had a swimming pool and loungers so we had a quick swim before going out into the mid afternoon heat. We walked around the town and it was the first time that we could actually relax and look at the shops without being harassed too much and no cars were permitted either. The town has a very laid-back feel and it seems to be the place where backpackers spend a couple of weeks. There is Hebrew writing all over the show and there are apparently a lot of Israelis who visit Pushkar. Alcohol is not allowed and one cannot find any meat/chicken or fish either, purely vegetarian. We met an Aussie girl who was traveling through India for a year- crazy thing – and she was telling us how beautiful the North is. But she was also telling us about the buses and that is when we realized we were lucky to have Suresh as our driver. Apparently there is no bus trip without a few people vomiting all over and without picking up a few non-paying friends along the way. That is if it leaves on time and if you come out alive after a 13 hour drive with people sitting on you. Apparently the trains are not that different and sometimes they are worse. A Kiwi couple told us that they were on a 23 hour train ride which left late and the cabin they were in didn’t serve any food and they couldn’t get off. Besides the fact that they had a cabin with an Indian family making a noise and phone calls so that they would leave- which is what they did. I somehow don’t think public transport is the way to go. Getting back to Pushkar we sat at the pool for a while and as we were leaving we met an American couple (hi Liza and Matt – hope you well and survived India) who were a bit down and out and ready to leave so they joined us for dinner. We went to a really chilled-out hotel and restaurant called Seventh Heaven and lounged on the couches whilst we shared our stories and dramas. We pulled them through the ‘bad spell’ that one goes through now and then in India (usually after a long unpleasant drive of about 8 hours). We all went to bed happy and ready for the challenges that lie ahead in this crazy but interesting country.
# posted by Heidi & Richard's travels @ 8:00 AM 
