From Rajasthan with Love...

This is my third trip to Rajasthan. This time, one of the main reasons to go back is non other than family. “You've been in India a whole year and you still haven't been to see your uncle!” I could hear my dad's voice. “It doesn't look nice, you should go, at least before you get on the plane!”

Churu
He's my grandfather's brother and he lives in Churu, a dusty north-western town in Rajasthan. I decided to take Yifang and Eri with me for the ride. I warned them that both my great aunt and uncle are strict. That means: No smoking, no shouting, not swearing, no revealing clothes. It also means no wondering off for hours on your own and returning to the house on the back of some guy's back. That's what Eri did and I didn't hear the end of it until the moment we left. “Where has she gone? A girl on her own doesn't wonder around like this! What will the neighbours say? Why isn't she back yet? Who is she with? How could she go off on her own like that?” When Eri did finally get back, my great aunt was livid: “your uncle has said the final word: that this is the first and last time.” As we went to leave the following morning, she refused to give me a hug, and refused to even acknowledge the apology that a whimpering Eri had tried to offer.

Apart from that slight mishap at the end of our three day trip to my great uncle's town, we had a relatively relaxed experience, smoking on the rooftop, browsing through the shops and visiting the temple. It's a typical Indian village-town with a busy bazaar and lots of shops. I was happy that I had accomplished my duty (to an extent). At least dad would be happy that I paid them a visit. Hopefully he won't hear the full story...

Jaipur
It was back to Jaipur if we were to get the connecting bus onwards and westwards to the Jaisalmer desert. I had visions of the three of us riding humongous camels and sleeping under the stars. It was to be a short trip, but one that was well worth the journey. We spent the day walking around the shops in Jaipur, paying a visit to the infamous Lassi Wallah. Lassi is an Indian yoghurt drink that arrives in plain, salty, sweet, mango, banana and a range of of other flavours. There are a number of Lassi Wallahs on the MI Road. We opted for one of the best. I think it was one of the highlights of the day. Yifang was a little taken aback by the speed at which the city moves. Cows, rickshaws, autos, bicycles, street kids, beggers, hustlers, hermaphrodites all come hurtling at you at once as you walk down any of the city's main streets. People grab you, try to talk to you, try to sell you everything under the sun - bus and train tickets, dancing Indian puppets, colourful bedsheets, umbrellas, clothes, bindis, bangles the works. Yifang learnt that it is better not to walk through Jaipur as if you are strolling through the park when she despaired at the beggars that mercilessly clawed at her and pleaded with their undernourished faces, to give them money.

Our bus was due to leave in the evening, so we spent our last few hours at the Evergreen Hotel on MI Road, the place I had stayed the last time I was in Jaipur. Amongst the speckling of backpackers and students, it's the kind of hotel that attracts predominantly jewellery traders. As we sat at the restaurant, I spotted a few familiar faces, including Misako from Japan, who I had met just last year. We were joined by Ricky, a sprightly fifty-something from Israel.

Jaislamer
It was a tough journey. We've done twenty-plus hour bus journeys through the Himalaya, so what was 12? It was not very nice. Sleepless, my mind spilled with thoughts of what may or may not unfold over the weeks ahead. As the bus pulled into Jaisalmer bus station, hotel touts were at the ready, waiting like sharks to pounce on every white face. “I have good hotel sir! Only 100 rupees per night! You will enjoy! Come this way, free taxi to hotel!” I had had enough of the constant voices that hammered through my head and it became one of the few occasions that I nearly lost the plot. I raised the Lonely Planet in my hands and motioned the way I would smash it in the head of the guy who stood blabbering in my face despite the fact I had told him to calm down and wait until we had taken our luggage from the back. He responded angrily. I ignored him and picked out the quietest tout in the group and cornering him, arranged a flat rate of 100 rupees for a room for the three of us. A German guy and his Thai girlfriend decided to join us and we made for the so-called Artist Hotel.

I say “so-called” because it was not the Artist Hotel, but the Jaisal View Hotel. The tout had used the name as it was listed in the Lonely Planet. We're not the kind of travelers to go by the book, but as we happened to be in a situation where we were being hounded by what felt like a hundred dogs, it was the only feasible solution at that split-second in time.

We took breakfast and showered before scouring the town for camel safaris. We had just another two days in Jaisalmer so the least we could achieve was a desert adventure with a bunch of camels. We found what we wanted at a reasonable price, yet we all knew the guys from our hotel would be annoyed with us for not booking the safari with them. This is the way the cookie crumbles, making Jaisalmer one of the most difficult places to experience without any hassles. The mood of the two guys running the hotel changed distinctly as we reveled that we'd be leaving the following day.

Camel Adventure!
Sweetheart was the name of my camel. Eri's was called Forjee, meaning soldier, as he once worked with the Indian army and had been shot. Yifang became Desert Queen, as she opened her umbrella to shield her sensitive skin from the sun. We stopped at a number of temples, including a 1400 year old Jain temple. We were told stories of the 1971 Indo-Pakistan war, including the time when seven shells had been shot into Jaisalmer, not a single one of them detonating as a mysterious serpent arched itself high up above one of the city's ancient temples. No one to this day has been able to explain the mysticism of the snakes of Jaisalmer, or the reason why the shells that day, had failed to detonate. Snakes in India are worshipped like deities, mainly because they are known for their strong association with Shiva, the creator and destroyer of the universe. Jaisalmer is known for its cobra snakes, especially in the desert and seeing one is meant to bring the onlooker good luck.

That night we camped out under the stars. I spotted two shooting stars and made my wish. We had been to a number of temples, including the Rama-Krishna and Ganesh temple. The Ganesh had been uncovered from the earth some centuries ago, apparently it arose from the ground. I looked at the orange coloured statue and it looked knowingly back at me.

That was the desert. It was time to head to Pushkar. It must be the fastest trip that I have experienced in the entire time that I have been in India. My usual method of traveling involves a much more shanti (peaceful) approach. However, on this occasion, I have to admit, that time is of the essence.

It's all coming to an end...
I can't believe that it's all coming to an end. I arrived in India in November last year. I return to Europe, November this year. My visa expires. My ticket is booked. I've changed it twice already. British Airways will not allow me to change it again. I could go to Nepal and get another six months, but that means losing my ticket and having to buy a new one. All good things must come to an end. It's something that I am coming to terms with. Slowly but surely. India will still be here. I can come back again in the near future. There are things that must be dealt with if I want to return. Enjoy the moment, appreciate the time that I have had here and go back with a heart full of joy.

Pushkar
Despite the feeling of deja-vous, it felt good to be back in Pushkar. We arrived at silly O clock in the morning. Om Baba opened the door to the original Sai Baba guesthouse that he is running for his friend. It was late, we were tired, and soon enough, found myself sleeping soundly.

I said it before and I'll say it again. You don't walk through Pushkar, you float through it. I floated. As Eri and I made our way towards the ghats, a baba took on his usual sales pitch and began praying for love, light, peace and happiness in my life. Eri had been nabbed by a younger baba, a Brahmin draped in white. The younger man joined us for a chai at our usual chai stall. He offered us a chillum. We went along. “All the Brahmins smoke chillum!” he thinks that his statement is going to impress us. I feel boredom coming on. I could also feel the sleaze oozing from his pores as he made an attempt to come sit right next to me. I move away from him. “I like my space, don't sit next to me,” I tell him. He apologises and moves back to his original place at the table. Eventually, we make our excuses and leave. He tried to speak to us on a number of other occasions, but I had nothing to say to him and slowly, slowly, he drifted away.

Pushkar is spilling with charming people. They include the beautiful Rajasthani women who work wonders on your hands with their henna designs, they also include the street kids, many of which recognised me from my previous two visits to the town. Then there are the local businesses, many friendly enough not to hassle you until you feel numb in the brain. “One chai, give me one chai please” or “five rupees please”, or, “buy my CD, it's very good, you will like!” You end up giving your money away to little monsters almost everyday, however, I have learned now not to do that. The smaller gypsy kids are very clever. They like to get to know you, familiarise themselves with you, and then feel that it is their God-given right to demand chai, food or money every time they see you. But you learn to joke with them, re-direct them to the other tourists and make them understand that you live here, here in Pushkar, that you are not a tourist and that this is your home, so they'd better hassle someone else today. Alternatively, ask them to buy you a chai instead, and watch them burst into a fit of giggles!

Pushkar Lake
The supreme God-head, Brahma placed a lotus flower in Pushkar and it became a lake. However in recent years, the lake has not only been drying out as a result of little rainfall, but it has also been getting heavily polluted, killing off many of the fish. The government has taken on the “job” of draining the lake completely and digging it deeper. They aim to clean it and refill it. It's a job that I would term in Hindi as “satya-naas” - meaning, a catastrophe. They've dug too deep and it has been rumoured that however they re-fill it, the water will seep into the cracks and continue to drain away. They just keep digging and digging and digging. What they are trying to achieve, no one is sure. Pushkar without its lake is tragic. We are all hoping that someone will see sense and salvage the situation.

We also experienced a rather strange situation with Om Baba. He's a different person to the smiling, happy and jolly man that I had first met back in March this year. He's changed. Especially when he is around the woman that he is dating. With her face like a smacked arse, moody temperament and silent treatment, she has created a frosty atmosphere in the house. It's not comfortable to be there any more. She complains about the fact we use the kitchen and snarls when we walk around the house. I asked Om Baba, “what the fuck are you doing with this woman?” I think he's in it for the money. She's from New Zealand and fairly well off. He's known her for years. Om Baba has a tendency to attract crazy women. He doesn't take much care of himself either, and as David, a gentle elderly American man who is paralysed from the waist down, rightfully pointed out, he does not love his wheel chair or take care of it. Om Baba had Polio at a young age and has been walking on his hands since the age of three. I can sympathise with Om Baba, but I have to admit that I saw a different side to the man that I met all those months ago.

I decided not to stay at Om Baba's place again. Apart from the intense situation within the guesthouse, I floated rather happily through the streets of Pushkar, and loved hanging out at the chai shop in the centre of the main square. Countless travelers from around the world converge here to indulge in all types of random conversation. I made many a friend here and loved sitting around, drinking five rupee chai and talking to a medley of travelers from all four corners of the world. It was the highlight of my time in magical Pushkar.