Outside the train station in Ajmer. See that black and yellow cab there? That’s what I had to
take to get to the bus that would transport me to the tent city where I stayed. It was one of
the most frightening cab rides of my life. Playing chicken with huge busses and other cabs.
Somewhere between Ajmer and the tent camps in Pushkar. The city of Ajmer has a population
of 1.5 million, but the infrastructure really only allows for a population of 200,000. So all the
two lane roads have been converted to one-way streets, and “lanes” are little more than
suggestions for drivers. The good news is, the air is cleaner here than in Delhi.
The campgrounds outside of the Pushkar fair, where pilgrims come to set up tents and
house their livestock. Cows, goats, camels, horses…everything they’re going to sell
or trade or buy is kept here. You can see the fairgrounds in the background.
First lunch at the tent city. All six meals I ate here were totally vegetarian, but for some
reason there was always a pasta portion of the meal. Mostly it was naan, lentils and some kind of paneer.
Local women come to the tent city for fresh water.
I took a camel kart tour of the Pushkar Fair on my first afternoon, and this was my camel.
We called her…well, we didn’t actually think of a name for her. But she kept shitting for
like, two hours straight. I also got to steer her for a few minutes. That was fun.
Food preparation at the Pushkar Fair. Definitely not the most exciting or enticing food vendor
I saw during my stay, but this was the first guy I saw who was cooking for people.
For some reason I was really into this guy building a fire on the camp site.
A woman carries produce through the camp to her family.
They don’t call it the Pushkar Camel Fair for nothing.
I honestly don’t think I could estimate how many camels were there.
The fair, as seen from a distance. We went up into the hills to watch the sunset.
And this is that very same sunset.
It was a pretty awesome sunset.
Right?
Thar Desert Camp, with the lights of the Pushkar Fair in the background.
Live music and dance at the Thar Desert Camp. Pushkar Fair lights in the background. The
party went on all night, until 4am. You could hear everything from the fair from the tent city.
It was a pretty awesome sight to behold, and a unique way to spend a weekend.
Christian Death – Burnt Offerings
