India with Erin - 3

From Jaipur was a short 3 hour drive to Pushkar, a city rich in religious history and culture. It is still a place of Pilgrimage for Hindis with unique temples devoted to Lord Brahma (the only such temple in India) and Lord Vishnu as well as many, many other deity manifestations. After 3 very intense days of sightseeing in busy cities, Erin and I both decided to take it easy in Pushkar. Ramesh, our driver, told us that you could see all of Pushkar on foot so we told him to take it easy for a day and a half while we did the same. Lunch at the Hotel New Park was delightful on the rooftop overlooking the surrounding desert hills and temples. We're enjoying trying a different couple of dishes each meal, mostly vegetarian - alcohol and meat are forbidden in Pushkar - but also tandoori chicken and a mutton mughali in Agra and Jaipur. We ordered the 'special naan' for lunch and it turned out to be a calzone style stuffed dough, fried crispy and filled with tomatoes, onions, garlic and a little fresh cheese. That with 2 other veggie dishes made a surprisingly tasty lunch. Erin decided to treat herself to an Ayurvedic massage at our hotel so after a long lunch and some writing I walked into the main bazaar and she stayed behind to be lathered with oil and rubbed vigorously from head to toe. I sauntered up the dirt road and looked into some nearby temples, one devoted to Hanuman, a Hindu deity usually depicted as a monkey, a Sikh temple, the famed Vishnu temple, which is closed to foreigners, to name a few. Wandering down a side street, I had a surprise animal encounter. I was talking with a young girl and not noticing where I was walking and suddenly...a cow bit me!!! Guidebooks warn of rabid monkeys, stray dogs, and even spitting camels, but I've never heard of a cow biting a person. I guess I either just walked too close and scared it, or else it thought my purse was a snack. There are cows roaming everywhere and eating whatever they find. Fortunately for me, the hungry heifer bit right into my purse strap and my money belt and only grazed my belly but it certainly left a mark (pics to follow as soon as I find the time) and left me a little dumbfounded. The little girl I was walking with laughed at me and just walked around the cow, but I screamed, eventually unlocked myself from its tight jaws and walked back the way I came. I was a little worried about infection but I washed and disinfected the bitten area on my stomach upon returning to our stately hotel room and, 24 hour later, am feeling fine. Erin and I shared a laugh or two...or three; I mean, really, who gets bitten by a cow?!

We both were feeling a little under the weather our first evening in Pushkar, me from the startling cow and Erin from dehydration and the intense massage, so we opted for room service - again delicious veggie dishes - and had a quiet night in. I tucked into my new books on learning Hindi and Erin went to bed early.

The next day we started with yoga, a chill breakfast highlighted with roasted chocolate and honey covered bananas and a long, late morning nap. We had arranged a music class the day before, something we both wanted to do in India. Thanks to the Lonely Planet, we found Saraswati Music and Dance school in Pushkar. Birju, the music teacher, picked us up on his motorbike and drove us Indian style - 3 on a bike - to the music school on the opposite end of town. In his house-cum-music school, he taught us a traditional Indian raga which consisted of a 5-tone ascending scale, an 8-tone descending scale, an improvising scale and a song. Birju accompanied us on tablas and we got to play the harmonium. After an hour class, Birju's brother picked us up - Indian motorcycle ride again - and brought us to the dance school in town. We spent the next hour learning about 30 bars of Bollywood style dance. Erin really enjoyed the dancing, I thought it was fun but got a little annoyed with myself for my lack of coordination and memory. Our dance teacher, Hemant, was very kind and personable and a beautiful dancer and musician. It was a very unique experience that we will both remember from Pushkar.

For lunch we walked down the one road through town and went to Honey & Spice, another great Lonely Planet recommendation. After my cow encounter the previous day I found this hidden coffee oasis and was in ecstacy over the cinnamon & ginger coffee. With beans from South India brewed thick, strong, and spicy, I wanted Erin to try the yummy brew and tasty baked sweets. Our lunch was truly superb, my soy apple, fig and honey milkshake to die for, and our spiced chocolate cake, chocolate-nutmeg coffee, and cardamom coffee indescribably, lavishly tasty. So good, in fact, that after visiting the Brahma Temple, the Brahma Ghat, and doing a little shopping, we went back for another cup, this time coriander and aniseed flavor. I never thought of brewing coffee with spices in it but I'll sure try this at home!

En route to the coffee shop, we were stopped by a huge crowd of people and a Hindu parade. People, dressed and painted as deities were being driven, pulled, and carried through town for the big festival. I don't actually know what festival it was, it seems festivals occur quite often in India. We were swept up in the crowd under showers of marigold petals watching the deities, dancers, and drummers parading by. The parade followers marched along with the music and all participants ended up at a field nearby for more festivities, food, and fireworks. Erin and I opted to walk down the now empty street, window shopping in peace and quiet, then take in dinner at a rooftop cafe in town. We were very happy to find fried eggplant on the menu and it turned out to be a fantastic dish, paired with tons of crunchy garlic, tomatoes and onions. We had a truly wonderful day in Puahkar.