The itinerary originally called for two nights at Pushkar. Pushkar is known for hosting the annual camel fair and also for being a mecca for foreign weirdos and hippies. Many visitors recommend avoiding it because of the hassle factor, meaning that local peddlers are extremely tenacious. I changed the itinerary to only a one night stay in Pushkar. We didn’t go to the city center, but after seeing how filthy it was on the outer edges of town, I wasn’t too interested. I later read something somewhere on the net where Pushkar was described as a dirty hippie hole. From what I saw, I’d say that was spot on.
It was shocking how much garbage there was everywhere. Pigs were nosing around in the debris, looking for something edible. I saw one that had a passenger. We had lunch at an open air pizza place that had persistent flies, poor service and not that good of a pizza.
Our garden motel at the edge of town was a beautiful oasis. I was looking forward to using the pool, but it had no skimmer or evidence of a pool cleaner. There was a coating of pollen on the water, leaves in the pool and a growth of algae at one end. I wouldn’t even put a toe in there.
Aside from that, it was a very pretty place. There were outdoor speakers with pleasant music. We had dinner at one of the garden tables on the lawn, and it was delicious. As night fell, the mournful “miou, miou” of peacocks calling echoed down the mountain. It was a lovely, peaceful place to spend the night.
The next morning there was no time for anything but a quick stop at a mosque I saw on the way out of town.
Click, click, gotta go! I don’t like being a snap and run tourist, but there was no choice. We had to get to Jaipur in time for the elephant festival.
Travels in India 
