5th March 1993, Pushkar, India – As there is not a lot to do in Pushkar, but go shopping, that is exactly what I did all the day. When you go into the shops, the merchant requested to take off your shoes before entering. As I had my hiking boots on the day previous, I did not get a chance to go into any shops, so today was the day. Rich and I made our way through the bazaar with me entering every single shop to look at these really, nicely, embroidered bags to give away as gifts. After three hours of our shopping, I returned to the hotel with two embroidered back pack sized bags, Rs. 40 each, 3 embroidered passport-size purses, one at Rs. 10 and two at Rs. 15. We sat around the hotel during the heat and ventured out that evening for another buffet dinner and to shop for used books.
6thMarch 1993 Pushkar – For lack of something better to today, we went shopping again, and I bought a waistcoat for Rs. 55. Now I could not wear it without a white button down shirt. So I bought material to have a shirt made as well. Now as the holy festival was in the two days’ time, the celebration where they throw paint everywhere and whatever clothes I wore that day, were going to be ruined. I decided to buy yet more white material and have a shirt made to wear on Holi.
On route to the tailor, I saw this local walk up to a white cow, that happened to be urinating, cup his hands under the stream and then drank it. White cows are pure, clean and revered. I had never seen anything like that before and I had a hard time keeping the glass of tea, I just consumed at the chai stall down in my stomach.
Later that evening, Rich and I packed our bags and where saying good bye to the family and their hotel when the son Sisha came up onto the sun deck we were standing on and handed his father some strings of flowers. The father then draped the flowers around the Rich and my neck thanking us and wishing us a good journey. They were the nicest people and deserved to have their hotel publicized to have some extra income.
We left and went to the bus stop to wait for the overnight bus to Agra. Why we keep taking this hell overnight buses? I will never know, but we really do want to get out of India.