Pushkar, India - Solo Traveling
Welcome to Pushkar, India!
There’s a certain charm about this deeply rooted religious city. Cows wander around every corner and white marble is littered with flowers for Hindu Blessings. It’s grungy, cultural and a solo traveling photographer’s dream!
When I had first decided to add Pushkar to my solo traveling itinerary, I had originally been on the fence between Northern India, bordering Nepal or heading Northwest towards Jaipur. So once the decision was made to head to Jaipur, Pushkar was also added and I’m SO glad!
When I first arrived to Pushkar I wanted to find a highpoint! Like somebody lost in the woods, I wanted to gather my bearings. So I ran up five flights of stairs following a sign that read "Cafe" and ended up on a rooftop with a few dusty tables and chairs. I was confused, but that become a normal occurrence for me during my time in India, so I stood there taking in the views of the holy Hindu city!
Then a sleepish man showed up and asked if I wanted anything. Feeling bad, I ordered a coke and thirty minutes later he brought me a warm coke, which I'm pretty positive he went and bought to resell to me.
Once I headed down from my rooftop cafe I started wandering the dirty marble steps. There were palaces everywhere and they all lead down to the Pushkar Lake. Having done zero research before arriving I knew little about Pushkar, other than it is one of five sacred sites for devout Hindus. It is also believed to be one of the oldest cities in India.
FUN FACT: Pushkar also has almost 400 temples and 52 Ghats, (Holy Lakes) giving this city enormous religious importance. It is also one of the few places in the world to still have Brahma temples, making this city basically filled with religious tourism.
So now that we know the Pushkar Lake is a holy Hindu Lake formed from Shiva's tears, I just want you to be aware of a harmless scam.
I'm usually pretty good about knowing when I'm getting into even the silliest of scams, and sometimes I let it happen because I know they're only going to ask for a small fortune...but did I mention I was giddy about this city?
They've perfected this "scam" obviously, but I was so freaking excited I missed that this guy is probably wanting something from me.
THIS IS THE SCAM: The best part about this is that they literally give you a Hindu mark on your forehead to basically say, "don't ask her, we already scammed her."
You will be warmly welcomed to Pushkar!
A very nice younger man will ask if you've been blessed and will in some way say you "must" be blessed in order to explore the city because it's such a religious city.
You will say - OK!
Or you will not say ok, but before you know it you have flowers in your hands and you're getting blessed.
You will then sit down with a "Holy Man" and he will start saying a Hindu blessing, and before you realize you're being scammed, his words seem so meaningful!
You will have the Holy Lake water splashed on you and red color put on your forehead.
At this point you're filled with joy thinking - man I LOVE this city!
Then...here it comes...
The "Holy Man" will ask you how much you would like to donate to their "charity" to feed and maintain the 52 lakes and poor people of Pushkar. You might say, well that's not too bad? But...they will then refuse to take anything less than 2,000-3,000 rupee's and will ask if you are from The United States? He will then DOUBLE the donation amount.
WHAT I DID: I sincerely told the man I was upset he "tricked" me and said I would have happily paid for the blessing, but I will not give what you're asking. He wanted me to pay like $50...no! He was very persistent and I finally had to be firm saying this is all you're going to get and gave him like 1000 rupee's, which is still like $8. Honestly, I still liked the experience I just hate falling for a scam. Overall, I would suggest avoiding it or trying to give a price up front so you don't deal with them haggling you!
After my "Hindu Blessing" I wandered around the markets and alleyways around the lake. In some ways it reminded me of Venice, just a little less romance and again did I mention the Holy cows?
At one point I was walking past a cow that started peeing in the middle of the street and an elderly man walked up mid-stream....and....started drinking the cow's urine strait from the tap! I am slightly sad I didn't photograph this and then again I'm slightly not.
The market shops are wonderful though and the prices are half of Jaipur, so I bought most of my fun jewelry from here. I also found it to be a more pleasant shopping experience than in Jaipur. The shop owners weren't as aggressive and actually quite warm and welcoming.
Oh, and monkeys.
Yes, they are cute...but seriously keep your distance! I had one run after me in Jaipur and a nice Indian man literally grabbed my am and pulled me to safety. They look so cute and small, but I watched these monkey's knock over a motorcycle and chase kids walking down the streets. So be careful and keep your distance!
My favorite place was along the palace steps around the lake. I was dodging cow urine and poop, (notice the brown on the walls) but the architecture was amazing.
I never felt unsafe, even after a few people yelled about having my camera out. Pushkar is still a city to be a little more aware and conservative.
Throughout all of India I wore longer shirts over pants even though the weather is beyond hot and humid. In Pushkar I added a scarf not only to cover more, but to help mask some smells when needed, but I wouldn't say it was necessary.
I also traveled all through India with my Lowepro Flipside Trek Backpack, which allows for quick access to my gear without even putting my bag on the ground.
I seriously don't even know how many hours I spent running around before I realized I hadn't eaten anything all day, and for the first time in India, I found a pizza place! WHAT?
It was surprisingly good pizza, (or I was just starving) but again I was on a rooftop. When I told the man I was in a hurry (because I realized sunset would be soon) he said, "When you come to Pushkar, you should be relaxed...you're not relaxed!" So I told him I'd take his advice for at least an hour and sat and enjoyed my pizza while I overlooked the city.
I was still surprised how touristy this small desert city was, but at the same time I could see why.
I did notice that due to the higher tourism in Pushkar, it was a little more difficult to capture street photography and portraits. I have always found this to be a fine dance, especially traveling alone as a woman. I always want to be aware of the situations I'm getting in, and the dark alleyways I might end up wandering down with a large camera around my neck.
So if you only feel comfortable on the main streets, stay there.
If you feel okay photographing some guys in an alleyway because the lighting is amazing...do that - but be careful! By the end of my time taking portraits of the younger man above, a crowd of men had formed. They were harmlessly watching, but I kindly and quickly said thank you before heading on my way.
PHOTO TIP:
In Pushkar you'll have a harder time taking portraits of the Holy Men or decorated elderly women without them expecting payment.
There are signs everywhere asking you to not take pictures of people bathing in the Ghats.
PUSHKAR BY CAMEL
It was finally time to explore OUTSIDE of Pushkar and the best way to do that...by camel!
Pushkar hosts one of the largest Camel Fairs in the world, with 400,000 people per year and over 11,000 camels, horses and cattle. It is held during the full moon in November, a holy time in the Hindu calendar and pilgrims come to also bathe in the Pushkar Lake.
The rest of the year the camels are used locally for transportation and for tourists. I still had a few hours before sunset so I decided to end my day in Pushkar with a camel ride into the Thar desert. First I had to use the "bathroom" which was a bed sheet hanging by a rope. So you have an idea what the camel "booking" area is like and then we headed on our way.
As we started our way out of the city we stopped to let our camel get a drink, which for some reason I found to be a fun experience before we crossed the main highway and headed to the hills! On the way out of town you see locals headed home in carts being pulled by camels and the locals smile and wave.
I also had my first experience of trying to balance my photo equipment on a bumpy camel and loved having my CapturePro Peak Design camera clip.
We walked for almost two hours and finally stopped to enjoy the sunset in the Thar Desert.
I couldn't believe I was here..sitting by my camel, listening to a man playing a Ravanahatha instrument while the sunset fell over the desert horizon and gypsies danced in the distance.
-Tara
TARA SHUPE
Tara Shupe is a Humanitarian Photographer and Video Storyteller, constantly traveling with a camera attached to the hip and a notebook in her pocket. With over 10 years of experience in the field, Tara approaches each story intimately with a hope for inspiring others to think beyond their comfort zone.
