Camels!

There are places in India where it feels like you are stepping back in time. Many places. Pushkar, in Rajasthan, is one of those places. And in November of each year, this sleepy town turns into a full blown circus with the annual camel fair. And yes, a camel fair is exactly what it sounds like. Thousands and thousands of camel traders bring their animals to Pushkar to sell and show off their.

It just so happened that this year, the fair fell on the same date as Thanksgiving, which means Becky and I and what seemed like a third of our AES school community hopped on a train west to take part in the festivities.

Pushkar itself is a pilgrimage sight for both Hindus and Sikhs as both Lord Brahma and Guru Nanak spent time here. So adding to the chaos of the camel fair are festivities around a Hindu celebration. In fact, the population of Pushkar goes from 15,000 to 300,000 during the fair. And it absolutely feels like 300,000 people crammed into a city built for 15,000.

The first order of business is to see the camels. We hired a camel taxi to take us on a sunset ride out to where the animals and traders were.

Nancy waiting anxiously in our carriage.

Although it would seem to be the case, we didn't ask for the most decorated camel - they all had bling.

Poop burns well.

The second order of business after getting out to the camels is to mingle. Some of our party were braver than others. 

Katrina didn't get much closer than this, unless you count riding on it's back.

Becky again managing the paradox that is both loving all animals and being skiddish of them at the same time. 

Perhaps my favorite photo set of the entire year.

After a long first day at the camel fair, there is nothing like a little chai to finish off the night. I don't know who said it first, but I've heard it from a number of people: Chai is pretty much always safe. In other words, not all street food is safe unless you really need to catch up on your bathroom magazine reading. Well, Becky and I have been putting that theory to test around India and so far so good. So when you come to visit, sound like a pro when you tell your fellow travelers, "Chai is safe, you know, cause it's boiling."

Speaking of boiling chai, this stuff was seriously hard to hold. Those are pain grins on Becky, Sharon and Nancy. 

Chai Walla

The beautiful powders were for the Hindu festival. And that is all I know.

Wow. I knew there was a reason I was putting off writing this blog post for six months. I have 350+ pictures and they are pretty much all awesome. To make this post less overwhelming (for you), I am breaking here. Part II next.