PUSHKAR BEYOND THE CAMELS...MOSTLY

In addition to camels, Pushkar offers visitors some stunning scenery. Set between arid farmland and rocky hills, the  town of 16,000 (which swells to more than 200,000 during the Came Fair) is one of the top pilgrimage sites for Hindus. Temples surround a small lake, which marks the center of the city. The word "Pushkar" means blue lotus flower in Sanskrit, and residents paint the buildings and temples on the lake's waters accordingly.

Hindus, like the camel traders attending the fair (above right), travel for days and miles to reach Pushkar. Many of the travelers dress up for the occasion (above left, below center), so Kip thought he'd get in on the fun. Luckily, everyone we met seemed to get a kick out of seeing a 6'2" bearded foreigner with a handlebar mustache dressed in a turban and pajama. 

In addition to learning how to tie a turban, we also found out just how large a camel's toes are. Those are huge camel toes!

But mostly while in Pushkar, we experienced just how incredibly stunning a sight you get when you combine thousands of camels, a camel race, a couple hundred thousand people, and three ferris wheels in a semi-dessert surrounded by mountains and holy temples. 

Oh yeah, did we mention we saw lots and lots of camels?