Camels, camels, and more camels!

Did you know that camels are the symbol for love ... elephants for luck?

At last night's dinner I met Leslie, a delightful Canadian woman who was briefly traveling by herself while her sister-in-law had some business to transact. She had a driver, which considering yesterday's "adventures" is a Pushkar must.

Pushkar Mela began today ... woohoo! This is the very best time to arrive. Surprisingly very few tourists on this first day, although lots of western press, and the Indians are out in force. These first couple of days are really for them, and with great fanfare, loud speakers, drum beats, it begins.





There are competitions for
horse dancing,
camel dancing,
and camel races.











There's a huge bazaar ... lots of camel accessories (hmmm, what do you think)? The Indians are trying on new shoes, and clothes, buying kitchen utensils and just all the hubbub of their world. Their camels are all "parked" on the sand dunes ... front feet hobbled together and tied up to a stick, chowing down on their food basket, and snoozing away the day.

And midday snoozing is an absolute. By 2 pm it is blazing hot ... I could cook an egg on my forehead. I have sand and dirt everywhere imagineable. A delish lunch at our tent city and it's nap time ... stretched out to get any possible breeze (mirage or not).

What an experience ... what a day!

P.S. - Only in India ... charging my camera batteries in the gooseberry tree!