meeting the french

JAIPUR TO PUSHKAR - 17th October 2011.

Arrived in Pushkar for midday. Entered the town and was met by a holy priest who said nothing to me but gave me a handful of petals. Was then ushered down to the ghats (a series of steps which led down to the holy lake) where I was asked to drop the petals into the water whilst the priest blessed my family. After this ritual (and having to make a donation like with everything in India) I was then apparently allowed to roam the city without hindrance from any other priests. Found a nice little guesthouse called Shiva but there seemed to be no one around the place except this French couple whose names were Julien and Aurelie (Lilly). They are both biology graduates with Lilly specializing in human anatomy whilst Julien is interested in beetles (weevils to be precise) and plants. Julien collects samples of different beetles and he showed me his small test tubes containing specimens he had found so far in India. They have been travelling for about a month so far and we talked about how overwhelming it is the first time you  arrive in Delhi. They fell foul to a similar thing where they paid way over the odds for a driver taking them around for a week They noticed the wrist band the holy priest had given me down by the ghats and asked me how much I had given. I donated about 50Rs (its 76 rupees to the pound) which was apparently ok. The old trick goes that when you drop the petals into the water, the priest asks you how many family members you have and then asks for your donation multiplied by number you give, which results in some people being bullied into paying 500rs and up! A cheeky little scam which I imagine generates a tidy income every year! I had not eaten all day  and so as they had been in Pushkar for several days, they showed me round and then took me to this amazing restaurant called Sanjays which had a rooftop overlooking the holy lake. I ordered a large thali (like indian tapas) for RS100, a little over a pound! Back at Shiva, Julien made some tea using Tulsi plants he had picked just outside the city that day.

x

Relaxing at the Shiva guest house.