Three quarters of an hour after I have ordered my breakfast (omelet and roti, bread-like pancake), it is finally brought to the roof terrace, where I am already enjoying the morning sun. I am accompanied at breakfast by a Dutch man who arrived at the hotel last night and has many travel stories to tell. All in all it takes 2 hours before I finally leave, but the route for today is short and I have enough time today.
The road from Jaipur to Pushkar is easy and the last part goes through a hilly landscape. Along the way I regularly check whether droplets of oil appear on my boot, because that would mean that the temporary repair is no longer sufficient, but it is going well and that makes me happy.
When I arrive at the hotel, I am greeted by the whole family who runs the hotel from the roof terrace. Unfortunately I have to park my motorcycle on the street, but fortunately it is a very quiet street and the owner has camera security. To give prying eyes and hands no chance, I cover the motorcycle with my own camouflage cover.
The owner heats up the boiler so that I can have a hot shower and after the refreshment of the almost warm water I walk to the center of the town. Pushkar is considered a holy city by the Hindus and is an important pilgrimage site. And that is noticeable because it is busy. The lake in the middle of the town is also sacred and can only be visited without shoes. Normally I don't have a problem with that, but there is pigeon and cow shit everywhere. Bah.
As soon as I stand at the water's edge, a monk approaches me and yes, after an explanation, a joint prayer and my blessing with the holy water, the donation monkey comes out of the sleeve. Everything here revolves around money. Not surprising, of course, because it is swarming with domestic and foreign pilgrims and tourists. Foreign tourists also have a high dreadlock, piercing and slipper content. It's not all my thing.
I stroll around the countless shops, eateries and cow pies and watch, from a distance, how men immerse themselves in the lake. Due to the large number of restaurants, there is a huge choice in vegetarian food. Not as cheap as elsewhere, but 2 courses for less than €6 is fine. There is a relaxed atmosphere, but after one day I have seen it.
