Three weeks later, however, I got the itch and decided to ignore everyone’s advice and brave the heat in Rajasthan. So, a seven hour bus ride and a ten hour train journey later, I arrived in Pushkar.
On exiting the bus, I bonded with a Finish girl over our shared dream of a swimming pool. Anu and I tracked down the Navratan Palace Hotel and were possibly a little too excited to find the pool was everything all the strangers on the road had promised. So much so that we’d checked in and jumped in without about 10 minutes.
People’s worries about the heat were worth ignoring. It is hot, but it’s also almost empty of foreign tourists, making for a very leisurely pace of life and lots of opportunities for drinking chai with the shop keepers - and bartering. Which Anu and I made the most of! We spent a week together chatting, shopping, swimming and sunbathing – all while worrying about our respective trips home and dreaming of ways in which we could stay. That was a week ago – Anu is now in London, and I am still in Pushkar.
I honestly did mean to leave. It’s just that all the trains were full. Well, it’s PARTLY because all the trains were full. It’s also partly because (wait for it...) I think I am tired of travelling. There, I’ve said it. I think I might actually be ready to come home. The lure of sightseeing has worn thin. For the moment anyway.
In this new frame of mind, I’ve treated the last few weeks as a holiday. A holiday to end my holiday.
I’ve spent days by the pool; feeding the tortoises and watching the new born kittens playing in the hotel garden.
I’ve shopped, I’ve drunk chai with all my new best friends in the market and I’ve watched the sunset over the lake.
I’ve been given chocolate by the waiter at the hotel in secret celebration of his exam success (82%!). And I’ve spent a couple of days talking philosophy with a guy called Ed, before he left me to head north to see Mr Dalai Lama.
I’ve eaten a lot; I think the (all veg) food in Pushkar is amongst the best I’ve eaten in India. I’ve stumbled across the best lassi of the trip too – the cashew nut lassi at Shiva’s juice stall in AMAZING. Fortunately I’ve talked myself into yoga every (OK, most) mornings and a few lengths everyday in the pool to burn it off. I’ve written a bit, I’ve read a lot and I’ve relaxed.
Right now, life is very good.
