Please excuse the brief hiatus. For the last few weeks I have been busy photographing Diwali, a baby party and the Pushkar Camel Fair. All this coming soon!

But, in the meantime, here are some snapshots of what I have been up to for the last month. A little view into my life in Pushkar thus far:

Usually, when I am taken to someone's home, I am whisked away to be with the other girls and women. The girls thought it would be lots of fun to undress me and dress me up in traditional Rajasthani garb... giggling the entire time!

 Dressed as a Rajasthani

Durga Puja

I was invited to attend, and to judge, a dancing competition (referred as a 'function') during the Durga Puja. Three of us squashed onto a motorbike and made our way over the mountains to Ajmer. This was one of the many highlights of my trip! It was so much fun to watch the dancing (Dandiya, a traditional folk dance) and try a bit myself as we had practiced this in my Bollywood class back home in the States. As one of my friends mentioned, 'it was as if the moon fell from the sky' as I was always surrounded by twenty people wanting to say hello and shake my hand!

One night, I awoke to a lot of squeaking in my room and was unable to figure out where it was coming from. The next day I opened my toiletries bag and found a baby squirrel fast asleep inside!

Funky Monkey Cafe

Best iced coffee latte, cappuccinos and sandwiches in Pushkar! And, sometimes there is some live Bollywood entertainment thrown in, courtesy of Aryan.

Joanna and Aryan

Coffee with Dharmu

Contrary to popular belief, cows DO get told off for causing mischief. 

Party at the Raj Palace. Complete with a delicious meal of salad, chapati, jeera rice, dal and a mixed vegetable curry. Wine in mugs (as well as other mixed drinks) accompanied the meal along with some Rajasthani drumming.

Dharmu and Pinu as back up drummers with Aryan dancing. 

Helping Bhoma in the kitchen. 

 Michaela, Sunny, Joanna, Isabel and I with our wine in mugs 

(alcohol is not allowed in Pushkar... hence the mugs). 

Party at the Pushkar Resort with my Swedish friends Vrinda and Isabel. 

A Rajasthani sunset

Desert Thali (ice cream, pancakes, cookie crumbles, fruit, warm chocolate sauce and dulce de leche) with Isabel at Koala. We also had a belgium waffle with ice cream and dulce de leche. 

 Needless to say, it was scrumptious. 

Having chai with some Babas, at what they call 'The World Trade Center', on the other side of the lake.

An Indian Thanksgiving: salad, chapati, jeera rice, dal, mixed vegetable curry, Kingfisher beer and gulab jamun.

Black market boiled eggs... with red chili, green chili and red onions. Eggs are also not allowed in Pushkar so we needed to go 4 km by motorbike to find them.   

Delicious  

Voting in India!

Method:

Contact Voter Registration in your county (for the 2012 United States General Election) before you leave and give them your email address and any other information needed. An email will arrive with a document (for Overseas Voting) to print out, fill out, scan and send back via email. Once that is accepted, a copy of the ballot for the national and local elections will be sent, again, via email. That too is to be printed, filled out, scanned and sent back via email before November 6th! 

 Watching the debates on YouTube with a very cute, future politician. 

Ballot printed out: an all day quest due to the daily five-six hour power cuts.

Ready to vote! Five minutes after this photo was taken a baby cow tried to eat my ballot. 

(Please excuse the bare shoulders).

Results the following day at Funky Monkey Cafe. 

Reactions to the election. 

Every time these two see me they still shout: 'Obbbaaammmmaaa!!!'

Introducing... Jaipur

Three and a half hours by local bus from Pushkar, I arrived in Jaipur, the Pink City. Named for its salmon coloured walls, Jaipur is the capital of Rajasthan. In truth, it was a bit of a shock arriving in the bustling capital after having been in peaceful Pushkar for the last few weeks. With a little boy fast asleep with his head on my shoulder, the bus made its way through the suburbs with its expensive cars and shopping malls. But, as we moved further towards  the center of the city, horses and traps took the place of cars and other means of transportation and delivery. 

Palace of the Winds (Hawa Mahal)

Created by one of the Maharaja's for the ladies of royalty to be able to watch the processions and other events. Lattice screens and little windows enabled the ladies to watch the outside world in privacy. 

Palace of the Winds

City Palace

Home to the Majaraja of Jaipur and to the Kachwaha Rajputs. Building began in 1729.

 Diwan-i-Khas (Hall of Private Audiences)

Jantar Mantar 

An astronomical playground and observatory created by Jai Singh in 1728.

Largest sundial in the world.
Accurate by two seconds

Smaller Sundial

Narivalaya Equatorial sundial

Jai Prakesh Mantra

Tracks the position of the sun and marks the month and date

And, there are instruments for astrological signs too!

The Amber (Amer) Fort

Hindu and Rajput architecture with construction starting in 1592 by Raja Man Singh I.  11 km from Japiur and once the home to the Rajput Maharajas.

Amer

Monkey Temple (Galtaji)

Hindu pilgrimage site with bathing tanks.

Ladies on their way to the Sun Temple (Surya Mandir). 

Chock-a-block full of pilgrims and monkeys. 

Monkeys having a bit of a swim. 

Feeding the monkeys brings good karma!

Dussera Festival:

The Dussera Festival celebrates the killing of the ten headed demon king Ravana by Lord Rama and the Goddess Durga's victory over demons.  Why the fuss? Ravana kidnapped Sita, the wife of Rama (who is one of the incarnations of the god Vishnu). Rama and his brother, along with Hanuman the monkey god and his monkey army made their way to Lanka to save Sita. How is this linked to the goddess Dugra? Rama asked Durga for the way to kill Ravana. Long story short: Ravana was killed and Sita was saved. 

The festival is celebrated by much fanfare and the burning of effigies to personify the killing of Ravana by Rama. There are lively processions with drums, Bollywood music and dancing in the streets during which marigolds are thrown enthusiastically at the crowds. The night ends with fireworks, the acting out of the killing and the burning of the effigies of Ravana.