I decided to stay here another couple of days... I still have some silver pieces sitting in the acid bath, and another few I need to file down, and it's just been so nice here! So I changed the bus ticket to go directly to Delhi on Sunday night. I'll see the Taj Mahal on Tuesday, and leave for Rishikesh on Christmas eve... At least, providing my plans don't change...
I have gotten much more comfortable doing this traveling thing... Being alone means I don't have to consult anyone to make a decision, and I can change my mind at the drop of a dime! I can also spend hours and hours in the silver shop, completely in the zone.
I also did a little shopping- clothes here are very styly- I think I found a few good pieces I can rock in the states without looking like a transplanted sadhu (A sadhu is a wandering ascetic who renounces all worldly possesions and devotes himself to religion... They walk barefoot and wear turbans and wrap themselves in white cloth. They beg for money on the street, and I don't think they bathe very often. Like many Hindus, they wear the tikka on their forehead. Some carry staffs. I couldn't ever really imitate the style of a sadhu! Also, I don't know, I've never seen a woman sadhu.)
So, a few other things about Pushkar- my hotel is great, but no bubble bath facilities :-( But the guys who works there are very nice, and my favorite Australian couple also lived there- although they left this morning for Jodphur- It is true, angels exist, and they are some real-life examples. It's 150 rupees a night, which is about $3.50 USD. I love coming home to my own little place! It's quiet and centrally located.
Moon-chul is an enterprising Korean guy who just opened a store here- selling anything and everything, mostly stuff donated by visiting foreign tourists, for sale mostly to visiting Indian tourists. He has a little puppy dog that he brought here from Rishikesh... The little guy has really sharp teeth but is so cute! I donated a blue fleece (Gap brand) to the store. He priced it at 300 rupees- we'll see how it sells!
What else... Silver class is starting later today so Sunil can buy more silver. So I went for a hike up this hill that rises straight up out of the earth and has a temple on top. There were a lot of monkeys on the way... Also a lot of tractors, going full speed on the road which was basically made of very fine dust! Blech. But the hike was awesome- a great workout- huge stone steps- I can only imagine the workout it must have been for the people who actually laid the stones to set the path... People told me it would take two hours to get up and back- one and a half to get up, and half to get down. But you know me, I charged up in 1/2 an hour, passing pilgrims left and right! A group of young obnoxious Indian dudes who had been sitting and taking a break tried to talk to me, and I said hello but kept walking, and they started to walk with me- and I was just pleased as punch because I just knew they wouldn't be able to keep up! The concept of strength and endurance training has just not reached Pushkar.
Anyways, love and miss you all!
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