Pushkar, India

I wasn’t expecting to have to sprint after my bag as it disappeared on a moped. But that was our introduction to Pushkar, a small town in Rajasthan, where we headed to visit the world’s largest gathering of camels. 

The train arrived into Ajmer and we hopped in a transfer laid on by our hotel in Pushkar, a minivan with a wonderfully carpeted interior. After about an hour we arrived in Pushkar, where our bags were transferred onto the back on a moped, which then zipped off straight into the alleyways of Pushkar without a pause. I didn’t necessarily think they were being stolen, but I thought there was a reasonable chance they’d end up lost – so I chased after them and breathlessly followed the moped all the way to the front door of Hotel Everest.

Hotel Everest was a wonderful place to be based, nestled out of the way above the chaos of Pushkar. Apparently the camel festival – or mela – used to be a lot more about the camels and livestock trading, but over the years demand for camels has reduced, and it has since become more focused on the fairground, concerts and sideshows. Hundreds of thousands of people now travel from all over India to visit the mela; we were pleased that we had a calm rooftop to retreat to if the crowds got too much.

We walked down early to have a look around the camel arena, declined several offers to ride a camel, and were standing in a roped-off crowd, craning our necks to watch as the show got underway, when an army officer shouted and pointed at us, gesturing for us to speak to him. We pushed through the crowd, wondering what we’d done wrong, and he pointed us towards the VIP area behind the stage, which was cordoned off, carpeted, and full of comfy chairs. We didn’t hesitate, and ended up spending a lovely few hours watching the festival, as dancers, camels, horses, cows and all sorts were paraded around. Some were judged, some got medals, some danced, some waved. And that was just the animals. It was a bizarre but fun spectacle, made all the better by our prime seats in the shady VIP section. 

Having seen enough dancing camels to last us a lifetime, we wandered into the fairground section. It was loud, bright, and packed with families having a wonderful day out. Ferris wheels spinning round, screams of children on rides, and the whole place weirdly lit in shades of pink, purple and green, as if everything was covered in glowsticks. After a few obligatory photos with various members of Nicola’s fan club, we decided we’d seen enough, and started heading back to our hotel. The chap on reception had previously warned us to take nothing out with us, as we’d be a target for pickpockets. Sure enough, a small boy ‘dropped something’ just in front of us and crouched down, delaying us, and allowing his friends to try to rummage in our pockets. We could see the whole thing playing out, and told them gently that we knew what they were doing. I don’t think they spoke English, so then tried again – once again disappointed that my hands were jammed in my pockets. Fair play to them for trying, and best of luck to them.

Another good thing about Hotel Everest was a little kitchen on the rooftop, which served up a surprisingly varied menu of daals, chicken and vegetable curries, all at super cheap prices. It was so convenient and quiet that we ate there often, watching over the rooftops of Pushkar as monkeys leapt from roof to roof, people hung out washing and the sounds of the mela in full flow drifted over the rooftops.

That evening there was a big show at the mela ground, where Bollywood singer Amit Mishra was in town – a big name, albeit one we’d never heard of. Once again, on arrival, we were shepherded to a roped-off VIP area. This gave us a prime view of the comedian who was doing a full warm up act entirely in Hindi. The Bollywood star was delayed for some reason, and this poor comedian filled for hours, which was impressive – if slightly tiring for people not familiar with the language. The sketch which seemed to get the biggest laugh seemed to be at our expense, as every so often you’d catch him saying ‘England’ and laughing. Still no idea what that was all about.

On our final evening in Pushkar we headed down to the lake, which is surrounded by ghats, little stairs that lead down to the sacred waters of the lake. They’re used for aarti, a Hindu ritual which involves waving oil lamps while singing songs in praise of the gods. Pushkar is home to the only temple in the world dedicated to the Hindu god Lord Brahma, also has a particular sacredness. As the aarti got underway, the smell of oil lamps and fragrance wafted through the crowds, who joined in with the chanting. It was mesmerising watching the flames flicker, lighting the faces of the enchanted worshippers around the lake.

With zero camels purchased and zero pockets picked, these two newly-crowned VIPs headed back to the hotel to arrange a taxi to Ajmer Station. We needed to catch our evening train to our final stop in Rajasthan: Udaipur.