A group of people in my camp bought train tickets to go to Pushkar for a weekend trip and I really wanted to go. I showed up at the train ticket station the day before, but was thwarted by India’s bureaucracy. My roommate, Daniel, got sick and ended up giving me his ticket. We hopped on a train and were off on my first train trip in India.

The early morning November weather was cool and crisp. The train stop was actually a town called Ajmer, and from there we hopped on a local bus to Pushkar. This weekend was part of the very famous Pushkar Camel Fair, where traders from all over Rajasthan come to buy and sell camels.

Our hotel was nice with a peaceful courtyard complete with meandering tortoises.

Pushkar is considered one of the five holiest cities by devout Hindus who flock here to bathe in the sacred lake. We headed into the town, which is centered around the lake, and were immediately pounced on by supposed priests wanting to bless with the holy water. Afterwards they asked for an absurd donation amount and claimed that my friends had donated this (they hadn’t). I gave them a few hundred rupees (maybe $5) and let them tie a sacred thread around my wrist that would let the other priests know that I had been blessed already.

The dirt roads around the lake are chock full of shops selling all kinds of neat stuff.

That night we all got together for some dinner and drinks and I let the group know that my birthday was the following day. I have a good night’s sleep and am awake early to the sound of chanting. I decide to wander the streets by myself and check out the temples around the lake.

After some lunch with the group we decided to take a taxi back to the Ajmer train station instead of the local bus we took in. On the train ride back to Jaipur I talked with a group of guys for most of the trip. I showed them my passport to prove it was my birthday and they wished me well. Back at the camp I gathered a group to head out to a rooftop bar for a drink for my birthday to cap off a very nice birthday weekend.