Pushkar, Tents, Temples and Camels

Our hotel was a modified tent!  It was just like camping but it had a chandelier, a four-poster bed, wood floors, and a giant bathroom.  At dinner our first night, Dad accidently ate a super hot chili pepper. We think we saw smoke and fire coming out his ears! 

We scheduled a tour of Pushkar with a guide. On the tour we saw the only temple in India for the Hindu God Brahma who is said to have created the Universe.  We rang a bell to show respect and watched the local people do small ceremonies.  We then went to Pushkar lake where many people travel to take a dip in the water to wash away their sins.  Our guide included us in a ceremony where we wished for health, happiness and good fortune for all our friends and family.  We also got our first red smudge on our foreheads.  We also enjoyed a refreshing sugar cane drink mixed with rose petals and mint.  It was delicious, but we will come back to that later.  We had some Israeli food for lunch at the Third Eye restaurant. 

That evening we rode on camels!  The camels' names were Raja and Ramu.  We traveled around a village and watched the sun set.  As we rode through the village we were followed by several children who all said "hello", "how are you", "tata" and "good bye".  They were full of smiles, no shoes, and very interested in who we were.  Some even posed for a picture.  Several were interested in Dad's sunglasses.  We  were offered water by a village woman and watched cows, pigs and goats roam through the village.