"Madam, everything is possible"

I visited the small holy Hindu city of Pushkar for a few days and this was the catch phrase of every salesman. I felt like I was back in Yangshuo, China because of all the eastern/western shopping.

Pushkar is a city where there are herds of Israelis around. If there are cheap drugs to be taken or sold, there are Israelis. Most are embittered by their time in the army for a cause they don't care about and just want to get high. In the process they have populated this small Hindu city and many are very rude to the locals. This is not to say all Israelis are crackheads, but I didn't see one that wasn't strung out either on drugs or the infamous "special lassi".

The "everything is possible" phrase gave me a good laugh because when you would walk into a shop, a tout would run over and say it. THen when you asked about a different color or size they answered, "no madam, not possible" and would try to interest you in something that didn't fit or was hideously ugly. According to our group leader (who is Indian), the prices I got on my silk chinese pants were dirt cheap (70 rupees which was originally 80 but they had a small hole which I wasn't very fussed about but I felt compelled to bargain). I also bought a pair of cotton pants that are VERY flowy and almost like bellbottoms but they dont go tight around the knee, just straight up to the waist. They match a beautiful silk punjabi top, which together cost 320 rupees ($6.50ish). Again the group leader said I did really well.

After a shower, I put on my new duds with my usual travel head rag and wandered around a bit more. One quiet old man walked up to me and told me I looked like a beautiful maharani and then walked away. I suppose there are worse compliments!!! I also find that I get more attention when I am in local dress than not. Why, I don't know. This really confuses me. Oh well, go figure!!!

Pushkar was a welcome sanctuary for a few days and we stayed in a resort that doubled as a plant nursery. We got the fun of shopping and bargaining while staying in an oasis of greenery. ROCK ON! :)