Before coming to India, one of the first things I decided to do was visit Pushkar during the annual Camel Fair and Pilgrimage. Otherwise my travels were to be spontaneous and plan-free, so landing in Mumbai six weeks before the fair has meant that going south to Goa, to then ride 1000 miles north for the fair, and then head south again for the winter months, has made the whole Pushkar thing a bit of a hassle to say the least. Many warned me that I would be disappointed, that it is too touristy, etc...

The opposite was true: I found Pushkar gorgeous, and being here during the Camel Fair has been incredible. The photos I have been able to shoot here are really wonderful, so I hope you will take the time to click on all the links!

Pushkar:
Nestled between two mountain ranges, rather like the Hollywood Hills and San Gabriel mountains in Los Angeles, Pushkar looks rather like an idyllic Greek island port-town, except that the bay is closed on all sides -- the bay being, in fact, a very holy lake. View image , View image , View image , View image.

Hinduism is too complicated to understand, let alone explain, but, apparently Pushkar is very important holy place, with hundreds of thousands of Pilgrims coming to bathe in the lake. The pilgrimage takes place at the same time as the Camel Fair. This holy status also means that Pushkar is a place where you cannot find alcohol, meat or eggs -- unless you have secret connections...

The Pilgrimage:
During the week of the pilgrimage, the numbers of people cramming the tiny streets and alleyways was steadily increasing every day, until the religious activity reached its frenzied peak at full-moon, last Friday. View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image.
When dedications are made in the evening, an offering with a candle is floated out onto the lake: View image

The Camel Fair:
Held in the surrounding desert, within walking-distance of the little town, the Camel fair attracts 50,000 camels from all over Rajasthan, brought to trade, sell, compete or just show-off. The fair is also Rajasthan's main tourist event, and many opportunities exist for tourists to interact with locals, during displays, shows and competitions.

The ferris wheel at the fairground was not only the fastest-spinning I had ever seen, but also probably the least safe. Every time the wheel paused to let on a new passenger, a young boy would climb into the wheel with a spanner and tighen a few bolts. Like every road experience in India, I took the ride with some fear, and complete surrender to the powers that be... View image , View image , View image , View image.

Some of the competitions included:

1. A camel dressing competition, in which, basically, the camel whose body can carry the most bling wins... View image.

2. A moustache competition, in which the only man with incredible 6-foot whiskers was allowed to "compete", but not to win (apparently, he had won too easily in previous years!): View image , View image , and surprisingly, the second prize went to an Englishman: View image.

3. A horse-dancing competition, in which riderless horses danced to live music, with their owners standing next to them. It was amazing to see how well the winning horse was able to interpret the music, and adapt his dance to the changes of rhythm and intensity: View image , View image , View image.

4. This was followed by a camel-dancing competion, but as I expected, camels can't dance at all. They were just led by the nose in silly circles, with the camels' confused expressions seeming to say, "What...? Like this...? What...? What...?"

5. A Rajasthani Bride competition for western women who must have spent hours shopping and doing make-up for the event. Strangely, the three winners were all blondes... View image , View image , View image.

Men are very tactile with each other in India, but seeing two cops like this looks strange:View image.

Holymen, or Saddhus, are all over India, and although they have given eerything up for spirituality, they often love to pose for photos: View image.

Camel herders spend hours examining all the pitchforks, before choosing the right one: View image.

My favorite pastime was wandering, with my camera, through the dunes filled with the camps of these extraordinary animals. It was exciting to watch brightly turbaned men, involved in heated negotiations over a particular camel, or group of camels: View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image.

The camels are made to look their best with black make-up or designs clipped into the hair: View image , View image , View image. Most people know the swastika is a Hindu symbol, stolen by Hitler. Still, it's hard not to think this might be a Nazi war-camel: View image.

Amazing SUNSET images from the Camel Fair: View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image, View image , View image.

Camels have the most unusual physicality and expressions, and Rajasthani people are beautiful and noble. Here are some faces of both:View image , View image, View image , View image, View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image , View image.

Here are some more lovely images from the camel fair:
Boy and camel in distance: View image
Two camels pointing: View image
Camels bum line: View image
Working boy's load: View image.
Man letting camels drink: View image.
This is perhaps MY FAVORITE, called "Elbows":View image
Hump and Hill: View image
Legs: View image

Here are some more of the best images I have shot here in Pushkar:
The lake in the morning: View image.
Perfect moment behind little girl walking: View image
This is a real dentist's practice (look carefully), he charges $2.75 for any kind of work: View image
This is pure color pigment, mainly used to mark a bindi on the forehead: View image
Typical street scene; cow, bike, yellow, blue: View image
Brightly colored ladies passing my hotel doorway: View image
After the "massage", write your "FEELINGS"... View image
The flower chains are used as offerings to Gods, on vehicles, houses, camels, etc.:View image
Water Bottles cause lots of garbage. This guesthouse is saving up hopefully, for the day when a deposit is paid for returns...: View image
Street vendor makes hot mil for chai tea: View image
Watch the spikes!:View image
View of Pushkar from Mountain temple: View image
Monkeys by the mountain temple: View image , View image

Wonderful Menu mispellings!
Painfully sweet: View image
This dish is a classic: View image
Hotel Yes Please: View image

Cart-taxi a relaxing way to travel through town: View image

Two guys squatting on a wall: View image
Dogs (and Indians) can sleep just about anywhere: View image
Red Man prepares his wares: View image

In Pushkar, there is a daily ritual of watching the sunset fromthe "Sunset Cafe":View image , View image , View image , View image.

On the full-moon evening at the end of the festival, with a new group of traveller friends, we managed to persuade a restaurant owner to buy us a bottle of whiskey from the next town, on condition we kept the bottle hidden under our table. It was great to feel the buzz from a drink, and a shared joint made everything seem perfect and calm. As we left the restaurant at midnight, we found the streets completely silent, ...except for a camel and trailer, and a man offering to take us for a full-moon ride out in the desert. What a great idea! It was absolute magic. I took this group shot in just the bright moonlight: View image.
This amazing, daliesque photo of the camel and trailer was taken with an 8-second exposure, panning as the camel walked by me: View image