From Jaisalmer, I headed to Jodhpur, just for a one night stop.
I arrived in the afternoon and had time to take a stroll around the fort in the center of the city, and also get a glimpse of why they call it the “Blue City.”


           

           
In the fort, I also toured the Mehrangarh Palace.
           

       

The next morning, I headed to Pushkar, but took a slight detour to make a stop at my own little Mecca…The Om Bana Temple.

In the 80s, a villager named Om Bana died in an accident on his Royal Enfield. The motorcycle was taken to the police station, but the next morning was nowhere to be found. After some searching, the found it back at the scene of the accident. Again it was brought to the station, and once more it somehow made it’s way back to the scene of the accident. Supposedly, people also started to see visions of Om Bana in the area, so a small temple was built where the accident occurred, and the motorcycle is kept there as well.

           

Pushkar is an interesting little place. It’s a common Hindu pilgrimage town where many people come to bathe in the lake, which was said to be formed when a petal from Brahma’s lotus flower fell to the ground.

           

Starting the hike up to Saraswati Temple.

The view from the top, on a hazy day.

A parade going through the main street in town.
           

While here, I felt obligated to try a specialty in Rajasthan…Special Lassi.
Lassi is a sweet yogurt drink, common throughout India.
Looks awfully unassuming in this cute little cup…

Special Lassi is like any other lassi, but with one more ingredient…Bhang. I opted to go with the mild version, as I felt I should keep my wits about me if I wanted to continue navigating the narrow streets as scooters flew by, nearly colliding with everything and everyone they passed. If anyone is suffering from insomnia, this is the remedy.

On my way out of Pushkar, I stopped by the Shiva Temple about 10km away in Kharekhari.
           
I met Baba Aloo while I was there, and after talking about my trip with him and a few other locals who were hanging out there, he suggested that we smoke a chillum together. I tried as politely as I could to decline, as hash and motorcycle riding seems like a terrible plan…Instead we opted for a couple cups of chai.