The next night, Amit, Sheri (our new buddy from Georgia), Helen and I trekked through the desert to a gypsy camp in the dark of night. While crossing the starlit dunes we were each silently speculating whether or not we were going to get robbed or just get our throats slashed. When we entered the circle of darkened thatched huts the tribe of nomads spray out to perform a 2 hour private music and dance concert for us. As the band played frantically the bewitching dancers spun hypnotically against the night sky sometimes plucking us off the dirt to join them. The men had a good laugh after deciding I danced like a camel with 4 left feet. During the frenzy of the night many very young children tried to pick our pockets but we were already forewarned, oddly enough, by their parents!

For one of the main events, Sheri was styled and made up by Amit's sister, Rupali, and entered in a Bridal Beauty Pageant that was specifically for westerners. Needless to say, the Indians take their wedding garb very seriously. The competition was grueling. One Indian woman had her unsuspecting entrant is seclusion for 2 days. Between rounds there were local musicians and dancers to mesmerize the mob of spectators. While Sheri was busy getting dolled up, Amit thought it would be entertaining (for the rest of Pushkar) to style me in a typical Rajasthani ensemble.

The Camel Fair is in conjunction with a religious holiday. On the first day of observance the manager of our hotel, Chand, invited us to join him in braving the other one hundred thousand pilgrims to go down to the Brahma Ghats on the lake to be blessed. Evidently, for this one week of the year all the other 3600 major and minor gods that usually pervade India vacate their domiciles and migrate here as well - it is the only mass exodus of gods in Hinduism. Helen and I were very concerned about the turmoil caused by their absence throughout the rest of the country - but there was nothing in the newspaper so I guess everything was fine. It was a really beautiful ceremony that got slightly marred by a pushy, donation-hungry Brahman Priest. According to all the guide books Pushkar is famous for it's overzealous clergy.

If you have a 5 legged cow you've won at bingo, but if you have a 6 legged cow you've hit the consecration lottery. Amongst all of the profitable five legged cows, we saw these guy's raking it in hand over fist. A week later we saw the same cow just strolling along side the highway unattended. Needless to say, my entreprenerial mind was spinning, but I can't even begin to imagine the time I'd get for snaching a 6-legged holy cow. Unfortunately, photography is not allowed at the ghats, but we got some shots of the hordes from across the river.

One Sunday morning we rented a scooter and with "Born to Be Wild" in our heads we set out into the countryside. We explored temples, got lost, ate severely deep fried village food...you know, the usual stuff.

We also decided to persue some of our interests. For Helen is was Khabelia (gypsy) dancing. For me it was the 12 stringed Ravanata. While Helen was quick to find her inner nomad, the city of Pushkar issued me their first summons ever for disturbing the peace – children cried, animals hid in fear, and the entire city had it's first run on earplugs.

Even though the Caste System is supposedly illegal you see it every day in almost every situation and unfortunately, as usual, the children usually get the short end of the stick. The Shakti Project is a school that teaches Hindi, English, mathematics, and provides lunch to impoverished children who live in the tent cities around Pushkar. A by-product of their attendance is learning how to behave in a classroom situation as well as the invaluable disciplines of studying and thinking about their future. If the children do well their tuition is paid to go to a private school (about $1.80 per month...yes, that's in US dollars!). A very enthusiastic Belgian man named Dieter set up the program and runs it with three other teachers, one of which is a graduate of the school. In the program's beginning, Dieter had to bribe the parents with rice and flour, but the parents are seeing the positive results and now they are much more supportive. One must remember that children make more money begging than an adult can working so a kid going to school is a significant financial blow to their household. Another great thing is that most of the kids come from families that are puppeteers or musicians and they are encouraged to respect their roots and keep their dwindling culture alive. I was at one of the ghats the other night talking to somebody about the project and 3 kids recognized me from the school and came up to chat. Their English was as good as anyone I'd met in India and they didn't ask for my rupees. They were truly little gents in their tattered threads. You can check out his site at www.myspace.com/shaktischool.

Once again we were blessed with a great room, hotel, and staff. For me the Pushkar Paramount is the only place in town. Not only was their advice key in our little excursions, but they were also fun to sit around and have a laugh with. They were, as my friend Christian would say as he waved marigolds over his little statue to bless them, "full power."

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