 After a very poor night's sleep I wander into town for some breakfast. The sights and smells of Jaipur are tempered by a permanent haze of pollution. Cars, mopeds, jalopies all doing their bit to add to the blue fog that haunts every Indian city.Back at the hotel I am saddened to find that Doreen has already departed. I would have liked to say farewell to her and the kids. I catch up with Brian and Stacy. They appear to have slept better than me and are eager to get off. As soon as Pappu is located and the car is packed we are once more on the move. After a few hours we pass the holy lake of Ajmeer. Pappu reliably informs us that visiting the lake seven times is equal to one Haj for Muslims. By all accounts one of Mohammeds descendents was born here. Eventually we arrive at our next destination, Pushcar. We drive through a tightly packed town; its full of stalls and tourists. There seems to be more hippies here than a free festival. Pushcar itself is famous because the Hindu God-Brahma was rumoured to have landed in Pushcars nearby lake. On a more secular note, our hotel is plush, we have a fantastic swimming pool and we are surrounded on all sides by stunning mountains.  | Jaipur life |
After unpacking the three of us head for the pool - naturally! At one end there's a large group of tourists frolicking. I try to suss out where they might be from but the language gives no clues. Curiosity gets the better of me and I end up asking one of the girls. It turns out they (Israelis) have just finished their two or three years conscription in the army. Once out of service they head down to Pushcar to smoke as much of the local grass as possible before retuning to their sensible, ordered family lives back in Israel. That evening I walk into town and am completely absorbed by the street culture. There are stalls that appear to sell everything. CDs jostle with tie dye fabrics, herbs, trinkets and tee shirts, pipes, potions, massages and lotions. The array of food on offer is unbelievable, too. I am happy to simply wander in the balmy evening heat taking it all in. There are so many different races and cultures to enjoy. Theres no need to buy anything. Simply being here is a full-on experience. The views expressed on this page are those of the contributor and the opinions expressed are not necessarily those of the BBC. | 
