The Rajasthan Diaries - Day 3, Walk Through the Market

It was decided that we would stroll around the market and once we come on to the road parallel to the resort we would call him so he could arrange a came buggy ride for us. We said we would and went strolling around the market. There were all kinds of things - a real mela. We looked at clothes, trinkets, chains and stuff and Vasu found an axe he wanted to buy. 

 Now this year the camel fair or cattle fair was not to take place because of the lumpy skin disease and that was a bit of a disappointment. Apparently thousands of camels and horses come to the fair along with cattle and they are hosted just outside the town. But this year they have all been asked to move far away and in fact disperse. The traders were still there and the came buggy would take us there through the desert.

Abhinay in his Naga pants leading our expedition

Now Abhinay has been here before and knew his way around so he showed us where they were given bhang laced lassi that got to their heads last year. His pants were the centre of attraction all day - something he picked up at the Hornbill Festival in Nagaland. I was glad he was around because he would start all his negotiations with the sellers with 'Main Jaipur se hoon.' He would get a good bargain as well.

The market place

Bandhani stuff

Buttermilk 'chaas' break

The bikers to the left

We walked around in the hot sun and stopped at a small restaurant which served butter milk and chatted while waiting for Vicky to call us. A gang of bikers came and went, middle aged guys with tattoos and stuff. Many foreigners. Young kids running about talking comfortably with the foreigners and asking for 'money' and baksheesh'. 

Long hot walk to the camel buggies - Savitri mandir ahead, our reference point always 

 After a while Vicky called us and told us to now move towards some place. It was a long walk in the hot sun and this was the road that was close to the helipad where the CM was to land later in the afternoon. So it was filled with cops who insisted on shooing us off the road. Anyway we somehow made it after a long 20 minute walk to the place where the came buggy chaps were.