Few hours from the capital. And miles away from reality. Pushkar.

Recounting my first of three trips to Pushkar. I was 19 then and naive. didn't see it for everything it is. and yet i fell deeply in love with it. Last time i went there was no Lake Pushkar. Just a pond with urchins splashing around. Wasn't I envious.

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A place known for its fairs and renowned for its soul. It's where Brahma's only temple in the world is found. And where countless travellers, from all over the world, flock to every year.

Second-hand tales will have you believe that December is the ripest time to visit the place. The fair, albeit an amazing experience, is one of the slimmest reasons to drive over to Pushkar. Pushkar as a place, surprises you more and more the longer you stay there.

As soon as you walk in, you'll probably notice all the shops, cafes, parlours with boards saying something in a strange noodle-like script. Now, as a wannabe linguist, I racked my brain cells rather hard to figure out which language are they actually using. Russian? Nope. French. Definitely nope. Korean? I don’t think so. Maybe, it's better to just ask the shop owners. Do that, and the answer you'll find is Israeli. Yes. Israeli. Who knew, but the place is packed with people from Israel – tourists who're just passing through, as well as tourists who decided to stay on.

In fact, the Mediterranean culture as a whole is quite pervasive there. You can see the region's influence with a simple walk through the streets. It's in the food, in the language people speak and even how they look at everyone. When you walk into a shop it's quite possible that they'll sweetly ask you where you're from. When we were asked the same and replied "Delhi," they seemed to be quite taken aback. Apparently to them we looked Israeli. How and why, I'm not quite sure.

Going back to the food. Pushkar, you'll discover, is not just a peaceful little haven. But an absolute paradise for animal lovers, like moi! The people there are sticklers about no animal slaughter taking place in Pushkar. Unless there are confidential corners tucked away in some places, which is quite a possibility, it's impossible to find anything with a face land up on your plate. The place is teeming with travellers from all over the world, but when in Pushkar, all of them stick to vegetarian versions of world cuisines. Whether it is Israeli, French, Mexican or Indian food you want on your platter, it's going to be shudh shakahari. Even the German bakeries will offer you muffins minus eggs.

A good place to stay is Pushkar Palace. It's a trite expensive. But most months you can get the Rs. 6,000 suites for Rs. 2500 a night. Of course, you don't need to shell out so much because for a little more you can rent fantastic places for weeks, months even. One of the nicest things about the place is the Sun Set Café. It's right next door to the Pushkar Palace. It flaunts an amazing view, a sumptuous menu, chilled out patrons and a truly friendly staff.

I wonder if I can work from there? I am sure something can be worked out.