Pushy in Pushkar

I'm jaded on India....everyone in the tourist towns just wants something from you... well, rupees to be exact!




I went to a festival supposedly free by the hotellers with a free camel ride provided. The camel ride was a joke. A half hour wait for the procession to get going, some people waited an hour. Then an hour long crawl through the narrow streets of Pushkar while everyone stares at you. I felt like a stupid tourist idiot up on the camel. Then we arrived about a 10 minute walk from town at a sand dune where a stage was set up and various performers did local dance and music. My camel was lowered for me to dismount and I was nearly off, when someone said, "no, get back on!". So I hop on and am elevated up and find myself with about a dozen others in a photo lineup on our steeds along with the town Maharaja... a local dude in fancy silks and turban astride a very decorated camel. We were left there for about 15 minutes for photo opps. Finally my camel driver takes me aside and drops my camel so I can dismount. Then I go to pay him... a camel tour guy had said it was 50rs, and when I asked the driver for change he said the fare was 175rs. I laughed and said, "No". I looked around for the guy who told me it was 50rs. And I wondered who was lying. Unfortunately I only had a 100rs note. Finally I threw it at the driver and said "F--- you!" Then I found some friends who said it was supposed to be free. I was so mad. I%%