I had toyed with the idea of coming to Pushkar straight from Nepal so that I would make it in time for the famous Camel Fair in November. But I wrote that off as it was too far away at the time. And now I've ended up here by accident. When I got to Agra Fort railway station in the early evening I found that my train to Bundi had been cancelled. There were strikes going on all over Rajasthan, so rail services were disrupted. These were the onion strikes by the farmers, augmented by general strikes caused by an announcement that that the untouchables would be allocated less government positions than promised.

I didn't want to be stuck in Agra for Christmas, so I had to find a quick way out and managed to get on an overnight bus to here. It was a happy accident as it turns out as this is a great little town. Perfect for a few days of relaxing, and a great introduction to Rajasthan with it's desert setting, camels and multi-coloured turbans. It has a very different feel to the India I have seen so far, and I can see why the hippy trail seems to be alive and kicking here.

Rajasthan is strictly vegetarian, and no eggs are allowed either, so they are quite imaginative with the remaining food ingredients and spices, and the menus are far from dull. My Christmas Day dinner of channa masala, veg biryani and mango lassi was delicious. And there have been some great lunches too in the street-side cafes. Pushkar is considered holy, as are many towns in Rajasthan, meaning that alcohol is banned. Bhang (marijuana) lassi, however remains on the menu for religious reasons.

Beer can be obtained though. Last night I shared some Kingfisher beer with Dave from the Midlands who I originally met in Khajuraho; Maria from Spain; and Ella from Israel/USA. I had to go into the kitchen, wait for the staff to retrieve the bottles from their hiding place in the roof and pour it into a teapot so that we could drink it from teacups and not arouse suspicion.

The only real activities here have been climbing to a temple at dawn, an aborted attempt to cycle 8km into the desert which proved too much on the iron-heavy bikes with no gears, and in true Beatles fashion a sitar lesson which was interesting but very uncomfortable. No wonder they have lots of yoga here. You need to be capable of tying your legs in knots before you can rest a musical instrument on them. The rest of the time here has been spent wandering through the colourful bazaar, along the ghats, visiting the unique Brahma temple, and did I mention eating the food?