Baba

On our last night in Pushkar, we climbed the hill near our guesthouse to get to the little white temple on top. The temple was on a ridge that stood just across from our hostel, and on one of the walls the word "Cafe" was written in big Bold letters. What better way to end the day than to sip chai on top of a mountain. The temple itself wasn't much, and as it turned out, there was no cafe -- it was but another clever Indian ruse -- but the view was superb, and the sun was lowering over the horizon, painting the city a dull orange colour.
There were four holy men sitting on top of the small patio attached the highest part of the temple. They were dressed in bold, yellow robes, sitting on blankets, with their dreadlocked hair pulled up into turbans (which were expertly tied: we watched one man tie his, pulling it tight over his ears, then bringing it around in circles, before finally tucking it in with what looked like great effort).
As Ben brought out his cigarettes, the men motioned as if to ask for some. Ben offered them a few, and though they didn't speak a word of english, they acccepted the gift with a grateful head nod/wobble. They then proceeded to wiggle the tobacco out of the cigarettes and ground it in their palms until it was a fine dust. They had their own bag of tobacco as well, which they mixed into the powder. The concoction was then thrown into a large stone pipe (if you can call it that -- it was more of a tube than anything) which one of the men proceeded to clean with a beat up white cloth. And then they smoked. And we smoked with them as we watched the sun set over the desert.
It was one of those moments that belongs in a movie, or a novel. It was so surreal sitting there on top of a mountain, with four Indian holy men, smoking out of a stone pipe, watching one of the most stunning sunsets of our lives. One of those times when you can't help but giggle in disbeleif at your own circumstance. At the ridiculousness of the things going on around you, and at the same time, knowing that you will remember this moment forever. DEEP.

Your ever hippier and profound friends,
Amelia and Ben.
and Joanna, who was there, but didn't help write this, but wants you all to know she was there too.