Ajmer is the big city about 10 miles from Pushkar. For over a hundred miles on our bikes, we had been following signs to Ajmer and we finally rolled in around noon on Thursday the 19th.
The main part of Ajmer is busy and congested and noisy, but there is a large lake that is an important pilgrimage site for Muslims. Though we were anxious to get onto Pushkar we found the lake to be inviting and the Muslim visitors were very excited to have us pose with them in photos.
After having the best meal so far on our journey a short ways from the lake, Rick stopped at a pharmacy to see if he could get some antibiotics to help with the respiratory problems that have been plaguing him for a few days. They were not available without a prescription, but the pharmacist pointed us to a doctor’s office a block or so away.
In the amount of time that it took me to find a nearby ATM and get out some cash, Rick went in, visited the doctor, paid the bill of $1.50 and returned to the pharmacy to fill his $10 prescription. Score one for socialized medicine!
Away from the main part of the city, the lake was pretty heavily polluted including a section that looked more like antifreeze than water.
