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Explored# 455 : )

Drinking chai is a national past time in India. I don’t know if they got it from the British, or if they’d been drinking tea since Brahma walked among them. One thing is for sure, they do like their chai : ) And when it’s chai drinking time all else is off, it’s almost like western people having a smoke, they seem to relax, zone out and take a break. Granted there is caffeine and other stuff in tea but I doubt that it’s as bad for you as smoking or drinking a cup of coffee.

A little side note about chai is that it doesn’t actually mean tea. It’s rather a mixture of tea and certain herbs that give it a different and aromatic flavor. We got different recipes for it but what struck us a strange is that they mix in roughly 50-80% milk in the tea. There is also huge amounts of sugar involved and you had to tell them many times over that you didn’t want it to avoid getting a sugar rush. As far as the spices go you could buy premade mixes or do your own. Anna and I actually went to a cooking class and here’s the recipe for “Masala Chai” which was by far the best we tasted!

1/2milk
? water
1 teaspoon sugar/cup
2 teaspoon black tea leaves or as needed
1 clove
3 black pepper
? teaspoon fresh ginger
Boil 5min and then strain.

(make sure you read Sharad's comment a bit down where he dwells further into the art of making true chai. Thanks Sharad! : )

These two men were absolutely incredible to watch! It was early morning and the Camel fare had been going on late the night before. I was the only person walking the yellow dirt roads between the tents and these guys just sat there quietly drinking their tea and watching the small girl doing absolutely nothing. I stood and watched them for a full 5 minutes but they still didn’t seem to take any awareness of me.

What’s so great about it is that I can’t ever recall seeing anyone just sit and do nothing as well as these guys back home. We’re always running towards something and never seem to simply stop and enjoy whatever it is we’re doing.

In my book, these guys are Champions!

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If you ever find yourself in northern India in November make sure you go visit the Pushkar Camel fare! These photos were taken during an early morning the day after the fare had ended, and everyone was packing up. Absolutely stunning scenery with loads of photographic opportunities.

Pushkar is a small village with a holy lake that the God Brahma created when he dropped a lotus leaf (or something ;) and it sprung out of the desert. Every year by the full moon of November around 200 000 people come to visit Pushkar for this holy happening! To make it even more crowded the largest cattle fair in the world has grown around the same event and so there are Brahmins running around the streets together with Camels and holy cows that have five hows. It's unlike anything you've ever seen.

For those of you who like shopping Indian souvenirs we found that Pushkar has the most to offer and at the best prices. I think that the stuff we consider Indian isn't usually bought by the local Indian so you have to go somewhere half touristy to find it and this is a good choice. It's touristy but not too much and it is such a lovely little village!

Camera: Nikon D200, 18-200

This little boy got the usual push that so many kids get when you hold a camera in India. Their parents seem to love the fact that you want to take a photo of their child and they're often pushed in front of the camera. Sometimes they put two fingers in their cheeks to make them smile, that's my favourite, I'll have to upload a shot like that later! This little cutie was part of a nomad family who had come to the fair with their camels to sell and he was standing naked except for his shirt next to a fire that was coking their morning Chai (tea).

If you ever find yourself in northern India in November make sure you go visit the Pushkar Camel fare! These photos where taken during an early morning the day after the fare had ended, and everyone was packing up. Aboslutely stunning scenery with loads of photographic oportunities.

Pushkar is a small village with a holy lake that the God Brahma created when he dropped a lotus leaf (or something ;) and it sprung out of the desert. Every year by the fullmoon of November around 200 000 people come to visit pushkar for this holy hapening! To make it even more crowded the largest cattle fair in the world has grown around the same event and so there are Brahmins running around the streets together with Camels and holy cows who have five hows. It is unlike anything you've ever seen.

For those of you who like shopping Indian souveniers we found that Pushkar has the most to offer and at the best prices. I think that the stuff we consider Indian isn't usually bought by the local Indian so you have to go somewhere half touristy to find it and this is a good choice. It's touristy but not too much and it is such a lovely little village!