India 15 - Rajasthan (Chapter)

(Steven Felgate) #1

Rajasthan


EASTERN


R AJASTHAN


Rajasthan


SHOPP


iNG


Rajasthan


PUSHKAR


Falafel ̈Wrap ̈Stalls ̈MiDD lE EASTERN $
(wraps ₹60-120; h7.30am-10.30pm) Perfect for
quelling a sudden attack of the munchies,
and a big hit with Israeli travellers, these
two adjacent roadside falafel joints knock
up a choice selection of filling falafel-and-
hummus wraps. Eat them on stools on the
side of the road or devour them back at your
hotel room.

LMB ̈Hotel ̈& ̈GR ̈Restaurant ̈ DHABA $
(Sadar Bazaar; meals ₹70; h10am-9pm) Estab-
lished in 1921, this local favourite has a
ground-floor sweet shop selling snacks such
as kachori (round-shaped spicy pasties;
₹10) and an upstairs restaurant that serves
just one thing; a ₹70-thali that includes two
vegetable curries, dhal, rice, chapati and
curd.

oOut ̈of ̈the ̈Blue ̈ iTA li AN $$
(mains ₹100-200; h8am-11pm; W) Arguably the
best restaurant in Pushkar, Out of the Blue
does decent Indian, Israeli and even Tibetan
dishes, but it’s the Italian food that steals
the show, with excellent thin-crust pizzas
sharing the menu with some delicious pasta
options. It also does the best coffee in town
(from ₹40), making this a smart choice for
breakfast too.

oSixth ̈Sense ̈ MU lTiCU iSiNE $$
(inn Seventh Heaven; mains ₹120-200; h8.30am-
4pm & 6-10pm; W) This chilled rooftop res-
taurant is a great place to head even if you
didn’t score a room in its popular hotel. Sea-
sonal Indian vegetables and rice, vegetable
sizzlers, pasta and pizzas are all excellent, as
are the filter coffee and fresh juice blends.
Its ambience is immediately relaxing and
the pulley apparatus that delivers the deli-
cious food from the ground-floor kitchen is
enthralling.

Baba ̈Rooftop ̈Restaurant ̈ MU lTiCU iSiNE $$
(%2772858; mains ₹90-180; h8.30am-11pm)
The food is similar to that at many other
traveller-friendly restaurants in Pushkar
(pizza, pasta, burgers, Indian, Israeli) –
tasty, but nothing to write home about. But
the location, looking down onto a bustling
street market, and across at the lake and
mountains, sets this place apart. There’s a
free pool table one floor down, and you can
even snag a bottle of beer (₹150) if you ask
discreetly.

7 ̈Shopping

Pushkar’s Sadar Bazaar is lined with en-
chanting little shops and is a good place for
picking up gifts. Many of the vibrant textiles
come from the Barmer district south of Jais-
almer. There’s plenty of silver and beaded
jewellery catering to foreign tastes, and
some old tribal pieces, too.

Lala ̈International ̈ ClOTH iNG
(Sadar Bazaar; h9.30am-8pm) Brilliantly col-
ourful women’s clothing. Modern designs,
but Indian in theme. Dresses and skirts start
from around ₹500. Prices are clearly labelled
and fixed.

Khadi ̈Gramodhyog ̈ ClOTH iNG
(Sadar Bazaar, Pushkar lake; h10am-6pm Mon-
Sat) Small fixed-price khadi shop selling tra-
ditional hand-woven shirts, scarves, shawls
and men’s kurta-pyjamas.

8    Information
Foreign-friendly ATMs and unofficial money-
changers are dotted around Sadar Bazaar.
The Sadar Bazaar branch of State Bank of
Bikaner & Jaipur (SBBJ; h10am-4pm
Mon-Fri, to 12.30pm Sat) changes cash and
travellers cheques, as does Thomas Cook
(h9.30am-6.30pm Mon-Sat), also on Sadar
Bazaar.

BUS ̈SERVICES ̈FROM ̈PUSHKAR’S ̈MAIN ̈BUS ̈STAND


DESTINATION FARE (₹) DURATION (HR) FREQUENCY
Ajmer 12 ½ every 10 minutes
Bundi 137 6 11am
Delhi seat/sleeper 350/450 10½ 5pm, 7.30pm & 8.30pm
Jaipur 150 4 9.30am-4pm frequent
Jaisalmer seat/sleeper 450/550 10½ 9pm & 10pm
Jodhpur 250 5 7am & 8.30am
Udaipur 250 6 8am
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