On to Pushkar

The day after the Holi festival we ended up climbing a mountain, pretty much on accident. The city was much calmer that day the four of us decided that we were going to check out the Pink City area of town. We didn't know where it was except for that it was right next to the huge for on the hill. So we started walking towards the fort. We were tired of the rickshaw drivers ripping us off, and taking us to hotels of their friends instead of where we asked to go. We walked through some neighborhoods and some little boys pulled my pants down. I guess the guys here see us women tourists as there only chance to see or touch a woman or something. If they did that to an indian women they would be punished. Anyway, a crowd of young kids formed in parade like form behind us and showed us to a path that lead up to the fort. They followed us up part way and goofed off and then the rest of the way we were on our own. It was a trail but it was rocky and went along the huge wall of the fort. So basically we walked up and half the way around the fort. It took a couple of hours and we didn't have water the the view was worth it. The city is massive with over 5 million people in it. We finally got to the fort and got some water and food and then explored around inside. Then it started to get dark and we somehow hitched a ride with a local model and her friends back to our neighborhood. She took us to a jewelry shop first, surprise surprise. Then when we were talking back to our hotel some older men that we had tea with during the Holi festival found us and invited us to an Indian gypsy music festival. So we went. We partied from 10pm until 4:30am in a small village outside of Jaipur. There was a temple with flashing lights, live Indian music, kids everywhere, it was crazy. It was actually a small event but it was intense. We felt like we were famous. They all crowded around us everywhere we went. They all wanted to touch us and take pictures with us and dance with us. We got tea all night and they fed us as well. The ladies gave us henna tattoos for free, but then asked for a gift in return, which was rupees of course. It was a good experience and fun but I now just look like I have a diseased hand. It was a really special experience and the hospitality was wonderful but I felt like I was an exhibit almost. Every time they urged me to go up and dance all I could think was (dance monkey dance!!!!)
The older men wanted us to go to their shops the next day and Phil and Carly did but Sky and I went to the hospital. Sky got a bug bite on his knee and it is the gnarliest bite I have ever seen. It got huge and red, then scabbed over, then started to bleed and then he squeezed an amazing amount of puss out of it which left a hole in his leg. I have seen nothing like it before. It could be the most amazing thing I have seen in India. He is fine, we got some drugs and it is getting better now.
Yesterday we got to Pushkar. Phil and Carly are still our travel buddies. It is a small town on a "lake", more like a nasty pond really. There are ghats all along it where you can pay to get blessed in the nasty looking pond but I think I will pass. The surrounding area looks kind of like the foothills of boise. It is really friendly and we got a nice place to stay for 3$ a night. So far we have done a little bit of shopping at the market and climbed up to another fort. I might take a dance or yoga class tomorrow. Who knows, I'm on vacation, I can do whatever I feel like doing tomorrow. Ahhhhhhhhhh. I just found out that I have a job for the summer and I can definitely wait to start working.