Send Your Camel To Bed

OK, think that old song “Midnight At the Oasis”. You’re going to have it in your head for the rest of the day. Jus sayin’. Now thing about the part of t...
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OK, think that old song “Midnight At the Oasis”. You’re going to have it in your head for the rest of the day. Jus sayin’. Now thing about the part of that song “send your camel to bed”. That’s what’s happening here. It’s sunset and many of the camel herders and owners bring their camels to this big bare dune for the night. It’s also a gathering place for visitors to the fair to watch the glorious sunset.

I was at the Pushkar Camel Fair in Pushkar, India. It truly was a camel fair in history, but the fair is now known for its horse and camel trading and sales, markets, exhibitions. The fair is an experience to remember – pure sensory overload! Noise, color, movement, camels, horses, people, markets, shapes.

The normally tranquil Pushkar changes completely for the festival. The desert and its dunes transform into a huge tented city. The fair is held every November, exact dates decided by the lunar cycle—at the time of the Kartik Purnima full moon. It’s a spectacle on epic scale thousands of camels, horses and cattle, carnival, and over 400,000 people during the 2 weeks. It brings farmers, traders, villagers, tourists, Indians, and, of course, livestock. It's a great way to see the old Indian culture and traditions, many of which haven’t changed since the beginning of the fair.

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