November 3. – November 6.
First days in Pushkar it is hard to calm down my restless european mind. It takes two days to get a new sim for the phone and the key for ravis farm where Suryananda (the caravan) and Omtatsat (motorbike) are. I don’t even have a padlock for the room these days because they all are inside Suryananda. Monday morning Ansu and me borrow chillies bike to get Omtatsat and some things from Suryananda from Ravis Farm. Omtatsat had been outside in the rainy season – the bike is in a condition that nearly makes me cry. I don’t even try to start. I quickly get the most necessary things from suryananda and we head to Bablu, my mechanic. Shop is still closed and when we call him he promises to be at enigma in an hour. In the meanwhile I organize my new sim and as Bablu isn’t at enigma three hours later I go to the market and ask Max to bring me to his workshop again. When we arrive there Bablu is sitting in the shadow drinking chai being surprised to see me before he remembers the phonecall.
Five minutes later we are sitting on his bike heading back to Ravis farmhouse. I quickly search some more stuff in the caravan but before I can even start I hear the engine running. Carefully, with half flat tires and nearly no brakes I ride Omtatsat back to Bablus workshop. He promises to cure her within 24 hours and even gives me his personal bullet so I don’t need to wait visiting friends who are a little out of Pushkar.
The first of whom is Rajendra. He owns an amazing Hotel near the goamuk temple (the baba in this temple would have been the second one to visit if I hadn’t surprisingly met him at the market in the morning) and we are friends for several years by now. We are both very happy to see each other and soon disappear in a room for peacefully drinking chai together. Suddenly Raju tells me he needs somebody to help him managing the hotel – if I want the job…? Listening to the details the conditions sound more than interesting. Still I don’t have any plans so I ask for one day to think about it.
On the way back to Pushkar I make a stop at Bablus workshop. My Bullet is nearly finished, I am happy not to be able to recognize her since last seen. I remember my first ride on this bike a few years ago. Compared to the 100cc bike I had been riding before she was so strong and so heavy. Nowadays my comparison is the KTM Adventure and Omtatsat feels rather small than strong and heavy. Still she is a beautiful Oldtimer and no bike ever will match her sound!
In the morning Ansu invited me to make a concert at enigma tonight as we had a lot of fun making music the night before at UTurn. I manage to get my instruments which are stored at a different place in the farmhouse and arrive at enigma at 8 o clock carrying the guitar and the didgeridoo. My voice is already suffering from singing too much so I am quite happy to have the didgeridoo for tonight. Soon the rooftop is full and everybody enjoys a lot. After we had finished an old guy comes up the roof. Asking if there was still somebody playing I reply joking we still take donations but at the same moment take the guitar to sing one more song.
After exchanging a few words he leaves again promising to bring his guitar in five minutes. My voice is already more than finished at that moment so I switch to the didgeridoo which is much easier to handle as I play it for more than 15 years compared to the guitar which I play for maybe half a year now…
When I make a break Loyd is back with his guitar clapping his hands telling me in his eyes the didgeridoo is the hardest instrument to learn. I disagree just to be happy all the more only seconds after he starts to play. Shortly after I have tears in my eyes. He is a master of singing and guitar and I am not able to get that stupid smile out of my face. I just sit and absorb the music that is touching and tickling my soul, sometimes singing with him sometimes just listening but being one with the sound every second. In between the songs we talk a few words and immediately start liking each other. He is a 72 year old british whos secret it is “never to have friends older than me!”. I want to learn from him and when I ask him how long he will be in Pushkar he replies: 6 months. A friend of his owns a first class hotel in Pushkar and he will be manager in the 6 months to come….