Sunset over Ana Sagar Lake, an artificial lake created in the 12th century, lying just outside Ajmer on the road to Pushkar in Rajasthan. Ajmer is a pilgrimage place for Muslims owing to the tomb of Khwaja Muin-Ud-Din Chishti, a Sufi saint, and is an interesting city full of atmosphere, with its crowded and bustling bazaars and historic Muslim buildings (although the crowded and bustling bazaar bit rather loses its appeal when the navigator on the back of the bike screws up with the map reading and the driver is faced with an apparently impassable crowd packed into a lane six feet wide).

Nearby Pushkar, the area's main destination for backpackers, is an 11 km ride from Ajmer on an excellent stretch of twisting road that passes over the - optimistically named - Naag Pahar (Snake Mountain). An Indian holy town set round a small lake, it is principally famous for the annual Pushkar camel fair, which attracts up to 200,000 people and 50,000 camels to the desert around the town.

Lonely Planet offers the rather charitable and breezy view that Pushkar has "a distinct touristy flavour these days", when a more accurate (if highly subjective) description of the main street might be a "an especially cheesy shopping mall at the edge of the Rajasthan Desert, for those of the Shanti Tribe who consider that no India trip is complete without an outfit sure to put them in contention for a bit part on the Muppet Show". Or something. In any case, the tourists would be hard pressed to outdo the local men for colour, many of whom wear huge and colourful turbans, often in incredibly vibrant day-glo green, yellow or even pink. Ajmer, Rajasthan

More Rajasthan images: photo no 07