AP PHOTOS: Once-traditional camel trading fair in India transformed into tourist attraction

PUSHKAR, India (AP) — It’s early morning in Pushkar, a city at the edge of the Thar desert in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, and a herd of about a dozen camels led by two men is returning, raising a golden sand cloud.

The camels had been out grazing in the night at the foothills of the ancient Aravali mountain range, and their handlers spent the night out in the open.

For the next two hours or so, when the heat is still bearable, prospective buyers will look for bargains among hundreds of camels that have been brought to be sold by herders and farmers from surrounding districts.

Many camels wear necklaces made with a string of small round bells and have brightly colored plastic flowers on their snouts and heads. Specialized barbers walk around trimming camel hair for a fee to make them look more attractive to buyers.

Some herders have walked with their animals for two weeks or more on paved roads and scrub land to reach the annual fair.

Camels were once the most important animals used for transportation in the desert. Even though paved roads and vehicles have made them largely irrelevant, they are still being used in some remote parts of the state.

Hitched to a wooden cart, they can be seen transporting people and construction materials. Some are still in use by farmers selling fresh vegetable produce to townsfolk. Herders supplement their diet with camel milk, make blankets with camel hair and use camel dung as cooking fuel.

Even though fewer camels are being traded now, the state government has worked to turn the fair into a big tourist attraction. On the large sandy plain where the fair is held, large Ferris wheels are installed and dozens of stalls are set up to sell local handicrafts. Men with impressive moustaches compete for a prize, and tourists are encouraged to take selfies with them.

Children wear traditional costumes, play string instruments and carry on their heads replicas of vessels used by women to fetch water as they enact rural scenes and mingle with the crowd presenting live tableaux.

Everything is carefully choreographed for the tourists.

Thousands of tourists from around the world now enjoy camel rides, watch cultural shows, and get to participate in rural sports contests and play a game of cricket watched by a bustling crowd.

Hindu devotees visiting the fair can take a dip in the holy Pushkar Lake, situated about 2 kilometers (1¼ miles) from the site of the fair and visit a number of old temples dotting the city of Pushkar.

A herder takes his camels for grazing at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A herder brings his camels back from grazing at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A herder prepares to leave with his camels after attending a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Herders sit next to their camels as they wait for prospective buyers at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Herders wait with their camels for prospective buyers at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 6, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A buyer examines the teeth of a camel before deciding at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A buyer negotiates the price of a camel with a herder at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A group of camels feed on hay from a cart as their herders get ready to leave after attending a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Thursday, Nov. 14, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Tourists participate in a turban-tying competition during a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A tourist takes a selfie with a group of men participating in a moustache competition during a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A camel herder negotiates with a buyer at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A barber trims the hair of a camel at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A woman tends to a camel at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A handler makes a horse stand on its hind legs on a traditional bedstead in a show of skill at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 11, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A herder makes a mixture of hay and grains to feed his camels at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A child plays a string instrument as his companions carry water containers on their heads as they enact a scene from rural life during a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Wednesday, Nov. 13, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Villagers arrive to take a dip in the Pushkar lake, considered sacred by Hindus, during a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Villagers arrive to take a dip in the Pushkar lake, considered sacred by Hindus, during a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Tuesday, Nov. 12, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Herders rest with their camels after arriving for a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A herder brings his camels back from grazing at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Monday, Nov. 4, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

A camel sits silhouetted against a brightly lit Ferris wheel at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Sunday, Nov. 10, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

Camel herders bring their animals to a water tank at a camel fair in Pushkar, in the northwestern Indian state of Rajasthan, Tuesday, Nov. 5, 2024. (AP Photo/Deepak Sharma)

WASHINGTON (AP) — President Donald Trump is meeting with oil executives at the White House on Friday in hopes of securing $100 billion in investments to revive Venezuela’s ability to fully tap into its expansive reserves of petroleum — a plan that rides on their comfort in making commitments in a country plagued by instability, inflation and uncertainty.

Since the U.S. military raid to capture former Venezuelan leader Nicolás Maduro on Saturday, Trump has quickly pivoted to portraying the move as a newfound economic opportunity for the U.S., seizing tankers carrying Venezuelan oil, saying the U.S. is taking over the sales of 30 million to 50 million barrels of previously sanctioned Venezuelan oil and will be controlling sales worldwide indefinitely.

On Friday, U.S. forces seized their fifth tanker over the past month that has been linked to Venezuelan oil. The action reflected the determination of the U.S. to fully control the exporting, refining and production of Venezuelan petroleum, a sign of the Trump administration's plans for ongoing involvement in the sector as it seeks commitments from private companies.

It's all part of a broader push by Trump to keep gasoline prices low. At a time when many Americans are concerned about affordability, the incursion in Venezuela melds Trump’s assertive use of presidential powers with an optical spectacle meant to convince Americans that he can bring down energy prices.

The meeting, set for 2:30 p.m. EST, will be open to the news media, according to an update to the president's daily schedule. “At least 100 Billion Dollars will be invested by BIG OIL, all of whom I will be meeting with today at The White House,” Trump said Friday in a pre-dawn social media post.

Trump is set to meet with executives from 17 oil companies, according to the White House. Among the companies attending are Chevron, which still operates in Venezuela, and ExxonMobil and ConocoPhillips, which both had oil projects in the country that were lost as part of a 2007 nationalization of private businesses under Maduro’s predecessor, Hugo Chávez.

The president is meeting with a wide swath of domestic and international companies with interests ranging from construction to the commodity markets. Other companies slated to be at the meeting include Halliburton, Valero, Marathon, Shell, Singapore-based Trafigura, Italy-based Eni and Spain-based Repsol.

Large U.S. oil companies have so far largely refrained from affirming investments in Venezuela as contracts and guarantees need to be in place. Trump has suggested on social media that America would help to backstop any investments.

Venezuela’s oil production has slumped below one million barrels a day. Part of Trump's challenge to turn that around will be to convince oil companies that his administration has a stable relationship with Venezuela’s interim President Delcy Rodríguez, as well as protections for companies entering the market.

Secretary of State Marco Rubio, Energy Secretary Chris Wright and Interior Secretary Doug Burgum are slated to attend the oil executives meeting, according to the White House.

Meanwhile, the United States and Venezuelan governments said Friday they were exploring the possibility of r estoring diplomatic relations between the two countries, and that a delegation from the Trump administration arrived to the South American nation on Friday.

The small team of U.S. diplomats and diplomatic security officials traveled to Venezuela to make a preliminary assessment about the potential re-opening of the U.S. Embassy in Caracas, the State Department said in a statement.

Trump also announced on Friday he’d meet with President Gustavo Petro in early February, but called on the Colombian leader to make quick progress on stemming flow of cocaine into the U.S.

Trump, following the ouster of Maduro, had made vague threats to take similar action against Petro. Trump abruptly changed his tone Wednesday about his Colombian counterpart after a friendly phone call in which he invited Petro to visit the White House.

President Donald Trump waves as he walks off stage after speaking to House Republican lawmakers during their annual policy retreat, Tuesday, Jan. 6, 2026, in Washington. (AP Photo/Evan Vucci)