This Little Piggy Went to Market

Jaipur, the capital of Rajastan, is the center of commerce with markets for everything an Indian could want. (And we had fun shopping too!) Buying saris is a family affair- an entire family will choose a shop, take off their shoes, slip them under the shop (each is raised 2 ft off the ground for flooding during the monsoon), and they sit cross legged on the floor for hours. The merchants will unfold dozens of saris while the family sips chai and the children run around barefoot, everyone haggling and negotiating. Although I wanted to buy a sari, the whole experience was just too much for me so we just walked around with our mouths open and tried to sneak a few blurry shots of the madness.

Every step we take is a different smell. In the spice market it's fennel, curry or saffron. Where there's street food it's hot sugary goodness thrown into hot oil and solidfied into swirls, the smell of which is like caramel and cardamom. Then you pass an alley and the air is heavy with the smell of urine. It is perfectly legal for anyone to pee on the street whenever, wherever they choose. Add that to the smell of the animals. It's a country rife with contrasts and irony.