Don't touch me!

AutoRickshaws: They don't like you touching them.

Trading

I can't begin to understand how difficult it is to make a living from selling simple paper garlands.

Street Eaters

Dogs, cats, rats and cows are all fairly common eaters of things on the the street. I don't have any pictures of those at the moment so offer some alternatives:

Found everywhere but usually moving too fast for me to capture them.



Pigs were unexpected scavengers in Jaipur but they seem to do a pretty good job in clearing up the edible, and less obviously edible, junk.

Morning

Sunrise isn't usually as spectacular as sunset but, since Indian cities don't tend to get moving very early and I do, it's a quiet and lovely time of day.

Up On The Roof

When I lived in Vietnam I had a roof terrace, I miss that outdoor space now that I am in a flat without even a balcony. The closest I can come to outdoors is sitting on the window seat with the windows opened to maximum but it isn't the same. Our hotel in Jaipur had a roof terrace where we spent a lot of time with views of other people doing the same.

Produce

The range and quality of fresh produce is a constant pleasure whether you just take pictures of it or actually get around to cooking the stuff.

Chili emporium



Farm goods on the way to market

Jantar Mantar, Jaipur

Jai Singh's amazing stone astronomical observatory built in the early 18th Century and a perfect blue sky.

BBC Radio 4 did an excellent programme on this place if you want to find out more about it. In Our Time, Jantar Mantar.

Jaipur

Amber Fort tout



Amber Fort bird

The Joy of Sets

I got very excited recently to find a matching set of plain white crockery, no patterns, no gilt, no flora or fauna. Thank you ShopperStop, saved from eating from the beige plastic stuff that came with the flat.

Since getting the crockery I haven't done much cooking but I can confirm that eggs taste much better out of plain white egg cups than out of shot glasses stuffed with kitchen towel to stop the egg wobble.

The Big Balloons of Bombay

Giant Balloon Guy

Puzzled. Every city has its own brand of hawkers specialising in selling tat to tourists. In Vietnam it was photocopied books, anywhere there were tourists there were girls lugging tottering stacks of Lonely Planets and The Quiet American around. If they didn't have what you were looking for the would hop off to a central warehouse and be back with your Bill Bryson of choice in minutes. This is a practical and popular product ideally suited to the target market.

In Mumbai they sell giant balloons to tourists. I know you would buy an uninflated version but the questions are still begged...

Who buys them?
How much do they pay?
What do they do with them ?
How long do they take to blow up?
Why?