Arriving at new, exotic places.

Warm welcomes with drums, dancing, costumes.

Gorgeous textiles.  Silk, wool, cotton, all with the most exquisite designs.

The quirky and the slightly unusual.  The fact that I can enjoy looking at something without needing to bring it home!

The oddball store.  The one selling things made from sisal.

Spices.  The wonderful aroma when stepping into a spice market.

Hardware stores.  Places selling everyday things which aren’t quite the same as at home.

Displays of unremarkable things which somehow manage to achieve remarkable status in some way. 

Yes, those are buckets.  Plastic buckets.

So, time to reveal the purchases today, here in Cochin.

Three gorgeous shawls: a wool/silk blend (pink/grey weave) a patterned silk “pashmina”, a wool shawl with chain stitch embroidery over 99% of the surface.  A stone pendant in greens, greys, blues in a silver mount.  A variety of spices including two varieties of cinnamon, cardamom pods and mace.  Finally, a three-storey tiffin carrier, the bargain of the day at just 300 rp, less than £4 from the amazing hardware store where I could have spent all day.

Shopping complete, we’ll do the sightseeing bit tomorrow.