Thoughts on Smells

One of the things that I have really noticed about Bangalore is the prevalence of strong smells. I am one that usually does not notice smells, but they are just so overpowering here that I can’t help it! I’ve never been in a place with such strong smells all the time! It is always a challenge to figure out what the mixture is, but here are a few I’ve been able to identify. The scent of cows clustered by the side of the row, which is the normal (strong) smell of cows mixed with the smell of their excreta, is just overpowering. The choking fumes of an auto-rickshaw’s exhaust pipe. This makes the air barely breathable when traffic gets bad and you become surrounded by the auto-rickshaws. Finally, the smell of the fresh juice stands, which take oranges and mash them up for juice. For some reason the acrid taste of the orange *peels* suffuses the air instead of the smell of the delicious inside.