Smells

I find that some of the most interesting multiple little things about travelling are the smells. Each and every place has a unique odor. And you never really know when it’s going to strike you. You’ll be in a market and suddenly be overwhelmed with this scent. In Asia it usually has a distinct fishiness to it. And yet, it’s different from the last market you were in, it’s different from that cloying aroma that struck you ten minutes ago in the same market, in fact.

Very often the smells are nigh indistinguishable from any of a million similar scents, but then, just barely, they are distinguishable. They add to the overall pallor, flavor, scent, even, of a place. And it colors my reaction to it in imperceptible ways. A million different elements undoubtedly go into creating these smells. Quite often, they aren’t pleasant, but that just serves their purpose all the more. Sometimes it’s the very unpleasantness that stops me in my tracks to begin with.