A few words about attars

An attar is a very viscous perfumed oil, which is sold in tiny bottles, of which one generally puts a drop behind the ear.

The rhythm of the backwaters

To sail on a boat at the slow pace of the backwaters. Here is the promise of any stay in Kerala around Alleppey and Kottayam.
The ferry ride from Kottayam to Alleppey at sunset is a must. The moment where coconut trees begin to stand out on the pink sky, such as silhouettes, is simply magical.

The Nilakoddai flower market

Today I am at Nilakoddai Market, around Madurai, which is much larger than Kodai Road Market.
Here are being sold all kind of flowers and herbs : jasmine, tuberose, marigold, davana and its apricot smell, marjoram and its slightly peppery aromatic note, holy basil (whose smell is more herbaceous than the Grand Vert or the methylchavicol ones), etc.
Jasmine buds are sorted according to their size. Of course, the price will depend on it.

Madurai : Welcome to Jasmine city !

Grandiflorum Jasmine picking around Madurai

Madurai region, early morning.
Women are already busy picking Grandiflorum Jasmine. They gently collect the flowers, then put them in a cloth bag hanging from their saree.

Wonder at Kodai Road rose market

Smelling sense is precious. There are some unforgettable moments, furtive, intense, that remind you why you are where you are, why you do what you are doing. The memory of that morning, the nose on a rose, is one of those rare moments. 
A few minutes, perhaps twenty at the most, which are set in my memory as a sensory explosion. And which remind me why I chose my profession.