The first stop on our tour of Mysuru with Vaishakh was to the market – and what a market. It was a vast sprawling network of lanes and stalls. To keep them cool from the sun, different coloured tarpaulin were strung over the alleyways. The light that passed through the tarpaulin created a wonderful mix of colours that added to the amazing atmosphere.

My mum loved a marker, the mixture of fresh produce and the ability to barter over the process. She was a bit cheeky like that my mum, I think I’ve got that from her – the ‘if you don’t ask, you don’t get’ attitude. Michael would run a mile from having to barter – he’d rather hand them his wallet and say ‘take it’ than have to haggle over a price!

The smell in the market was just as amazing as the look of all the produce. Fruit and vegetables piled high in baskets and on mats. Some familiar ones but also more exotic varieties too. Things that are not so common in the UK are heaped in vast piles here. I don’t think I’ve ever seen quite so many coconuts all piled up in one place before.

Part of the market is where you can buy the flowers for the garlands that are used in religious festivals and rituals. They don’t come in bunches like in the UK but rather in great big piles or baskets of flower heads. They are sold by weight and then are threaded onto strings to make the garlands. I watched one boy as he neatly threaded the flowers onto the string. The finished effect was just beautiful.

I was getting lots of tradespeople offering me their wares – but I resisted in the knowledge that I had to keep the air in my luggage until nearer the end of our trip so not to be carrying so much. I kept thinking, aunty Janet wouldn’t be so restrained! I did let two stall holders apply some scented oils to my arms – sandalwood on one and lotus flower on the other. Leaving the market with no produce but in a cloud of sweet scent.