There are two kinds of people – those who’ll go to a market to buy fish and those who won’t. Markets (especially fish markets) can be stinky, and many of us would rather go to the supermarket. We love markets not only because of the great photo opportunities, but because this where the real deal happens. Sassoon Docks is one of the largest fish markets in the city and for us, it was just the right spot to go to. Turns out that the Sassoon Docks is also one of the oldest docks in Mumbai (142 years), and one of the few docks in the city open to the public.

Where Modern And Traditional Lives Cross.

The entrance looks like the gateway of a fortress, but we knew we were at the right spot when the salty whiff of the ocean and the scent of fish greeted us from afar. More and more people shoving large boxes of fish crossed our path and we knew that we were getting closer. What we didn’t know then is that the Sassoon Docks just recently got a funky street-art turnover called Sassoon Dock Art Project as part of the St+art Mumbai 2017 Urban Art Festival. Despite its historical value and with Mumbai’s try to escape its fishy roots, this place has rather been avoided by Mumbaikars. Like the docks, the memory of Mumbai’s Koli past is all but wiped clear.

The Sassoon Dog is hard to miss when walking along the Sassoon Docks in Mumbai.

Koli women are crucial to the running of the fishing trade at the Sassoon Docks and multiple installations and paintings are built around them.

St+art India is dedicated to making art public, taking it out from niche spaces of galleries and museums and the Sassoon Docks in Mumbai where just the right spot to shed light on this historic party of the city again.

Home Of The Koli People.

The Sassoon Dock in Mumbai is home to the city’s traditional Koli fishing community. The Koli people are an ethnic Indian group native to Maharashtra, Gujarat, Rajasthan, Himachal Pradesh, Uttar Pradesh, Haryana states. It’s believed that the Koli people are Mumbai’s original inhabitants and whose goddess Mumbadevi lends her name to the city. The communities have thrived in the hidden quarters of the city, the koliwadas, which essentially means “a home that opens to the sea“. Much of the art here represents the lived realities of the Koli community – its people, their trade and its smell.

The art project started on November 11 and will run until December 30, 2017. Whether the Sassoon Docks will still be visited as frequently after, is unclear. After all, all the art in the world can’t make the notorious smell, the endless heat and the piercing noise – which are a few reasons people have not come here before – go away.

This has been our second visit to Sassoon Docks and tourists are still a rare sight here. The art installation has brought some upwind, yet only the eager and especially smell-resistent make it all the way to the end of the docks.

Currently, about 1,500 trawlers operate at the Sassoon Docks, bringing in around 20 tonnes of fish every day.

Once you reach the Sassoon Docks, at least 500 people are packed on to a partially-covered chunk of jetty, boats bobbing alongside.

A typical day at Sassoon Docks begins at 5 am when the fresh catch is brought in from the sea.

Over 150.000 people depend on the Sassoon Docks for their livelihood.

Men push loaded handcarts through the crowds at Sassoon Docks as they yell for people to get out of the way.

Despite the fact that most tourist wouldn’t buy fish at Sassoon Docks, women holding tubs full of fish will still ask you.

The docks were built in 1875 by the merchant, Sir Albert Abdullah David Sassoon, a prominent member of the Bombay Jewish community.

Where there’s fresh fish, there needs to be crushed ice. While fish is unloaded off the boats, tons of ice is crushed to keep the fish fresh at the Sassoon Docks.

There are so many ice-trucks on Sassoon Docks, that counting them would be impossible.

In addition to the jetty, the Sassoon Docks house a series of warehouses where the Koli fisherwomen shell prawns with staggering ability.

The sheer variety of fish on offer at Sassoon Docks is mind-blowing: red snapper, tuna, octopus, baby sharks, cuttlefish, blue crabs and stingray are some of the fish you can expect to find here.

Initially, the Sassoon Docks serviced the cotton trade as the Sassoon family were cotton merchants. It was after the decline of the Indian cotton industry that fishing became the main activity here.

The Sassoon Docks are ‘wet’ docks, which means it allows boats to enter at all times because the water level remains the same regardless of the tide.

If one is in need of some new clothing or interesting souvenirs (maybe a new rice cooker), or pretty much anything else you want to buy, you’ll find it at this market. In between all the different stores, you have the choice of food from around the world: pizza, pasta, burritos, tacos, you name it. Although I don’t understand why anyone would want to eat that sort of food instead of the yummy Thai cuisine. Still, some tourist prefer to stick to what they know.

Pet Section At Chatuchak Weekend Market.

If you walk a little bit further into the market you’ll come across the Pet Section. This section is a very controversial one indeed. On one end, you’ll come across anything available to “pamper” your pet: toys, leashes, glittering collars and animal clothing for all occasions. Quite often with a life model sitting in front of the stall.

The other part of the section would be the live animal zone. Though not comparable to some other dreadful animal markets in southeast Asia, it’s nevertheless an unfortunate sight: fifty budgies squeezed into a single cage, rabbits, hamsters, squirrels, guinea pigs longing for water, outgrown cages where even a turn isn’t possible. And on top of this, meowing cats & barking dogs desperately longing for some sort of attention. Chicken, ducks, poultry of all kind and of course the trade of illegal animals is not an unusual sight here.

And for those who can’t resist a bit of gambling, look carefully. Just walk up a few stairs far in the back of Chatuchak market and you’re in the cock-fighting section, illegal as well but with lots of people attending and betting. If you are up for it, you can try to fill up your holiday cash account.

Facts About Chatuchak Market.

• Chatuchak’s opening hours: Saturdays & Sundays from 9.00 am – 6.00 pm and Fridays from 6.00 pm – midnight. The plant sections are also open on Wednesdays & Thursdays from 7.00 am – 6.00 pm.
• How to get to Chatuchak Market: Skytrain (BTS) to Mo Chit station; take exit no. 1 and follow the crowd.
• What to see: Ah well, you’ve 30 Acres of pretty much everything you need (or don’t need).

Chatuchak is Bangkok’s most famous weekend market. Apart from the thousands of visitors shopping here everyday, the market also has a dark side. It supports the trade in illegal wildlife – just about any animal you can think of.

A captured Macaw parrot at Chatuchak market. Traders unfortunately make no halt when it comes to endangered animals.

Wildlife crime is a big business – not only in Asia. It’s run by dangerous international networks and wildlife and animal parts are trafficked much like illegal drugs.

The world is dealing with an unprecedented increase of illegal wildlife trade.

In many cases, the actual sale doesn’t take place at the store, but somewhere in a side alley. The bustling market lanes of Chatuchak market provide excellent cover for the exchange.

The pet section at Chatuchak market is dedicated to the sale of animals, with stalls selling cute puppies, kittens, hamsters, ducks, hedgehog and also colourful fish can be purchased for your aquarium.

The illegal trade of endangered animals is a multi-billion dollar industry, yet compared to drug & arms trafficing, not as much throught about.

The animal section at Chatuchak market is nothing for the faint-hearted, since animals here are often kept under horrible conditions.

Cock fighting is very popular all across southeast Asia, including Chatuchak market.

Swarupkati is definitely not a regular tourist destination. Here you have to be prepared to get as much attention – if not even more – as Lady Di got during her Australia tour. No, I’m really not exaggerating! The last time we got this much attention was during our accidental visit to Tilamuta in Indonesia (the captain of our boat got lost on the way from Togean Islands to the mainland).

What To Expect In Swarupkati.

Getting off the launch in Swarupkati was not an easy process, simply because we were surrounded by people who just stared at us. This is when it dawned on us that not many westerners have travelled to this part of the country…

A nice rickshaw puller brought us to the main street, winding parallel along the river. It was a nice ride. After approximately 15 minutes, we got to pretty much the one and only accommodation, yet it was still full with dreaming guests. The sleepy hotel manager promised us his best room around midday – at this point we’d like to thank our local friend Sabuj, who came along with us for this trip. In some cases a local translator really eases up things. Sabuj knew people in the area, and since it was breakfast-time, we went to the best restaurant in town - a real shack, with lots of people. Our arrival made quite a stir. The gossip just flew through the village the second we set foot onto the premises: “Western tourists have arrived“.

After finishing our meal, it was truly an amusing experience to walk to the jetty where a boat was ready to navigate us to the guava plantations: Around 200 people watched every step of our way and hoped to join us on our excursion. It was Hello Miss here, Hello Mister there. Screaming kids, waving people and a VIP from town who came along with us (we didn’t manage to find out his position, but everybody did as he said, so his VIP status was reasonable).

Arriving in Swarupkati immediately meant that the unloading process started. Several smaller boats approached our launch even before we got to the jetty.

Sabuj had his hands full trying to keep all the kids in Swarupkati under control.

Off To The Guava Plantations.

The boat was quite large and comfortable to sit in. We crossed the river on which we had come on with the launch from Dhaka and the slowly floated into the jungle on one of the rivers side arms. The area was so different to the otherwise busy life in Bangladesh. There were absolutely no roads, therefore it was quiet and the atmosphere truly special. We could only hear the sound of the jungle and flowing water. Everything comes in and out of the region through small channels by boat, and if you’re not familiar with the area, one will get lost after the first bend. It’s like a maze on water; almost a bit like Venice.

Of course our boatman knew every corner of the way and we stopped several times to admire the scenery. It was so green, lush and uninhabited (apart from few families living in farmhouses). As said before, westerners are definitely not a common sight here. Every single person we came across got excited, wanted to talk to us or, in most cases, wanted to take a photo.

After floating through these jungle plantations for several hours, we couldn’t help but wonder what it would be like to do such a trip with a canoe and camp in the area for a few days…

Now this was quite a lovely farewell: Pretty much the entire village came to see us…

The VIP from town (left) & Sabuj (centre) were a real help during our trip to Swarupkati. Can’t help it, but somehow Sabuj kept reminding us of John F. Kennedy…

We were a real attraction in Swarupkati… and if you’re not down to earth, the attention you get here can really get to your head.

Very often boats are the only means of transportation for lowland dwellers in Swarupkati.

A local farmer brings some tasty guavas to the next market. But the prices, now as low as 80-120 Taka for 40 kg, are frustrating for the growers.

Checking Into The Best Place In Town.

When we got back to Swarupkati, our room – which was supposed to be the best room of the hotel – was ready for us. To make the story short: we decided to get out our hammocks and rather sleep in those. Sometimes, like in this particular case, it’s a waste of time to complain about the room. We knew that the hotel management really tried everything in their power to make our stay pleasant, yet the room was not all that nice – especially the sheets. On the bright side, we had a balcony and could watch ships go by the river all day long. Luckily there were two windows with iron bars, so setting up the hammocks was not an issue.

Pure Muscle At The Wood Market.

After settling in, Sabuj organised a visit to the local wood market. Again, someone from the community joined us and therefore we got a really good insight on why this markets has developed here. Most people own boats instead of cars, and therefore even of huge trunks of wood are transported on water. The trunks are tied together like a raft and the boat is sitting on top of the stems. With patience, the timber can then be navigated to its final destination.

The tree trunks are put onto the boat, as well as attached on the side and also underneath it.

Tree trunks are brought to the city centre of Swarupkati for further usage.

Once the tree trunks arrive in Swarupkati, further processing takes its course.

No machinery of any kind can be found at the wood market in Swarupkati. Here it’s all about pure man-power.

Before the wood is put onto the larger boats for further transport, it has to be weighted.

The work at the wood market in Swarupkati is tough and should not be underestimated. These guys definitely get their fitness done each day…

The men working at the wood market in Swarupkati are as fit as you could be.

Many wood trunk are also directly processed in Swarupkati and then shipped to cities all over Bangladesh.

Hello Ouagadougou.

So off we were and Ouagadougo greeted us with mellow and dry 28° Celsius. We found a great little place to stay at called Pension Micha in the outskirts of the city. The owner was very helpful and a great source for any information. On top she even spoke German, English and French. She had been living in Burkina Faso for many years as an NGO-representative and therefore knew every corner of the country.

Off To Bobo Dioulasso & Banfora.

Since we just had two weeks, we quickly had to decide where to go; we opted for the South West and didn’t regret it for a second. Buses from Ouagadougou run frequently and one could even travel by train to Banfora (twice a week) and further down to the Ivory Coast. We went with the bus to Bobo Dioulasso. Here we settled into Villa Rose, a very nice and comfortable B&B run by a Dutch/Burkina couple.

Our trip continued further South West and after a few bush taxi rides, we arrived in Banfora. This town is the stepping off point to some very extraordinary natural sights like the Karfiguela Waterfalls and Sindou Rock formations. But Banfora especially caught our attention due to its market…

Voodoo, Witches And Fetish.

We always begin our exploration with a visit to the local market. And markets in Burkina Faso will definitely not disappoint you! A lot is on display and people are eager but not super persistent to sell you something.

The most interesting market section was a bit further away from the main section. Here men and women advertise their service in the field of home-made remedies. We could smell the Voodoo fetish market before we actually saw it: a stench of decomposition and an alley of mud-brick houses. The goods on sale here were desiccated heads, feed, insides of monkeys, buffaloes, cheetahs, chameleons, birds and crocodiles as well as varieties of snake skins and bat wings. It was indeed a gruesome gallery of lifeless faces staring at you.

We approached one vendor and pointed to his sign and his offers. He told us he was a traditional healer and could mix us a formula for any condition we might have. We kindly refused his offer, yet his is very original advertising banner caught our attention (see photo below). Instead of buying herbs, spices for our sexual desire, we just bought his banner.

As a matter of fact, these witch doctors are common in Burkina Faso and people still believe very strongly in their healing powers – or rather what we call Voodoo. Western Africa is where Voodoo originated, and where it still plays a significant part in everyday life. But forget zombies, black magic and sticking pins in dolls; real-life Voodoo is an animist belief system and on top also the official religion of Benin (which is based on respect and peace).

The entire experience is essentially benign, though not if you’re a wuss.

Once you’ve consulted a voodoo priest with your sickness, he’ll send you off to market with a shopping list…

In its original meaning, witch doctors were emphatically not witches themselves, but rather people who had remedies to protect others against witchcraft.

Desiccated heads, feed, insides, skin, hair & feathers can be found at the fetish markets in Burkina Faso.

Not only animal parts, but also herbs & spices are an essential part for any witch doctor in Western Africa.

The knowledge of traditional healing methods in Burkina is declining…Some specialists still know much about herbs, roots, and barks and the traditional bonesetters are still consulted in rural areas. Psychological problems are treated through possession rituals.

Traditional healers in Burkina Faso are well respected in the community.

The fetish market experience is essentially benign … unless you’re a chicken.

Mechua Market.

The men at Mechua market are in charge of oranges, bananas, pineapples, pomegranate and many other fruits of the season. Trucks arrive 24/7 and wait in the surrounding areas to get a parking lot to be unloaded. Most of the fruits are sold right on the spot. Men carrying trunks of bananas show up in front of an auctioneer and after a quick bidding session, the trunk is sold and the next man with another banana trunk takes place. With this system, an entire truckload of fruits is quickly sold to people who distribute them to different places all over West Bengal.

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India

Portrait of a hard working man at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working man at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Fresh pomegranate at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India

Unloading a truck at Mechua Market in Kolkata, India.

Kolay Market.

Pretty much the same goes for Kolay market just opposite Sealdah Train station. This is the place for cucumbers, onions, pumpkins, eggplant and any other vegetable of the season. Men, day labours – mostly from Bihar – work in long shifts to unload trucks that arrive from all over West Bengal. They earn about 500 Rupees (4-6 €) a day and travel home to their families only once a year. Needless to say, this work is taking it’s toll on their health… They sleep in dormitories in the first floors of the warehouses just above their workplace, so if a truck arrives, they are ready to unload immediately.

Hard working men at Kolay Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Kolay Market in Kolkata, India.

Hard working men at Kolay Market in Kolkata, India.

Selling fresh vegetables at Kolay Market in Kolkata, India.

Posta Burrabazar.

For garlic and ginger you have to travel to another area in the city. This market is close to Howrah bridge not too far away from the Mullik Ghat flower market on the way to Nimtala burning Ghat. You smell the loads of garlic that are repacked into smaller quantities immediately. This work is mostly done by women.

Street scene at Posta Burrabazar in Kolkata, India.

At Mullik Ghat flower market near Howrah bridge in Kolkata, India.

If you want to see what it’s like to walk through these markets, check out the videos in this post.

We’d only have 36 hours before continuing to Siem Reap for some crazy temple running around Angkor Wat, therefore the next couple of hours would be intense.

Stepping out of KLIA airport immediately made me feel like home (even though home was over 10.000 kilometres way); the people, the language, the vegetation but most of all the air. I can’t quite describe it, yet the smell of Asian air is unique and I’ve always thought so since I can remember. Anyway, the schedule was tight so we took the KLIA Express to Sentral station (28 minutes vs. 60 minutes by taxi) and continued to our hotel in Bukit Bintang.

Bukit Bintang is one of the liveliest places in Kuala Lumpur.

One thing was clear immediately, Kuala Lumpur has tuned into a city under construction; wherever you look, huge buildings wrapped in green and/or blue plastic were characteristic for the cityscape.

We passed through Little India and the Chinese Quarter before arriving at our destination. By now, it was almost 5.30pm – this is the time when our bellies start grumbling – so we quickly took a shower, changes into some shorts and headed out for some traditional Laksa soup. A small street vendor not far from our hotel offered the best Laksa in town for a very affordable price. The best ending to an exhausting travel day…

Laksa soup at a street vendor in Kuala Lumpur.

We started a day with a good cup of coffee and some yummy mangoes, which we bought the evening before.

Destination Nr. 1 would be Chow Kit market, which houses Kuala Lumpur’s largest wet market section. Here you’ll come across some real curiosities and it’s definitely not a place for smell sensitive people.

The meat market section of Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur.

We must have stayed at Chow Kit market for at least two hours before continuing to the shopping centre inside the Petrona Towers. I needed a new camera bag  and I knew that I’d find a suitable one in there (and I did). At the same time, we wanted to buy tickets to up the famous KLCC sky-walk (a real photographers delight), as well as the 82nd floor. But, turned out that all tickets were sold out already. So, here’s a good tip: If you don’t want to wake up at 6.00am to stand in line for one of the very looked after tickets, just go there whenever you want and buy one in advance for the next day or so. Anyway, so this was definitely a bit of a set-back because we really planned on shooting some night-scape photos from up there. We changed our plans and I still got my one-million-dollar photo that same night.

Petrona Towers – KLCC – in Kuala Lumpur.

By now, it was about 1.00pm so we gave ourselves a little break at the pool. By 4.00pm, we were out on the streets again. But not for long as it started raining cats and dogs. But now we at least had a good excuse to spoil ourselves a fantastic massage and a visit to the hairdresser. As it is in Asia, rain comes out of nowhere and it stops just as fast. So we continued our way back to the Petrona Towers for some night-scape photos. As usual, we ended the day with a delicious Laksa soup and some fresh fruits.

Our 36 hours came to an end, the next day would start with a wake-up call at 3.00am…

Markets are the heart of every city. No matter what time of the day, markets are always busy with peak hours early in the morning. They are vibrant, exciting, colourful and full of amazing impressions.

During our 36 hours in Kuala Lumpur, it was clear that the cities biggest market, Chow Kit, was on our agenda. You pretty much find everything you need right here – from household goods to fresh fish. Oh yeah, fresh fish is a good keyword; the wet market section immediately caught our attention. Such market is a rare scene in Kuala Lumpur because of its development.

Be aware!

This is nothing for light hearted, animal loving or smell sensitive people; the wet market section is dirty, humid, packed, smelly and literally wet. I really recommend to directly head towards a hot shower afterwards before continuing with your programme, because at the end of the market, you’ll have picked up an odour of fish, dead chicken, cloves cigarettes with a touch of lime and ginger…

Facts.

• Address: Northern end of Jalan Tunku Abdul Rahman, 50088 Kuala Lumpur
• Opening hours: Daily from 6.00 am – 5.00 pm
• How to get there: Take the Monorail line and stop at Chow Kit station. Walk for about 5 minutes and voilà.

The fish section at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur also includes sharks…

Chicken Section at Chow Kit Maket. Step 1: Killing the chicken. Step 2: Boiling the chicken. Step 3: Plucking the chicken. Step 4: Chopping the chicken.

Smiling cow’s head at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

One of the walkways through Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fresh squid at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Dried squid at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Walking through the meat section at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fresh fish at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

walking through the banana section at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Fresh lime at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

Colourful head-scarfs can also be found at Chow Kit market in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia.

What an experience!

The wholesale market for fruits and vegetables in Kolkata is an experience that is really difficult to describe. You make your way through dozens of trucks, which are parked only centimetres apart from each other, hundreds of porters, vendors, auctioneers, buyers and people who load & unload the trucks from their precious cargo – fresh fruits and vegetables that arrive here every morning from all over India, to be auctioned off right on the spot.

Words & photos are good for imagining such ongoing activities, but we also put together a little video (with out iPhone, so please excuse the quality) of the market’s happenings. This way, you’ll not only get an impression on the number of fruits auctioned off, the people who roam these streets, the heavy goods that need to be loaded onto trucks, but also the constant noise level…

Oranges, pineapples and bananas.

On the day of our visit, the main fruits that had just arrived were oranges, pineapples and bananas. Bananas (still on the stem) are a very attractive fruit and are sold piece by piece. How that works is that one porter stands in front of the truck, with the banana stalk on his head for display, while the auctioneer is shouting out the price. It’s a fast business, and all over sudden the bananas disappear in someone’s box or basket, and the next stalk is brought out for the auction.
With oranges it’s a bit different; they’re stacked up in a pyramid shape and sold tower-wise.

Obviously this place is hardly ever visited by foreigners. Many people asked how and why we came there and they were quite astonished when we said that we just wanted to have a look around.

We had the best time and the vendors seemed to ‘enjoy’ our company. A trader gave us apples from Kashmir as a present and everybody was keen to have his picture taken. It was a really great experience, yet it was a bit difficult to move along, because we didn’t want to be in anyone’s way … especially not if they’re carrying a 50 pound basket!

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Biddings at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Baskets full of papayas the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Working men at the the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata, India.

Yes, the world is a crazy place with bombings happening at the Boston Marathon; an event where sport, fun, action and happiness are in the foreground. There’s no doubt that this is a real tragedy. BUT (and this is a big but), bombings in Iraq, Afghanistan, Syria and many other countries are the daily business and no one seems to really care any more.

If you go through the terrorist incidents of 2013 alone, you’ll see, that almost all of them didn’t occur in western countries, and you’ll also realize that you haven’t even heard of 95% of them. You might have heard of the other 5%, but their headlines – “32 killed through bomb blast in Iraq” or “42 people killed through suicide bombings in Damascus” or “40 killed through US bombs at a wedding in Afghanistan” – don’t seem to bother us any more. It’s the daily business and therefore “nothing” special. These bombings also hit innocent people in places you’d never expect a bomb to go off – markets, buses, public buildings and even churches … As soon as the Western world is hit by something like this (even if the number of casualties is little to none), times seems to stand still.

I do care about this! In my opinion, there’s definitely something wrong with this picture!

Destruction left behind after an attack on Sigili village, North Darfur. Photo: UNAMID/Albert González Farran

Associated Press – A suicide car bomber attacked a Catholic Church during Mass in Nigeria, killing at least 10 people.

Associated Press/Arshad Butt – Pakistani Shiite Muslims sit in protest next to the dead bodies of their family members killed in a bombing.

Iraq Suicide Bombings. Photo credit unknown.

Afghan policemen and NATO troops inspect the site of a suicide attack in Faryab province, Afghanistan. Photo: REUTERS

Luckily there were two University professors sitting in our neighbour compartment (first class) during the train ride and besides a few very interesting conversations, they also offered us a ride into the city. At Howra train station, private cars are allowed to drive up all the way to the platform. Therefore the University Professors driver already waited for our arrival and we didn’t have have to carry our luggage through masses of people. Friendly as Indians are, we were dropped off in front of our hotel (Bodhi Tree Hotel) – this was a great luxury to start with. It took the driver about 1.5 hours to find the hotel but time is not such a great matter in India and the University was obviously closed that day …

Immediately after checking in, we started walking towards downtown Kolkata. Somehow we underestimated the distance and after 2 hours we were only half way to the city but luckily Kolkata has a very efficient Metro system, connecting North to South – this eases things a lot. Warning: The Metro is always packed but yet easy and fast. We got out at Chandni Chowk – the closest station to Howrah Bridge, since we knew that there was a flower market below the bridge and this was our desired destination …

Anyway, we didn’t find the flower market but we ran right into the wholesale fruit market of Kolkata, where trucks from all over India, Pakistan and Bangladesh arrive with all kind of fruits that are auctioned off right on the spot. That day, it was banana and orange day. We had to maneuver through piles of banana stalks and oranges and every few meters was a selling area, where auctioneers auctioned off all the fruits with megaphones. All of this action happened in light rain which transformed the road to mud mixed with cow dung … Not the most pleasant walkway.

The working men who unload tons and tons of fruits and vegetables are all in perfect shape (even though they’ve for sure never ever seen a gym from the inside). If a bag of fruit is too heavy for one person, a few other men will kindly lend a hand. After all, they are all in the same boat…

At the end of the day, we were pretty exhausted and happy to land in bed at our lovely hotel.

Pure manpower at the wholesale fruit market in Kolkata.

The railway tracks lead right through the Slum area in Kolkata.

A typical market scene at the wholesale fruit market near the Howrah bridge in Kolkata.

Rickshaws can be seen all over the city of Kolkata.

Thousands of taxis and buses cross the Hoogly river on Howrah Bridge every day.

Men washing themselves in the streets of Kolkata – a typical street scene.

The hands of a Rickshaw driver in Kolkata.

The Victoria Memorial Hall was built between 1906 and 1921. It’s dedicated to the memory of Queen Victoria and is now a museum and tourist attraction in Kolkata.

Working men at the fruit wholesale market in Kolkata.

Crossing the Hoogly river on Howrah bridge in Kolkata, India.

Portrait of a nun’s in the streets of Kolkata.

Knife sharpeners can be found all around the city of Kolkata.

Working men at the orange section of the wholesale market in Kolkata.

If grinding poverty hurts your sensibilities, Kolkata is not the place to be in. If grinding poverty hurts your sensibilities, Kolkata is not the place to be in.

Getting ready to lift up a heavy pile of vegetables at the wholesale market in Kolkata.