Kochi (Cochin) 18th – 20th Jan 2005

I stay one night in Coimbatore and get a train the following morning over the Tamil Nadu border in to Kerala and on to the coastal city of Kochi (Cochin).

Kerala is one of the most prosperous and well educated states in India, and walking though the streets of Kochi I could really sense it. Infrastructure is good, streets are clean and there seems to something resembling civic pride. The city is set around a large natural harbor and is made up of a number of different islands. I walk about a kilometer from the train station to the sea front where I get a ferry boat across to the Island of Fort Cochin. This island is where all the cities historic sites are, and where most of the accommodation is. On the island, I find some digs and set off for a wander to get my bearings.
Fort Cochin has been Dutch, Portuguese and English ruled, and certain streets could have been transplanted from all three places.

The beach of Fort Cochin is famous for its Chinese fishing nets, huge timber winches that lift massive nets in and out of the water. Each takes about 6 men to operate, and its a great spectacle to watch, although I get the feeling that they are operated now more as a tourist attraction than an economic way of catching fish. Behind the nets a number of stalls sell freshly caught fish that you can purchase and take to a seafront restaurant and get then to cook it for you. I decide not to have fish, but get well and truly tucked up by a beach cafe selling me beer at three times the going rate (The thieving little ba**rds)

The following day I set off on foot to have a look around the island. Many of the streets are busy trading area's selling spices, herbs, rice, tea etc. The Jew town district is a street lined with ramshackle timber buildings selling all sorts of spices, the smell is quite overpowering.

At Cochin there is little sign of any lasting damage caused by the Tsunami, a few damaged fishing boats are strewn along the shore line but to be honest in India discarded damaged things don’t really stand out from the norm.

After 2 days in Kochi I get a bus (Oh no another bus) to Allepey. Here I plan to take a boat trip on the backwaters.