Guide to Kerala Backwater in South India – 2 days in Kochi.
Continuing our travels through Kerala, Juan and I caught the morning train to Ernakulam south station. From here it’s a tuk-tuk ride away to Kochi or Fort Cochin, the colonial name of this historical island town in Kerala connected to the mainland by bridge. An important cargo, naval and fishing port today, Arabian and Chinese merchants have been trading in Cochin since the 14th century, later followed by Portuguese, Dutch and British settlers.
The Dreamcatcher Homestay is the nicest guesthouse I have stayed in during my travels through India, the gorgeous colonial style mansion with immaculate guestrooms is owned by Bernard and Sally who reside on the ground floor with their family. It’s in a peaceful central location within walking distance to everywhere, and the owners are really kind and helpful.
The old town streets have an olde worlde air that remind me of a quaint English village, with Dutch and Portuguese influences…except the gift shops sell hippie pants and I could only find one pub. The atmosphere is European two centuries ago…the magnificent Santa Cruz Basilica with a striking white facade, small eateries, a French bakery, coffee shops, a cricket field, the overgrown Dutch cemetery, elegant hotels in period buildings, a traditional post office. Then you come to the waterfront, out onto the Vasco de Gama Square which is shaded with ancient trees and lined with stalls selling fresh fish and seafood. Choose fish or a plateful of seafood and they will take it across to their restaurant where it’s prepared with the sauce of your choice.
The Chinese fishing nets are behind the waterfront, the scene that Cochin is most famous for. The nets hang from bamboo posts on a cantilevered mechanism. Go onto the platforms and fishermen will demonstrate how they work. At sunset the exotic scene was so contrasting to the European part of town!
The seafront promenade leading to Kochi beach was damaged in the cyclone a couple of weeks previously, so the area wasn’t open to the public. However, Cherai beach is much more popular. You can get the public ferry across to Vypin Island for a few rupees and then the local bus to Cherai about 30 minutes away.
We walked along from the Kochi ferry terminal towards the fishing boats. The road is lined with old merchant warehouses with private docks where the boats moor up. Centuries ago Fort Cochin was an important hub on the spice route and although the area is now run down there are still signs of the trade including the ladies sieving black pepper outside on the street.
Converted premises hold intriguing craft shops and art galleries – one is the fascinating ginger-themed restaurant museum. The open entrance way is flanked by large elephant statues, an extremely long wooden canoe runs through the whole length of the hall towards the back where there is an opulent antique dining room, a beautifully decorated garden and a riverside terrace specializing in local seafood and teas, naturally enhanced with ginger!
This is the historic Mattancherry district, the authentic Old Quarter of Cochin where you can see some unique sites. We wandered past the International Tourism Police Museum and then into the courtyard of the Dutch Palace museum, the original Keralan architecture dating to 1555 –the complex includes small temples and a lagoon set in tree-shaded gardens.
Close by you can see the Pazhayannur Bhagavathy Temple and then walk on to the ancient Synagogue which was built in 1567 by the Paradesi Jews, Spanish speaking spice traders who settled in Kerala centuries ago. St. Francis {1503] is another historic landmark which was decked out in colourful parasols for a local event. There are Mosques, Jain Temples and even an old Syrian Orthodox church in the vicinity but we were ‘templed-out’ by this time and decided to take a short cut back.
Flash tuk-tuk in Kochi backstreets
These Kochi backstreets are a totally different scene. Like other places I saw in India people live in districts according to their religion, each with their own style of dress and places of worship.
The alleyways got narrower and the homes resembled slums… like everywhere else we inadvertently ventured into in India, the people in the poorest places never hassled us, always had a smile and didn’t mind if I took photos.
Students were coming home from school so I asked them the way out of this maze.
It was our wedding anniversary and by surprise Sally made us a special dinner, a delicious chicken curry made with coconut milk and mild spices, served with sliced white bread! She got up early especially to prepare it, as the family was going away for the day to celebrate their daughter Onita’s engagement. Both women wore the most beautiful saris specially made for the occasion out of the finest silk.
On our last day I wore a sari too, the one I was given so many weeks ago by a friend in Jaipur. Sally draped it on me, tucked the material into the waistband of my shorts to keep it in place and caught it with one safety pin on the shoulder. It was rather cumbersome walking down the street, and I had to hike it up to get upstairs. I walked into the old town and many locals stopped and said how nice that I should wear the Kerala dress. I was very self conscious at first but really enjoyed the experience… though I am glad Juan refused to wear the ‘skirt-like’ dhotis!
Sally and Onita, DreamCatcher Guesthouse
The Bernards hugged us and said goodbye, and we went to catch an airport bus, the orange one due at 6pm.
It was pitch black as we stood with our bags in the road when my Indian mentality finally kicked in, and I found a tea garden where we drank our last masala tea, our flight wasn’t going until midnight so we had time to get a taxi. The bus appeared just before seven!
Sometimes it’s not about saving money, it’s the satisfaction of having arranged my own travel connections, whether it’s a local bus with an undecipherable destination, an overnight coach to a remote site or a long distance train…or an orange airport shuttle.
Just adopt an Asian mind frame by letting things be and not stressing, and everything works out smoothly.
Two months travelling through India and it was time to move on…the next destination? Thailand! We flew straight into Bangkok, our second time in this mega city, possibly the most fascinating capital in the world. Bangkok is amazing, a fascinating city full of contrasts, the traditional and the trendy living side-by-side in apparent harmony.
Our first trip is memorable…a stopover on our way to a beach holiday in Phuket, we crammed as much sightseeing experiences into those 3 days as possible! Continue reading here…
