Cochin (or Kochi) is in the state of Kerala in
south west India. This is another area that was settled by the
Portuguese in 1500, then the Dutch then the British from 1795. There are a high percentage of Christians in
the area with lots of churches – mainly catholic I think. Interestingly Christianity is said to have
been introduced to Kerala in 20 AD by Saint Thomas – I always
assumed it was brought by the Portuguese.
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| Chinese Fishing Net |
We docked
at yet another container port, though this is a small one on Willingdon Island
which is the centre of the trade and government offices. We only had half a day to explore as the
morning was taken up with immigration formalities – apparently the officials
usually come on board early (e.g. at Sri Lanka) but this year they opted to do
everything on the day. We went for a
walk around Fort Cochin,
the historic part of the town, and found
it quite charming if you ignored the rubbish -
and certainly it was a gentle introduction to India
for Keith as we only saw one beggar and no evidence of shanty towns or people
living under tarpaulins as I had seen in Hyderabad.
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| Ambassador Taxi |
There is a
nice promenade and a sandy beach but apparently the sea is polluted here –
there are lots of other lovely beaches in Kerala we were told – this one was certainly popular with promenading
couples. It is famous for its Chinese
fishing nets which apparently are built to a centuries-old design. They look quite ingenious, working on a pully
system. We watched one being pulled up –
they don’t get a very big catch but seem to dip them up and down quite
regularly.
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| Typical old street |
A lot of
the old buildings have been converted into small hotels or ‘homestays’ and
there are small shops selling crafts, clothes, jewellery and spices, plus restaurants and cafes and the usual
stalls on the beach with vendors selling all sorts of souvenirs. We didn’t get too much hassle and bought a
couple of shirts at reasonable prices – it certainly seemed like a pleasant
place though not somewhere we are desperate to return to.
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| All the lorries are decorated in different patterns |
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