Kochi Weekend

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I had a really really nice weekend. Early Saturday morning Eddie, Emilia and I took a rickshaw to Chengannur, and from Chengannur we took the train to Ernakulam (Kochi and Ernakulam are twin cities, Kochi being the old part an Ernakulam the new part). It was about two and a half hours, and all in all was a pleasant ride. We took a ferry across the harbor to Fort Cochin (which is an island that was settled by the Dutch in the 17th century. We then went to Brunton Boatyard, which is a really nice hotel in an old Dutch mansion to have some tea. I had decided a few days ago to use my weekend to take a mini-break from India and stay in a nice hotel with hot water, and I took a look at the room at Brunton Boatyard and was awe struck. It was a little more than I had wanted to spend, but in the end it was worth it. The room was huge, and had air conditioning. This in and of itself was no big deal, except that it meant low humidity, which meant the bed was DRY!! The bed was carved wood with a gigantic mattress, and it was warm and clean and comfy. In fact, it was so big that a step stool was provided to help me get into it. The clean part is important, since we all seem to have picked up fleas from the place we stayed at in Periyar. The room had a balcony that looked out over Kochi harbor. The bathroom was gigantic with a tub and a separate shower, and the it was arranged to that I could bathe with a view of the harbor. I took both a shower and bath, and felt really clean for the first time since I left Hyderabad. While Eddie and Emilia were still in Kochi we did some shopping (mostly book stores and that kind of thing) and had dinner. I spent the rest of the evening enjoying my room and watching cricket (which is the only reliably entertaining thing on at all hours in India). This morning I visited the synagogue, which was absolutely stunning. Near the synagogue was the embroidery shop of Mrs. Sarah Cohen. Most of the stuff she was selling was pretty tacky, but she had a few decent mezzuzahs, so I bought one. She told me they don't have Friday night services during the monsoon because the men who live in Ernakulam can't get across the harbor, and thus there is no minyan. It was all really a very interesting experience. I took the train back early this afternoon, and got to ride in the ladies compartment, which was pretty fun. A really nice girl about my age sat across from me and we had a great chat. I took her picture and she asked for my email address. Apparently many people at VKV have had this happen, and when an Indian says they will contact you, they almost always do. So I have a new Keralan friend. Other than that, I was too late to see the astrologer today, so I'll go see him next weekend. Talk to you soon.

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Photos

Chinese Fishing Nets
These fishing nets are set up along Cochin harbor. They take four men to operate, and they're wonderfully effective.

The Synagogue
Emilia and Eddie and I in front of the Pardesi (which means white Jew as opposed to Indian Jew) Synagogue

My new friend
This is the girl I met on the train.

Comments

[mina]

goat photo
By the way, I forgot to tell you, the goat photo with the blue door is fantastic! Truely a great photo worthy of National Geographic. I look forward to the rest Love, Mina