Kochi

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So after a few hours on a train up north we landed ourselves up in Kochi. This train journey hasnt been as bad as previous ones and now, actually I dont really mind getting trains here at all, they arent all that bad! Especially if you stand up for a while and look outside by one of the doors, the views you get of the surrounding countryside are stunning.

We stayed in a really homely, lovely homestay about 10 minutes walk from Fort Kochin, called Beenas homestay- who certainly cooked the best Indian food I have tasted and was also very generous helping organise trips and such like.

In the afternoon, we walked up to the Chinese fishing nets, which were absolutely incredible, they were massive. A wealthy owner would buy one and then let it out to maybe 7 or 8 fisherman who would pull the nets in maybe 200 times a day, in hope of finding a good catch. They would then sell the fish in one of the stalls and some of the surrounding restaurants would cook the fish for you. However we never really got time to do that. We then went to the Dutch Palace (where I did some reading up of former Kochi Mahrajahas) and had a look around Mattencherry, which is another part of Kochi, but that wasnt really as impressive.

The following morning we organised a trip to just outside of Kochi- a wash and ride on elephants. I really, really enjoyed this. Even though the elephants were tame (after years of hard training, which is quite rough unfortunately) the elephants could just about do what they are told quite happily. It was however raining quite heavily and even though I was washing them, I did also manage to get drenched from the rain.

In the afternoon we chilled around Kochi and found a cafe called the teapot, which is so cute, they manage to get the teapot invloved with everything, before heading to see some traditional Keralan dancing, which was well... interesting to say the least!!!

Finally on Monday, we visited the Keralan backwaters, which were absolutely awesome. It was so relaxing on the houseboat on the morning- we passed plenty of islands and fisherman. One of the main ways of income there is sand so, we saw plenty of that being carted around to, and we stopped of at a spice garden- which had like a million spices in it!! In the afternoon we continued our trip, but this time went on a much smaller boat and went through smaller waterways, which was really good. We stopped off where they were making rope- surprisingly out of coconuts and we went to an Indian bakery type thing for coconut juice- literally out of the coconut into the straw- no articial preservatives! haha

So yeah I had a successful weekend, now back to work. Pictures to be uploaded soon!

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Photos

Me and Elephant 1
Wet

Comments

[dad]

elephants
Looks good Megz. at least the rain should prepare you for your return home!. No elephants to wash on your arrival, but we might be able to furnish you with a dog or two!! love you dad