9) Kochi, the European city

Kochi (former Cochin) cannot deny the European influence, by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British. Vasco da Gama landed in Calicut, 200 km north of Kochi, in 1498. Already four years later, he came to Kochi, where he died in 1524 and stayed buried in this town until 1538.

The touristy part of this city is called Fort Kochi, and practically every building there is European. Fort Kochi retains a quiet relaxed atmosphere, whereas its twin town, Ernakulam, is bustling and hectic. Willingdon Island, Kochi's third part, was created in the 1920s by dredging the bay to increase the depth of the entrance to the harbour to over 11m. It is the Head Quarters of the Southern Command of the Indian Navy, and has a naval airport. Due to Kochi's unique position, with islands close by and zigzagged by canals, a high percentage of the traffic is done by ferries, which are practical and fast. They are the tourists' delight also by another reason: by taking a ferry, you almost automatically come across dolphins, which we also did.

Having arrived around 9:00 p.m., we had big problems finding a hotel room, so we took up residence in a private home called home-stay. Actually, Kochi is the first place with private rooms on offer, and there are plenty, of all levels. Our room was quite nice, there was a living-room and a kitchen enclosed, as well as a charming terrace.

One of Kochi's main attractions are the Chinese fishing nets and the adjacent fish market. Several small restaurants have been put up there, with the slogan "You buy, we fry". The fish is relatively cheap, and you pay an additional cooking fee per kg, this way you can eat fresh fish at a lower price than in normal restaurants. Of course we had to try, and it was a nice experience, enjoying the sunset close to the Chinese fishing nets.

In the burning sun, we walked about 4 km to the palace and the Jewish Town, other main tourist attractions. The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese and about 100 years later (in 1663) largely rebuilt by the new occupants, the Dutch. From the outside, it is not very spectacular, and unfortunately it was not allowed to take pictures inside. Not much of the furniture is left, the palace's main attraction are its mural paintings, some on wooden panels. In the ladies' bedroom, you can find slightly erotic paintings, we are sorry that we cannot offer any pictures! The former Jewish town these days is reduced to the Synagogue, the rest is a mixture of souvenir shops, warehouses and spice auction rooms. The Synagogue itself was built in 1568 and gives you an extraordinary experience of light and airiness, due partly to the blue Chinese floor tiles, hand-painted and each one different. Alas, pictures were not allowed here, either.

Kochi boasts the first Catholic Church in India, St. Francis Church. Allegedly built in 1546 by the Portuguese, about a hundred years later it became Protestant with the Dutch invasion, and still about a hundred years later, the arrival of the British made it Anglican. In 1949, the congregation joined the Church of South India. What an extraordinary history! Next to it is the huge parade ground, formerly used for the different armies and nowadays a favourite site for the youth to exercise cricket, a game that is not understandable to people without a British background, like us.

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Part of trip: Asia Tour 2005

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