Day 7 - Fort Kochi and Kathakali

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Another nice day in Kochi. Bit of a rushed start having set the alarm for 7.15am but not noticed the phone had am/pm mixed up! Luckily woke up at 8.05am but meant we missed breakfast - now know we can get up and both be showered and ready in just 20m!

Went to the jetty and got the ferry to Fort Kochi. Had a look outside the Synagogue and around Jew Town and the Dutch Palace. Also visited the Santa Cruz Basilica and saw the old Chinese fishing nets. While we were walking around some students stopped us to chat and practice their English, all of whom were really nice and friendly. Also saw a lot of animals - goats, cats, dogs etc. Had a nice lunch in the Kashi Art Cafe which was really cheap and very tasty - quiche and mushroom soup was a nice change from Indian food. Then went back up to Jew Town and did a bit of shopping - managed to get the baggy alibaba pants I'd been looking for and Natalie got a nice top.

Came back to the hotel, got a nice shower, and packed up our stuff. We will be staying here on the last night of the tour of the south and so we can leave some stuff in the hotel which is great. Have just packed some stuff in my holdall.

Met with the group again at 5.45pm and went to see a traditional Kathakali Dance, directed by Devon at See India Foundation, Kochi. It was really fascinating to watch the performer get painted up and then to see the whole performance with Director Devon explaining it. The stories are told completely through body language and facial expressions and the warm up through all the muscles in the face was funny. They also demonstrated how they represented different characters and animals through different movements.

After this unusual performance we went for dinner and had a lovely evening with a live band which provided a talking point for the evening. Sarah noticed Johns eating habits. He really does say nothing - bit awkward trying to include him at times.

Got another 8.30am start tomorrow out of Kochi - hopefully will manage to get up on time and get breakfast!

General thoughts for today

*Really nice day all round, especially lunch
*John creates awkward silences that Sarah feels the need to break
*First rains of the trip in the form of some drizzle this morning then absolutely chucking it down tonight when we came out of the restauarant which was luckily just next to the hotel
*very excited that 24 just came on TV 😱 but sad no Tony - happy for Morris though - can't quite figure out which series it is

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Photos

Boat to Fort Kochi
Natalie and myself on the boat to Fort Kochi

Sarah and Natalie
Standing by the water on Fort Kochi

Chinese fishing nets
Old Chinese fishing nets on Fort Kochi

Friendly students
Some students that we chatted to for a bit, happy to be using their English

Fish!
We wondered why all the cats were hanging around this area...then we spotted all the fish

Kathakali front
The final costume from the front - taken during a dance

Kathakali side
The final costume during a dance

Kathakali back
View of the costume from the back

Comments

[India Tour]

Interesting
It is nice and the use of words and pictures are good. Its explanatory , precise and does not diverts from the topic of discussion. It gives a clear cut picture of what is being talked about. Besides use of pictures further enhances the topic of discussion.