Blogs from Kochi, Kerala, India, Asia - page 40

Got bus from Kumily to Cochin about 7 hour journey with usual pack of passengers and people hanging on but had got to terminus early to secure seat and space for rucksack. This was a really scenic journey as we wound along hillsides and down forest clad valleys. Arrived Ernakulam and got ferry to Fort Cochin and secured accommodation in Vasco's House which Lucy had recommended. Went out for look arround and immediately met Flo and Marie who had just arrived from Delhi 48 hour journey. Walking up street when heard shout and it was Miko and Mike from Ooty. Arranged to meet later and went for fish meal at chinese nets It was good to see them both again and Mike's leg was feeling a bit better Went for last dinner with MIko and Mike ... read more

Fort Kochi is an interesting place: when walking around its streets lined by European-style mansions, it is almost hard to remember that you are in India. Everything seems to be a bit more relaxed here than in the other parts of India we visited, and more traveller friendly. It clearly embraces its rich cultural heritage, following spells of control by the Portuguese, Dutch, and British. To a certain extent, the city reminds me of Cape Town in South Africa: while Fort Kochi is in some ways clearly Indian, and while Cape Town is in some ways clearly South African, there is something about these places which makes me feel comfortable here as a European... We arrived in Fort Kochi on Saturday, after taking a train from Coimbatore to Ernakulam and a ferry from Ernakulam to Fort ... read more

Like Goa, Kochin is a wealthy area and the people are incredibly friendly. The hotel we stayed in faced a football pitch. The highlight for me was playing cricket in the daytime and footy in the evening with the locals, a great bunch of lads, and all eager to show me there football skills. I’m sure you will be pleased to know that during this time I managed to recruit a few more Liverpool fans! We spent a day on a small wooden boat checking out the backwaters, which was a little boring after 20 minutes especially when the guide waffled on about the virtue of a load of plants. Apparently one magical plant which we could not touch helped cured baldness, heal colds, help you sleep and increase your sex drive hmm …. The ... read more

Ok... so the planned elephant viewing never happened. Found the perfect train to get us back from Mysore to Mumbai in time for the test, so had a mad dash over to the mainland to have a go at booking tickets. Delayed only by a 20 minute wait to make sure that my slightly dodgy stomach wasn't the start of something else. I know I'm going to get food poisoning at some point, but I really didn't want it to hit ten minutes into a 40 minute ferry journey... Got to Ernakulam, and hired ourselves an auto rickshaw. Having got used to them on the more sedate island of Fort Kochi, to be thrown into the rush hour traffic of a proper big town was quite dramatic. Totally insane situation. Hundreds of these autos careering around ... read more

Yesterday, at the Kerala Tourist Info place, I'd booked a half-day backwater cruise for today that would give me a much closer look at backwater life - a small boat propelled by a man with a punting pole would be able to get down some of the narrow channels that the kettu vallam had been unable to get down in Allepey. So 8:30AM saw me clambering into a minibus for the journey out to the backwaters. 40 minutes later, we were at a plantation, where the guide showed us pineapples, wild pineapples, black pepper, tamarind, jackfruit, coconuts, etc being cultivated. There was also a demonstration of mat making using wild pineapple leaves, and one of coconut fibre manufacture from coconut husks. Then the tour proper began. The boat was a large, covered, motor-powered affair, which concerned ... read more