Cochin on the Arabian Sea

---

I awoke this morning to the sound of birds outside the patio doors and when I pulled back the curtains there outside our window is the Arabian Sea with boats of all description plying their way back and forth among the islands. It is foggy this early in the morning. I’m trying to quietly get up, make some coffee and get outside on our patio so I can enjoy the early morning sights and smells and sounds. Of course when I try to be quiet that is when I make the most noise!!

Little fishing boats, tugs, a ferry and the odd ocean freighter are going about their businesses while I sip french press coffee and make some notes on my blog. Soon enough we head over for breakfast. The breakfast patio is outside protected from the elements by a climbing vine overhead. White aproned servers bring us fruit plates and coffee while we sit and enjoyed being spoiled for a change.

A busy day starts with boarding the bus at 9 a.m. to travel through Cochin to St. Francis Church. The church was built in 1503 by the Portuguese who had control of India at the time. Since then it has passed from Portuguese to Dutch to British and now back to independent India. Many of the old tombs within the church have been moved and the marker stones are inlaid into the walls of the church. Vasco De Gama, the ancient navigator was originally buried in this church but his remains were removed to Lisbon. The marker stone remains in the church. This was the first European church to be built in India.

A short walk down the road brings us to the fishing boats on the coast. The Arabian Sea is rich with sea life and as we stroll along the walkway, each fisherman has his catch displayed for sale. There are so many different types of fish and I can’t identify any of them. The only thing I recognize are lobsters and crabs. Some of the fish are so big they don’t fit in the bins and others are very small like herring. Our destination is one particular dock where we get to take part in a net lowering by pulling hard on ropes to lower the net apparatus into the water and then carefullly let those ropes out to bring the net back up out of the water. Guess what we caught? Absolutely nothing. They weren’t interested in hiring us on as crew members.

The next church we visited was Santa Cruz Basilica built in 1507. There is a huge difference in the two churches - one is humble and ancient and the other is looking quite new and very opulent. After that a visit to Dhobi Khana which is the local laundry facility. Workers was clothing by adding soap to concrete bins and slapping and squeezing the clothing until it is clean. Wash is hung on lines or spread on the grass to dry before being ironed and folded. This dhobi was started centuries ago and has continued successfully since.

Cochin is comprised of 25 islands with bridges between the islands. As we move around the streets of this small port area of Cochin, I notice many of the houses are of the old British Colonial style dating back to the1800’s - white mansions with red tile roofs and in many cases looking aged but still elegant and dignified. There aren’t a lot of flowers in India but when they do appear they are brilliantly magnificent - lantana, oleander in every shade from dark red,white and yellow, jasmine, frangipani and something that looks like brilliant oranges growing on a shrub. No idea what these are but they are very showy. The other thing that is amazing are the rain trees. They are so big I’m sure it would 20 men to circle them. In the rainy season the leaves close up and once rainy season is over the leaves open back up and the entire tree is covered in small yellow flowers.

A little bit of free time between destinations gives us some shopping experience at the Cottage Craft Emporium. These are local artisans selling their creations and while you are perusing you are treated to some saffron tea to help you decide to buy. Did not succumb to the temptation of silks, jewellery, rugs, Indian antiques, carvings, etc., etc., etc.

On to the cooking class. The lady giving us our class was one of those amazing WOMEN. She has accomplished so much in her life, running businesses, starting her own B&B and teaching world class Indian cooking. We learned so much as we cooked fish curry, shrimp curry, green beans, cooked cabbage & coconut - using salt and spices to flavour foods just the right way. Some of us took part in the actual cooking and at the end we all sat down and enjoyed the best Indian food I have ever eaten.

After a short cleanup at the hotel, we left for the Dutch Palace. In reality this was built by the Portuguese but when the Dutch conquered Cochin they changed it to the Dutch Palace as it has been known ever since. The museum had magnificent carved teak ceilings and murals painted on the walls in the 1700’s of the history of Hinduism.

Next is Jewtown where there is an ancient synagogue still in use today. Removing our shoes we entered and our guide gave us a review of the history. Before returning to the bus we paid a visit to the Spice Girls. It’s not really called that but it is a business that has been built by women for women. They grow organic spices and sell them in the store along with souvenirs, clothing, fabric, and many other things,

As I said it’s a busy day and we returned to the hotel in time to have High Tea out on the dock before boarding a boat for a sunset cruise. We slid past the fishing boat docks, around one of the islands slowing down to take pictures of snowy white egrets and eagles soaring overhead searching for their next meal. The boat driver knows all the good spots for taking photos and we have every advantage to get the best spots. The sunset is no disappointment showing brilliant reds, oranges and blues highlighting the Chinese fishing nets and palm trees.

In no time we were back to the docks and off to the bar for refreshment and dinner before turning in the night. Tomorrow we leave for a boat cruise for two days in the backwaters of Kerala. Stay tuned for more adventures.

---