Kochi - The Last Tour

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Kochi was to be our last city tour and after spending a couple of days here we retreated to a beach resort which is one and a half hours south of the city.

The city is situated on the west coast of Kerala and is full of history. The Portugese arrived here in the 16th century and built a palace for the local royal family in exchange for trading rights. We visited the palace known as Mattancherry Palace and at the time it seemed to be the venue for the visit by hordes of schoolchildren as well as a scene of renovation works.

The Portugese during their time here built a couple of churches which have since undergone quite a few modifications. The most interesting was St Francis Church which had the honour of being the resting place of Vasco da Gama until his remains were removed to Lisbon in 1538. The church also has on one side Portugese memorial stones and on the other are Dutch memorial stones. The Dutch took over from the Portugese and their influence can be seen in buildings in parts of the city and in particular the Jewish Quarter. Close to Jew Street is the Jewish synagogue built in 1664 which still retains its ancient character. There are now only about a dozen Jewish families in the city as many fled to Israel in the late 1940s.

We stayed in the old part of the city known as Fort Kochi which used to have a British garrison after the British took ove from the Dutch. The old part of the city is delightful with its orderly streets and buildings, lack of people begging, children clamouring for gifts and roaming animals.

An additional attraction not mentioned in the guide books is the laundry situated next to the old parade ground, now used for football and cricket. It appears that the laundry services most of the local hotels. Not a washing machine in sight.

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Photos

Chinese Fishing Nets
Dominating the sea front in the old part of the city, these were first erected between 1350 and 1450 and suggest early trading links with China.

St Francis Church
Old style air conditioning in the form of swinging fans above the pews which were controlled by the "fan wallahs" pulling ropes outside the church.

Laundry 1
The washing stage using cold water and a stone to beat the laundry.

Laundry 2
The drying process.

Laundry 3
The ironing process. The irons, which are the weight of two house bricks, are filled with hot charcoal made from coconut shells.

Laundry 4
General view of the ironing shed. The laundry is run by several families as a cooperative.

Lynne and fishing nets
On the road out of Kochi we came across a canal with more fishing nets.

Relaxing by the pool
Prior to visiting Kochi we stayed at a resort known as Coconut Lagoon so as to charge our batteries.

Comments

[Glo]

Total envy
I have been reading your travel blog with pure unadulterated envy until today. When I read about the hordes of school children visiting the Mattencherry Palace I thought oh poor Lynne! Did John queue jump? Remember the Plymouth ferry?!!!! Only joking! You both look really relaxed by the pool. I was particularly envious when you stayed on the houseboat. It looked wonderful. Will the river Dart ever have the same appeal now? You are obviously having the trip of a lifetime. I can't wait to hear about it when we go to the NEC. Loads of love to you both xxxxxxxxxxx