Cochin, last stop in India

K: After driving probably 600 kilometers on some of the worst, most congested roads ever, we did not even come close to a fender bender. Our driver Murugan got us safely to Kochi.

But I nearly met my demise by an unripened coconut falling from a tree and missing my head by only inches. One never knows!

Kochi is a lovely city on the coast and is actually made up of several islands, connected by bridges. Fort Cochin is home to most of the tourist sites and has a nice, quaint feel to it. We could actually walk most of the area and explore by foot. One of the most interesting sites are the Chinese fishing nets which date back to the 1400's. They are huge nets attached to spider-like contraptions that require at least 4 or 5 people to operate the counterweights, lowering and raising the nets into and out of the water. Not the most efficient form of fishing, but fun to watch.

There are many churches in Fort Cochin (and even a Jewish synagogue and a couple of mosques) due to the settlement by the Portuguese, the Dutch and the British Raj. Also, the architecture of the homes and buildings reflects their influences.

On our last night in India, it was a treat to watch a traditional Kathakali performance (see the colorful photos). The performance begins with an intricate make-up application demonstration by the performers, followed by a dance. The dance is a presentation of portions of Hindu epics such as the Ramayana. The performance is filled with very specific, disciplined hand gestures (mudras) and eye movements and, of course, very elaborate costumes to reflect the actors as gods, demons or heroes. Fort Cochin was a great way to end our Indian Journey.

V: The city of Kochi, aka Cochin, or, more precisely our location--Fort Cochin, was a very pleasant surprise. First of all, Karen managed to, by mere inches, avoid total catastrophe when a hard-shelled fruit pod plunged from a tree down to the ground.

Now, Fort Cochin is highly walkable. The problem is that there are too many rickshaw/tuktuk drivers fighting, desperately, for the tourist trade, but that flies in the face of the fact that Fort Cochin is so nice to walk around in, and the tourists don't need their driving services. A lot of guys sit around with nothing to do.

For any 'gearhead' readers, I had to include a photo of a classic--the Enfield Bullet motorcycle. There are quite a few of them roaming around here, and they are cool.

We were so caught up with the children in Cochin, whether they be playing field hockey (which was the first time we'd seen that in India), or just waiting for the tuktuk ride home from school--where they packed in nearly a dozen kids. Their beautiful smiles are so precious. And I love the school uniforms. (America--take note!!!!)

One thing more--Kerala, a communist state in India--touts itself as "God's Country". Smile! And, I must state the I did note a palpable Christian aura in Fort Cochin, despite the fact that it is a city in the communist state of Kerala. Go figure.