Fort Cochin
Cheenavalum
Chinese fishing nets in the sunset
From the Chinese who came through Malacca to Cochin.
The Chinese in Malacca and Cochin have a shared Portugese history.
Bollywood Boys go this way
. . . and that
and this little man watching over his business.
Our favorite dining place, The Old Harbour Hotel
Breakfast, lunch and dinner spent at the Old Harbour Hotel.
It has a beautiful airy restaurant that overlooks the garden and pool.
At nights, there are a couple of tabla musicians playing.
We stayed at the Hotel Arches Fort Cochin with Anglo-Indian furnishings
and in this picture above, Jewel doing a Juliet from the balcony of our room.
Our walkabout took us to churches, schools, and this old Dutch palace.
Indian motifs on each step of the Mattancherry Palace.
St. Francis Church
And we got invited to a wedding in the building across from it
Vasco Da Gama's tomb.
The man from my History books at my feet!
My sweet little deer looking into a bookstore and wishing she can have a book,
and holi coloured powder in the shops.
In and around Cochin, watch an elephant walk up to you,
or someone's good idea to have a gorilla terrorize customers to visit this gold coverings
(goldsmith and jewelers) shop, and yeah, while strangling a snake on one hand.
Our final morning in Cochin, we went shopping for more sarees and a dozen whistling bird toys at M.G. Road. M.G. Road is all over India, every main street in every major city in India is named M.G. Road, for Mahatma Gandhi. In the afternoon we were transferred to the Ernakulam Junction Railway Station in Cochin to board the 2 pm NETRAVATHI EXPRESS, Train No. 16346 back to Udupi.
This is apparently the most trustworthy rail service that shows up, arrives and departs on time. We were on wait list but later got the best class available, the Deluxe 2nd Class. In this air cond (they call it AC) cabin, a curtained cubicle has 4 seater beds. We sit and stare across at each other, swaying along with the chugging train. Here is Jewel up on the top bunk with her mini library, sweet shop, and picnic. Licking lollipop while enjoying a good read. The kitchen comes around with a selling 'lace' (potato crisps), sweets, chai (fragrant cardamon tea in mini stainless steel mugs) and a menu of savoury bean cakes, naan, and fried chicken.