Tag: Fort Kochi

We drove to Coimbatore railway station and said farewell to our driver.

We boarded our train to Kochi … comfy reserved seats for 4 hr journey, £3 each … British Rail please take note!

We arrived late afternoon and came to Saj Home by tuk-tuk. We had chosen to stay 5 nights here as a bit of a rest mid trip, a chance to unpack and take it easy.

Our first day was spent following the walking trail of things to see in Fort Kochi, including the church where Vasco da Gama was buried (although he was later dug up and taken to Portugal, so maybe not so interesting), but it did have fabric fans called punkahs, that still work to keep the congregation cool, operated by punkah wallahs.

We also saw the Chinese fishing nets, supposedly brought by traders from the court of the Kublai Khan, and which feature in more ads for Kerala than anything else, although usually at sunset.

The Queen Mary II was here for a day, and all day we saw Cunard crocodiles of cruisers making whistlestop visits to the sights … this was India in a day! The ship did look huge and sparkly as,it left port in the evening.

Very few places are licensed in Kochi, and less serve wine, but Friday night we really fancied a bottle with dinner so booked a table at the swanky Malabar House Hotel.

We were shown to the candelit courtyard, where three men were playing Indian music. We ordered our food, and remained very calm when the waiter told us they couldn’t serve alcohol as the first day of the month is a dry day in Kerala … only in India! Nonetheless the food and the ambience couldn’t be faulted. Other lovely spots for dinner were the Fort House and Killian House hotels and we also had a good meal at Casa Linda. Must also mention the Kashi cafe where we went for lunch, which proved so lovely, we popped in each day.

Second day, we looked round a museum housed in the old Bishop’s Palace, then on to a cooking class with Maria. She welcomed us into her kitchen where she had done the preparation in advance, then explained about the use of spices in Keralan cooking. We wrote down the recipes as we went, and made a dry beetroot curry, a pumpkin and coconut curry, and dahl with a tadka. Maria made a mint and coriander chutney in the blender, and told us how to make the spiced rice which was already prepared. Our role was a bit of stirring, so not as hands on as some classes we have done, but we are still eager to return home and try out the dishes. Also met Maria’s husband, who was breaking up a jackfruit from their garden and offered us a piece to taste – really sweet!

Went to a theatre to see dance and kathakali, a form of ritualised theatre unique to Kerala. Arrived early so we could see the actors put on their make up. The Kathakali relies on eye movements and hand gestures to explain the story, and the costumes are hugely elaborate.

The last couple of days were slow days. We went to the Jewish part of town and saw the synagogue, which was very interesting but no photos, as was the Mantancherry Palace, built by the Portuguese for the local raja, then added to by the Dutch, with exotic murals of scenes from the Ramayana. We took a couple of ferries, one to Vypeen Island, just for a walk and a different view of the fishing nets and another to modern Ernaculam to wander round the shops, including a department store with serious customer service.

We had a great stay with Saj and will miss his helpfulness, his signature pineapple shakes and a different Kerala breakfast dish every day, but our room faces the street and India wakes early with Hindu temple music, the muezzin, birds and traffic, so maybe the countryside will be quieter.

So now we’re off on our second road trip, a loop inland for six days.