I ended my trip to India on a good note by training down to Kochin/Cochi in Kerala. Home to a rich past of monarchs and spice trade, Fort Kochi is an incredible old town to wander or pedal through. It’s in the middle of Malabar (of spice trade fame) on a large bay.
In the north are the enormous, spiderlike Chinese fishing nets, first introduced by Kublai Khan in the 14th century. They take at least 4 men to operate as they dip their nets into the shallows, rest for a minute or two, and then return to their upright position with assistance from large stone weights. I showed up in the morning and helped out for a while.
The south has a rich Jew town, including an old synagogue and plenty of upscale restaurants, cafés, and boutiques. One particularly awesome store was Play Clan, with a lot of artists contributing to make modern and uniquely Indian shirts, mugs, and other trinkets. I bought the best shirt in India.
With my Kiwi friends I made a tour of Keralan culture as well, starting with a visit to the Keralan Cultural Center. It’s a private venture, 3 stories high, and absolutely packed with ancient and antique artifacts. It was well worth the visit; even the building itself was composed of heavy wood walls and ceilings and tile flooring.
Next we went on a tour of the famous Keralan backwaters just out of town from Aleppey. We hired a small motor boat just big enough for all of us and took a tour down the canals. It’s easy to see why Aleppey is referred to as the Venice of the East.
We finished the night off with a performance of a part of the Mahabharata, in which the esteemed archer Arjuna faces down a disguised Shiva and learns a little humility in the process. The makeup, costumes, facial expressions, gestures, and accompanying music were all incredible.
Dinner was pick-it-yourself seafood next to the Chinese fishing nets. We selected a couple kilos of mussels, prawns, fish, and calamari before taking it to a nearby restaurant to have it grilled with rich Keralan spices. It was easily the best seafood I’ve ever had.
In the north are the enormous, spiderlike Chinese fishing nets, first introduced by Kublai Khan in the 14th century. They take at least 4 men to operate as they dip their nets into the shallows, rest for a minute or two, and then return to their upright position with assistance from large stone weights. I showed up in the morning and helped out for a while.
The south has a rich Jew town, including an old synagogue and plenty of upscale restaurants, cafés, and boutiques. One particularly awesome store was Play Clan, with a lot of artists contributing to make modern and uniquely Indian shirts, mugs, and other trinkets. I bought the best shirt in India.
With my Kiwi friends I made a tour of Keralan culture as well, starting with a visit to the Keralan Cultural Center. It’s a private venture, 3 stories high, and absolutely packed with ancient and antique artifacts. It was well worth the visit; even the building itself was composed of heavy wood walls and ceilings and tile flooring.
Next we went on a tour of the famous Keralan backwaters just out of town from Aleppey. We hired a small motor boat just big enough for all of us and took a tour down the canals. It’s easy to see why Aleppey is referred to as the Venice of the East.
We finished the night off with a performance of a part of the Mahabharata, in which the esteemed archer Arjuna faces down a disguised Shiva and learns a little humility in the process. The makeup, costumes, facial expressions, gestures, and accompanying music were all incredible.
Dinner was pick-it-yourself seafood next to the Chinese fishing nets. We selected a couple kilos of mussels, prawns, fish, and calamari before taking it to a nearby restaurant to have it grilled with rich Keralan spices. It was easily the best seafood I’ve ever had.
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