Cochin, India

MICHAEL 

I was tasked today to escort an excursion to the old city of Cochin, India.  At first I was a little disappointed, thinking that I had already done most everything included in the tour, but I was wrong, and I had a good time.  First of all, a little bit about Cochin. It is a city of 1.3 million, in the state of Kerala (which literally means land of coconuts).  It is remarkably different from the rest of India for a number of reasons. First of all, it is a predominately Catholic city.  Most of India is Hindu, but two thirds of the residents of Cochin are practicing Catholics.  In fact, today happened to be Sunday, and as we passed many of the 40 odd Catholic churches within Cochin you could hear singing for a block before you got there. It was very very nice.  Cochin, and the Kerala region are different in other ways as well. For one, Kerala is the only state in India that has achieved 100% literacy.  Also, life expectancy in the region is fully 10 years longer then in India as a whole.

We departed the pier for a very scenic drive to Fort Cochin.   This is one of three urban regions that constitute present-day Cochin city.  The architectural style of the buildings in the town, and the town layout itself make Cochin distinct from other cities and towns in Kerala.  Since it was under the control of the Portuguese, Dutch and British at different points in time, the region bears the heavy influence of European design.  Our first stop was the St. Francis of Assisi Church, the oldest church built by Europeans in India, and the location of Vasco Da Gamma's grave. It is a beautiful church. 

From there, we walked down tree-lined streets to the Chinese fishing nets.  These were brought over from the court of Kublai  Khan by a Chinese explorer. They are cantilevered fishing nets, and are the symbol of the Cochin sea trade, and not found anywhere else in India.

We reboarded the bus for the short drive to Mattancherry, and the Dutch Palace.  Originally built by the Portuguese, the building is now a museum, with its exhibits recording the history, traditions and culture of the area.  A short walk from the palace led us to Jew Town; yes, Jew Town. As you might expect, this is where Jews resided many hundreds of years ago but they are all gone now. In fact, the only Jews in Jew Town today were us, and others off the ship.  I heard the funniest thing:  the synagogue within Jew Town was not included in the tour, and one of the other escorts asked if she and several other people could visit the synagogue.  The tour guide, none too happy that they would be leaving the stores (where she earns a 40% commission) told the escort, "yes, why don't you take your Jews over to the synagogue."  Apparently, somethings never change.

Today, Jew Town is an extremely popular shopping area. It's a fascinating mix of antique shops, warehouses and spice markets.  I left the spice market myself to go have a look at the synagogue. Miraculously, I managed not to get lost among the twisty turney streets.  Finally, it was time to reboard our rather dilapidated bus and return to the wonderful world of air-conditioning - the Seaborn Sojourn.  I mention this in particular because it was so blasted hot that I was absolutely delighted to get back to the ship. Beverly hadn't gone anywhere this morning, and so you could've knocked me over when she told me that she was going to take a tuk-tuk into town to go shopping with the girls.  And after lunch, that's exactly what she did.

BEVERLY

I waffled in my decision making about going out in the oppressive heat and humidity. Do I stay cool and miss an opportunity to see something new or do I just do it. The just do it won out because I am always afraid I will miss something good to see or some adventure I could have.  

Fortified with money, water and an umbrella, three of us ladies headed out to go to Jew Town. Yes, that is what this area of Cochin is called.  Many years ago, this was a thriving Jewish community.  The synagogue is still there and is open.  

    A selfie:  Lisa, Beverly and Marion 

After negotiating with a driver, we decided to take a tuk-tuk instead of a taxi.  This is a 3-wheeled vehicle that has one wide passenger seat in the back of the driver and is open on the sides.  It handles like a motorbike and has about 3-hampster power.  It was worth the heat and exhaust fumes to experience riding in one of these common vehicles. The road from the port to Jew Town was narrow,  rutted and had a bunch of speed bumps to contend with. Our driver knew when to weave and slow down.  They drive on the left side of the road, and I realized that this was not strange to me -- probably we have been doing this for the past three months.  Anyway, there is a line down the middle of the road and is there for only a suggestion. No one adheres to their side of the road. Tuk-tuks and buses vie for any hint of open space, often coming within inches of each other. Head-on or from the side, everyone was jockeying for position. It was like Mr. Toad's wild ride.  We reached our destination in about 30 minutes, and our driver dropped us off.  We made arrangements for him to pick us up at 4pm. 

    My view from the tuk-tuk

This shopping district consists of a few very narrow streets that curve around and lead to the synagogue.  It was hot and humid and we stuck to the shady side of the street. Salesmen would beckon you to come inside their small stores. Hey lady, you need this or that... Please come and take a look at..... We were constantly assaulted to come in and have a look, "good prices just for you."  I tended to go in the shops where I was least assaulted.  My mission was to obtain a nice dress or caftan for the evenings Welcome to India night affair, and pick up a sari for Isabelle. 

Have you ever tried on cotton or silk clothes when you are soaking wet?  I have to admit it was comical when a shirt got stuck, neither up nor down, and I needed help to get it off. The shops would turn on fans when a customer would enter, otherwise, it was just plain stifling hot.  There was some heavy duty bargaining going on (I'm getting good at doing it!). I came away satisfied with my purchases. 

I stopped at the synagogue but declined to enter when I was told I would have to take my shoes off. This girl does not take shoes off!!  By now, my water was gone and I was hot, tired and grumpy.  I was ready to go. The driver was ready to go but there was no Lisa. We sent out a search party to find her. By now it was getting late and apparently rush hour had begun. Buses, lots of buses, with open windows and no glass, were filled to capacity with men. The streets were clogged with motorbikes, cars and tuk-tuks all merging, passing and riding in the opposite lane trying to gain a one vehicle advantage. It seemed chaotic, but there was a rhythm to the madness.  There were no traffic lights, but there were police directing and controlling the traffic. We returned to the ship safe and sound with our purchases, and immediately went to our cabin for a cold shower. 

It was a great adventure. 

WELCOME TO INDIA NIGHT

We have had welcome to Australia, we have had welcome to Indonesia, now it is welcome to India night.  The crew dresses the pool deck up with beautiful lanterns and tassels and all sorts of things Indian.  Indian hors d'oeuvres and drinks were served as well.  Many people were dressed in Indian clothes, and it was quite interesting to see all the different fashion statements people were making.  After doing some minimal maintenance on my brand-new caftan, I proudly wore it out on deck, but even silk was way too hot for this climate.  There was a nice breeze blowing and as the sun set, the temperature did cool off a bit.  

The Colonnade was turned into an Indian restaurant, with smells that were out of this world:  curry, cardemon, saffron, garlic and all kinds of other stuff that I have no idea what it was.  The food was spicy hot.  Dessert was served on the pool deck, and as we went out side we could feel a change in the atmosphere.  The humidity increased dramatically and the clouds thickened.  

We returned to our suite and got ready for bed. There was no point going to sleep before our 11 PM departure because our "alarm clock" (the bow thrusters) would be active then.  We could hear incredible booming sounds and lightning lit up the sky.  It was a loud and noisy show.  The captain said the thunder and lightning storm was the most ferocious he had ever seen in all his years at sea. Our nighttime departure from Cochin was delayed because the lightning flashes blinded the crew on the bridge preventing them from being able to see in the dark.