The journey from Hampi to Kochin wasn't the quickest, but we made it in the end. It started by leaving Hampi Island at 8.30am, annoyingly no one else was waiting for a ferry across so we had to pay extra. Next was a tuk-tuk to Hospete train station and then a train from Hospete to Hubli. When we tired to pre-book for this train, the travel agent informed us that it would be easier and cheaper to buy tickets on the day, as the train is never busy. She was wrong. Not only were all the seats full, the isles were full and even the baggage racks above our heads were full... much to our delight the boys sat above our heads had a craving for biscuits and didn't mind where the crumbs fell.
Hubli, of course wasn't our final stop but it happened to have a small airport and cheap flights. The flight however wasn't for a while and we had some hours to kill. We had a small meal and headed to the Indri Gandhi Glasshouse, which i wouldn't overly recommend. Time killed, we headed to the airport to find out not only was our flight delayed but this tiny airport didn't even have a food court. What's the point in us arriving two hours early when we didn't even get to pig out on some over-priced chain foods! The flight left eventually and we were on our way to Kerela.
We landed in Kochi Airport fairly late and were glad we agreed for our guesthouse hosts to send a driver. At first we thought the price was quite steep, but seeing as the journey took us about an hour 1300Rs didn't actually seem that much. The guesthouse we chose was one of the most welcoming places we've stayed during our trip, we spent the evenings sat in the common area getting to know the owners (who got increasingly more merry as the night went on) and other guests.
We had opted to stay in an area of the city called Fort Cochi, during the Portuguese settlement of the area in the 1500's a fort was constructed but it was destroyed when the Dutch took over the area 160 years later. Dutch control lasted another 112 years before the British took it over, this vying for control has left a mix of architecture with streets showing examples of Portuguese, Dutch and British colonial style housing. It was a beautiful area, but i couldn't help but feel disappointed by the lack of fort and misled by the name - I really love dragging Ben around forts and my dreams were dashed.
While exploring Fort Kochi and the surrounding area of Mantancherry, it almost felt like we had left India altogether. Along with the European architecture, the roads towards the promenade are filled with trendy cafes and boutique clothing stores unlike any other place we have visited. Building sport french style shutters and the buildings are painted with lime wash. Although we took advantage of the western style food available, traditional food could be found a little bit further from the seafront at a much more local price.
Jutting out over the sea from the promenade were the Chinese fishing nets, although it's debatable how much use they have today they certainly look impressive! Along the walkway were stalls selling fresh fish, telling you to take your pick and to get them cooked up in a small hut next door. We sadly missed out on this experience as i hadn't been feeling the best, and I don't know how we even would have picked due to the mammoth selection of fish on display! On one occasion, while I was home-bound, Ben saw a baby hammerhead shark in one the stalls, apparently this one had been caught by the famous nets but he didn't opt to eat it!
Just along from the Chinese fishing nets was Fort Kochi beach. I've since seen pictures that show it as a fairly wide beach with plenty of space to relax but while we were there only a small strip of sand was visible. It was covered in vegetation and the water black with oil, being so close to a busy harbour I doubt that this beach is ever really that clean (although it was probably particularly bad for us seeing as the monsoon had hardly left). Although the beach itself was a no-go the promenade above was filled with people relaxing, enjoying the views and hiding from the sun in the shade of the trees.
Along with it's mix of architecture there is a strong diversity of religions also. Various small Hindu temples were scattered down side streets across Fort Kochi, but not far from our accommodation was the impressive sight of the Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica. The current building was built by the British in 1887 to replace the Portuguese built cathedral that had stood in it's place since the 1500's, not just a tourist attraction many times when we passed the church was overflowing with locals who had gone to prayer - although we got a picture when there wasn't a service so we wasn't interrupting.
Just a 15 minute walk away stands Paradesi Synagogue, the only working Synagogue left in Kochi (despite a 2016 consesus showing only 5 Jews living in the area). Although you can look around the Synagogue for a fee, we decided to give this a miss - not just because we weren't dressed modestly enough - and mooched around the antique stores of the imaginatively named "Jew Town" instead.
Along with chilling in Art cafes and looking at antiques we could never afford we visited Mattancherry Palace. Although built in traditional Kerelan architectural style by the Portuguese in 1555, it is commonly (strangely) known as the Dutch Palace today. Originally built as a present to the King of Cochin -to apologise for sacking a temple- it now houses a small museum, with more of the building in the process of restoration currently. The entry fee for the museum was super cheap, which made sense when we finished looking around within 15 minutes!
The exhibits are packed with information, sometimes overwhelmingly so with text written ceiling to floor in quite small font. The best part, in my opinion, was the preservation of a room covered in wall murals. These murals were done in traditional Hindu temple style, meaning not only were they highly decorative but feature prominent Hindu deities. Unfortunately I can't show you a picture of this as photos were prohibited in the museum to protect the art works.
On the walk back from Mantancherry to Fort Kochi we passed through the spice market. Although it's called a market it's really a street dedicated to selling spices wholesale, along with a few smaller shops for the tourists. The smell was absolutely amazing but luckily not too overpowering, as normal spice markets can be. In a few of the courtyards we passed, hundreds of ginger roots were laid out and being dried in the sun, covered in a layer of calcium carbonate to hasten the drying process.
After five days in Kochi, it was time to leave and explore some more of Kerala. Next stop, Alleppey.
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