Kochi, Kerala’s second city, is a fairly large city spread around the bay and islands and linked up with a series of bridge and a flotilla of decaying ferries. Arrival in the city was a blunt reminder of urban life with all the noise and dirt and rushing about that we had clean forgotten. We calculated that we had not been in a proper city for over 2 weeks.
Arriving in the big smoke, by bus. The new metro line is being constructed overhead. Allegedly it will be operational in two months’ time – given that the stations are still lacking staircases it seems unlikely.
Kochi has two draws: first, an international airport so that we may exit India one hour before our visa expires; second, the famous family we met previously in the backwaters were expected to be there at the same time. Indeed, minutes after our arrival at the homestay, there they were outside our door, boys unable to wait. Ilan has written a great account of les copains de voyage in Kochi here.
Every evening we seem to end up at one of the two beaches. Not the finest beaches but they do offer a great view of the shipping lanes.
We were based in Fort Kochi, the older and more interesting part. It has one or two quiet pedestrian streets full of cafés and tchotchke but otherwise the city is the usual bustle.
The old city is lined with superb old trees draped with wilted ferns. Here the kids enjoy the world’s most dangerous playground including slides that will slice you in two at the bottom and see saws with daggers in place of handles. The rest of the equipment is broken.
There are a couple of attractions. First, the Old Synagogue: dating back to an ancient Jewish settlement in this area almost 2000 years ago. Now there are not more than a handful of Jews still living here, countable on one hand. The synagogue isn’t so fancy in itself but rather the long history that it represents, of exodus, voyage, in-fighting, and decay.
Dolphin spotting near the Chinese fishing nets.
Second stop are the Chinese fishing nets that line the northern of Fort Kochi. These large timber constructions are dipped into the water, let rest for a few minutes while unsuspecting fish swim over the net, and then hoisted back out of the water, hopefully with fish still inside. This is done a hundred times a day. I’m not sure if this is lazy fishing or the opposite. We were ensnared by a net operator who invited us to have a go. We caught just a couple of tiddlers after two dips. A poor lunch.
Tiered tidal defences
Top attraction is the beach where the boys construct huge forts and become an attraction in their own right. With bare hands and washed up coconut shells they construct a triple walled city interleaving moats, towers, gates, and bridges. Such industry is unheard of here and soon a modest crowd gathers to watch the work unfold. They just stand and watch, for hours it seems. I don’t know what local kids here do at the beach – maybe they swim.
Boat spotting