Kochi

We left Alleppey on 1^st January 2018 early morning for a beautiful short ride to Kochi and grab a quick breakfast followed by multiple halts at the most alluring countryside with untouched beaches; the route that we have taken runs along the coast. We reached Kochi around noon and checked in to the homestay we booked through Airbnb and after quickly freshening ourselves we were all ready to walk Kochi. Kochi is also known, as Queen of Arabian Sea is a signature ancient place that is deeply woven together with modernization. I am sure that we are going to learn wonderful facts and make memories here. Let’s check out what Kochi has to offer us.

 St. Francis Church

We visit Fort Kochi jail museum, which is now squeezed between buildings once where freedom fighters were jailed during the British Raj. Next we visited St. Francis Church built in 1503 is the oldest church built by the Europeans in India. It is dedicated to St. Thomas, who arrived here in 52 AD. Vasco da Gama was originally buried here and then his remains were moved to Lisbon, Portugal. 

Chinese Fishing Nets

We walked to the beach to check out the famous Chinese nets known as Cheenavala in Malayalam. It was introduced in Kochi by Chinese explorer Zheng He, from the court of the Kubla Khan around 1400s. The fishing net established itself on the Kochi shores between 1350 and 1450 AD. Their size and elegant construction is photogenic and the slow rhythm of their operation is quite hypnotic. The view is breathtakingly beautiful behind the silhouette of the sunset. The place is really filthy with litter and foul smell of pee and I hope Fort Kochi municipality wakes up to clean this mess.Since it was 1^st Jan, there was a huge gathering to watch the Kochi Carnival on the streets which is happening.

Palace Gate

On our second day, we headed to Mattancherry Palace or Dutch Palace, which is on the East side of Fort Kochi and opening hours are 10 am to 5 pm hence we had to wait. It built in 1557 by the Portuguese for the Raja and houses beautiful artifacts and murals, which were breathe taking. The courtyard has a beautiful temple of Bhagavati, the protective deity of Kochi community. The most disappointing part is that you have to be a Hindu to enter the temples. 

Jew town

We walked through the delightful streets of Jew town, where every nook and cranny is filled with art cafes, stores selling curios, spices and antiques; this is how we landed in antique museums, the collections are great and vintage lovers paradise. We visited Paradesi Synagogue, the oldest active synagogue or Jewish place of worship in India built in 1568. The only one of the seven synagogues in the area still in use and the complex has four buildings. Cameras are prohibited and it is a must visit place for any traveller, it will seep you into history with beautiful antique interiors. We headed back to the west side of Fort Kochi and had our lunch at Spice Root Restaurant bang opposite to Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica; the lovely hosts cooks and serves fresh homemade food. Although the waiting time may be more, don’t fret it is worth every minute of the simmering that happened in that kitchen and trust me it was one of the most delicious lunch we had in Kerala. We had creamy prawn salad followed by steamed rice with mouth-watering mango fish curry. I would also recommend the chicken soup and fish biryani there; they were utterly delicious however I could not shoot then and the detail is given below. 

Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica

We crossed the road and visited Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, this Gothic-looking basilica was constructed in the 1558 and is set in spacious grounds with an interior that's colorfully painted with Biblical scenes and decorations and it is simply gorgeous. 

Kathakali Performance

We concluded our day watching Kathakali and Kalaripayattu at Kerala Kathakali Centre, which is just a minute away from the basilica. Kalaripayattu demonstrations were awesome and we even met few of the martial arts ninjas working at restaurants. Just a thought that we must visit and should not mind to pay because most of them come from poorer background however is trying harder to keep the art alive. Witnessing a Kathakali performance was a real treat -interesting and fascinating. The facial movements and expressions were mesmerizing and the amount of hard work these artists put in into this art is commendable.

Kochi Beach

On our third day, we went to the jetty or dock to take a ferry to Ernakulam, which is a short fifteen minutes ride and halts for couple of minutes at Vipin Island. We visit St. Mary's Syro-Malabar Cathedral Basilica, which was founded in 1112 AD and the cathedral is large, tall and spacious with an altar depicting the birth, the crucifixion and the resurrection of Jesus Christ. We walked a kilometer back to the Ernakulam Jetty through the famous Marine drive- a beautiful promenade overlooking the serene backwaters. The tree lined walkway was breezy and presurable even at noon and I am sure it must beautiful in the evenings. We spent the rest of our day walking on the vintage streets of picturesque Fort Kochi. The city was absolutely captivating and I am sure that you will leave with a bag full of beautiful memories and aspirations just like we did.

Places we ate on our tour:

Spice root restaurant opposite Sata Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Fort Kochi

Breakfast near Mattancherry Palace bus stop, Fort Kochi