TROPICAL COCHIN, OUR FIRST STOP IN INDIA

Tuesday - 31 March 2015 - Cochin, India

Cochin in the southwest corner of India was our first of two stops in India. I visited Cochin three times in the 1990s. Many of my grad students at the University of Colorado were from southeastern Indian. I became friends with a former teaching assistant who was from Cochin. I was interested in how Cochin had changed in the last 20-odd years, and this was Barbara’s first visit to India..

It's best to stay at the best hotel in town when in India. On this trip, it was obviously our ship

I have always advised people who crave travel that India provides the most “bang for the bucks.” It is a land of contradictions. The people universally speak English, albeit as a second language. Most of the signs are in English. The State of Kerala is particularly interesting. The population is in general well educated: actually the highest percentage of PhDs in India. But as in the rest of the country, the gap between rich and poor is astounding. In India every sight, sound, and aroma is intense. I also recommend staying at a top scale hotel. Tourism must be taken on its own terms. Unless you visit the theme park Taj Mahal or take a luxury train, you will never really understand what you are seeing. That's true anywhere overseas, but it's particularly true in India. You need to accept that being bewildered much of the time is part of the fun there.

Gridlock is common anywhere in India. This was our introduction to the modern part of Cochin

I walked extensively during all of my previous visits in the old island city of Cochin. It's officially called, “Jewtown”. The story is that the local maharaja in the early 16^th Century invited the Jewish population recently expelled from Spain to come to live, and for half a millennium Jews outnumbered Hindus. Cochin is tropical and laid back. It provides a nice introduction to the country.

The old city was fascinating, but I had been there three times and the ship’s berth for our short half-day stop was far on the other side of town. As tour buses were unable to park in Jewtown, we took the inexpensive ship’s, “Cochin at a Glance” tour, advertised to hit the major tourist sights of modern Cochin. We immediately got stuck in a typical Indian traffic jam.

Our guide was from out of town but knew the location of every strange looking church in Cochin, as long as they were on the right side of the tour bus

As we waited for a break in the gridlock, our guide went through the all too typical introduction. He gave a Westernized version of his name for us to address him, told us the local words for hello and goodbye, but then he made an announcement that did not bode well. He said that he was not from Cochin but lived a few hundred kilometers north, and unlike most educated Indians he had just recently with great effort learned English. He then proceeded to prove the truth of his disclosure.

The bus worked its way through the traffic jam. The guide mentioned a number of strange looking churches as we sped by. Sadly, everything he pointed out were on the right side of the bus. We were on the left side. As we hit another traffic tieup,  I eased up to the front of the bus and asked if we would be passing anything of interest on our side. Another passenger suggested perhaps a Hindu temple might be interesting. He answered that he was familiar with the churches but not the Hindu temples, and that his position on the right hand drive tour bus didn't allow him to see what was on the left side anyway. The short tour oddly began to feel very long. Barbara and I moved across the aisle to the right side.

A Hindu temple was decked out for perhaps an elephant festival

We were finally able to catch a glimpse of a Hindu Temple. Based on the many flag decorations, I assumed that some sort of festival might be going on. There seem to always be festivals in India. The guide’s answer to a direct question was that the pictures of the elephants in front of the temple might indicate that elephants were involved. He repeated he wasn't from the area. At that point Barbara put away the money she was saving for a gratuity at the end of the tour.

A 45 minute stop provided clean toilets and strange wares for sale to tourists

The tour took a further setback as the bus pulled over for a “45-minute stop” at a large shopping structure clearly meant for tourists. It was air conditioned and the signs were in French, German, Chinese, and Japanese. On offer were Persian (!) carpets, five foot high carved wooden elephants, and all manner of impractical furniture. Most of us welcomed the toilet break and sat on the furniture on display air until it was announced that we should board the bus for "the scenic part" of the tour. The guide said we might be leaving now the modern part of the city. He didn't seem sure.

Kerala is known for its scenic beauty

Cows still roam the streets in India

An odd spotting of a baseball game being played in cricket crazy India

We passed quickly—oddly enough on the left side—a few picturesque beaches and saw iconic Indian cows wandering the streets. The guide didn't speak. Passed a number of soccer fields, nothing earthshaking in cricket and soccer crazy India, there was the most unusual baseball game going on.. Despite the baseball bat, the bases, and the pitcher wearing a baseball glove, the guide insisted it was cricket. He admitted he had never seen baseball being played.

Explorer Vasco da Gama was buried for 14 years at the St. Francis Church, India's oldest

Finally we visited the first sight of some interest to visitors. Built in 1503, St. Francis Church is the oldest Christian church in India. Its other claim to fame is that Vasco da Gama, the Portuguese explorer who died in Cochin in 1524 was originally buried in this church. The sign indicating da Gama’s resting place was simple, perhaps because he didn't rest there long. Da Gama’s body was removed 14 years after his burial and moved to Lisbon. Nobody seemed to notice the sign except Barbara and me. The guide never did mention the age or significance of St. Francis church in any way. At least it was a legitimate touristic sight.

The "Chinese Fishing Nets" no longer catch fish, but tourists can pay for a demonstration of their operation

Communist Kerala has a huge unemployed population despite the highest percentage of PhDs in India

Our tour ended with a longish visit to a large waterside park. Of primary interest were the “Chinese Fishing nets”. These elaborate wooden structures were no longer used for fishing as the fish no longer came down the estuary, but all the nets were manned. Tourists were asked to pay for the “fishermen” to climb up and down the structures for photo opportunities. The nets were fascinating nevertheless as was the park in general. In India, often less is more.

Brightly colored fishing boat along the Malabar Coast. Notice the fisherman to the left of the wheelhouse showing us his fish

As we sailed out of Cochin from our short 5½-hour visit, we passed a photogenic fishing boat. Many of the fishermen waved at us. One fisherman held up a fish. We sailed north along the Malabar Coast toward Mumbai where we would spend the day after tomorrow.