Fort Kochi

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After getting equipped with clothes and a phone with Internet access (bleeping AirTel) it was time to relax and venture into Fort Kochi. There are different ways of getting to Fort Kochi: there is a small ferry (very cheap) which runs regularly from the boat jetty in Ernakulam, and it is possible to drive across a bridge from the south of Ernakulam.

The waterways of Kochi
We decided to go by ferry. It is a nice journey and the ferry stops in a few different places in Fort Kochi. We duly went to the ticket office to buy tickets well in advance, 20 minutes or so before departure, and stood in line waiting patiently as only the English can do; one line for men and one for women. The segregation of men and women when queuing is common. In certain places it also happens when waiting for buses.

Whilst queuing (Sarah was doing the hard work here since the female queue was significantly shorter than the male queue), the ticket masters were having great fun in their office, chatting and laughing, counting their money and completely ignoring the fact that more and more people were waiting for tickets.

Finally, five minutes before departure, the ticket house opened and we got our tickets. The ferry arrived whilst Sarah was buying the tickets and an incredibly large number of Indians, and one tourist, got off the boat. We got on the ferry and it departed. And that was when we realised that it was possible to buy tickets on the ferry. Actually, most of the passengers turned out to be last minute arrivals who clearly hadn't queued for tickets and therefore bought their tickets on the ferry. At least Sarah got to experience the highly satisfactory act (the English do like to queue) of queuing the Indian way.

The boat ride itself, all 30 minutes or so of it, was pleasant and breezy. We even managed to take a few photos; one of them of a couple of fishermen in their canoe.
The walk
We got off the boat in Mattancherry, Fort Kochi, into streets full of buying opportunities for tourists. It wasn't all the tourist tat you find in some countries; there were some nice antique and furniture shops. However, none of it would have fitted into a 25 litre rucksack. The most visually pleasing shop was a small gallery which had some lovely paintings for sale. The bloke in front of the lurking tourist is a tea or coffee seller.
As opposed to sellers in, for instance, Egypt, the Fort Kochi sellers are not unpleasantly intimidating or pushy. They ask how you are and invite you into their shops, obviously with the intention of selling you something or other, but they are always polite and friendly.

For some reason, these few streets around Mattancherry seem to attract the type of tourist who speaks loudly and wears a t-shirt and shorts and looks like he is only a few humidity levels away from collapsing. The most interesting being in this part of Fort Kochi turned out to be the little lady below. Apparently, she had lived in one particular street for many years and had recently given birth (again). She was walking around in her street meowing at the locals, who all knew her, and showing a lot more character than the many other cats we met in Fort Kochi. Whereas Ernakulam is full of dogs, Fort Kochi is full of cats and, of course, they breed freely. They generally rely on picking food out of the open severs, opening bin bags, or are supported by locals.

Anyway, we had to spend a few minutes talking to this cat, with a cough and an itch. If we lived in India we would have adopted her and her kitties immediately.
Food issues
We quickly realised that this was not the place to be and decided to take a detour down a side road. It turned out to be an area which is, predominantly, populated by Muslims. Consequently, there are a lot of meat sellers. They have their small stalls with the freshly killed prey blowing in the wind. Actually, it is very easy prey; it usually consists of a goat that is tied up next to the stall. Seeing how meat is handled here, and the flies, it is somewhat reassuring to be vegan.

The weather in Fort Kochi is similar to the weather in Ernakulam; it is warm and humid. However, Fort Kochi is not plagued by mosquitoes to the same extent as Ernakulam due to it being an island surrounded by salt water. Even though heat often inhibits hunger this hasn't been the case for us. Soon we felt the need for food, but as it often is in places that make a living from tourists, it can be hard to find proper food, i.e. in this case Indian food. When hunger came creeping in we were unable to find anything appealing. We did find Kashi Art Café which is described in Rough Guide as a place with “chilled vibes and music. Healthy light meals, cakes, and excellent breakfasts and coffees served all day”. It turned out to be western style food which generally isn't vegan. We have, on numerous occasions, found that Rough Guide is appallingly incorrect or imprecise in its descriptions of food places and accommodation. Of course, this could be because the actual places have changed since the time of writing, but, more likely, it is because Rough Guide's writers haven't got a clue. It is becoming annoying. You'll see what we mean when we get to Munnar and Varkala.

We were still hungry and looking for an Indian place to eat when an Indian touting his hotel stopped us. We decided to ask him if he knew where we would be able to get a South Indian meal, i.e. a traditional Keralan lunch consisting of rice and various curries and chutneys served on a banana leaf. Instead of giving directions he pointed to a rickshaw driver who was coming up the road behind us and assured us that the rickshaw driver would be able to take us to a pure vegetarian eating place. The rickshaw driver, Jithu, turned out to be a very friendly North Indian Hindu from Gujurat who lives with his wife and two daughters in Fort Kochi. He said he knew two places, in the same street, that would be able provide us with a meal. And it turned out to be true. We had a nice thali for Rs. 15 each.

Gujarati Street
After the refill, Jithu offered us his guide services. Initially, we were a bit suspicious, as we always are when somebody tries to sell us a service, but we felt that he was a genuine person, and so we decided to spend a few hours driving around and walking in parts of Fort Kochi, including obscure backyards, that Jithu perceived would be of interest to us. The most important characteristic of a good guide is that he should be able to quickly determine what his customers are interested in, and Jithu managed that.

First, we went to the street where he lives with his family. The street, which is populated mainly by Gujarati Hindus, has an atmosphere that is completely different to the atmosphere in the Muslim part of Fort Kochi. The Hindus generally seem very friendly and approachable whereas the Muslims seem much more reserved. Whenever possible we have quizzed the Keralans we met about their views on religion and the fact that in Kerala Hindus, Christians and Muslims live together in relative harmony (Kerala is India's most densely populated state). There seems to be a discrepancy between the view of the different groups; many of Hindus and Christians we met didn't seem particularly fond of Muslims, though they did stress that there is a big difference between the Muslims of India and the Muslims of Pakistan. On the other hand, the Muslims we met claimed that there is perfect harmony between people of all religious beliefs in Kerala.

Gujarati Street is a street of immense calm even though there is a lot is going on. There are small food stalls with all kinds of sweet and savoury foods; fruit and vegetable stalls; a school; cows walking past and friendly people everywhere wanting to talk or stand next to you. We bought some sweets, made of sugar and cashew nuts, and samosas from one of these places. The photo below shows how the samosas are being made in a back room.
Keralans have an obsession with doors. Not any old door, but heavy doors with knobs on. Whenever we went past a particularly impressive door or window Jithu would point out its beauty. Wealth Keralans will spend extortionate amounts on having their houses fitted with heavily ornate doors. One example of a door of godly beauty is the one pictured below. You be the judge.
Children and photos
An experience that most tourists travelling in India have in common is that of being approached by smiling children wanting to practice their English skills. Some of them are amazing characters. We are sure that they would all have been very happy to be photographed had we asked. We would have liked to have taken more photos of people, but, somehow, we find it hard to photograph people, with or without their permission. It seems too intrusive. We have taken some photos of people, but most of them will be retained for our private collection. Children though, sometimes ask to be photographed, and since we try not to let an opportunity slip, although that happens a lot in India, we always take their photo.

In Gujarati Street some school children on their break wanted their photo taken, and so we obliged. We even promised to send them a hard copy when we get back to the UK.
After leaving the area, probably 20 minutes later, the next group came along. Sarah and Jithu are in the background. Notice in particular how inept the person with the camera is; completely failing in getting the right perspective; should have lowered the camera by about half a metre.
Spicy Kochi
The production and export of spices is one of Kerala's most important industries. Kerala grows, amongst other things, cardamom, pepper, vanilla, chilli and ginger. We went to see how these are stored and/or produced.

The photo below shows a variety of chillies with varying prices depending on their quality.
The preparation of ginger seems both backbreaking and potentially harmful to health. The woman in the photo is dipping a heavy load of ginger in bleach until it is sufficient to preserve it (the bleach keeps insects from eating it). After the bleaching, the ginger is lain out in the sun to dry for weeks. Every time there is a rain shower, the workers will cover the ginger with large plastic sheets to protect it. A somewhat laborious process.
There is obviously a big market for rice and pulses in Kerala since these are staple foods.
Another essential part of every Keralan household is candles. At the time of writing we have experienced power cuts in every place we have stayed (bringing torches was a good idea).
Fort Kochi: a must see
We only spent half a day in Fort Kochi and are considering going back for a few days before we leave for the UK. However, it is definitely worth spending a few hundred rupees on a guide that you feel comfortable with and whom you believe is able to get you to places of interest to you. Luckily, we now have Jithu's number so we will contact him a few days before we return to Fort Kochi. There will be plenty more interesting places to see.

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This entry was posted by pundabee, on Friday, November 17, 2006. You can leave your response.