I think I last left you in the Backwaters of Alleppey, cruising along on a houseboat.
After that we headed up to Kochi, the capital of Kerala, and a town built in various suburbs on a number of penninsulas off the mainland. We stayed in the beauiful and historic area of Fort Cochin, full of charmingly decrepit old buildings and crumbling seaside fort. We decided to stay in homestays, which were the most asbolutley charming thing about the town. The rooms were in the familie's homes, they were spotless, and we were showered with family love and mothers bearing down with snack - banana and chai everytime we set foot in the house. I wish we could do this over all of India!
We swiftly grew bored of tiny touristy Fort Cochin, as beautiful as it was, and while Aaron went to a maritime museum, Steph and I wandered out into the surrounding suburbs of Jewtown. While our intent was to walk the 2.5km to the old Dutch Palace, we ended up arriving 5 minuted after it had closed, because our walk was so entertaining. I could spend the entire trip walking around towns - i think you see so much more, and meet so many more people! On our journey we passed many old spice, tea and perfumed oil shops, and enjoyed the fragrant aromas and bold exciting colours of the unpacked spices. We passed local schools where the children clung to the fence to wave and yell to us, and through pockets of Hindu, Muslim and Christian communities breathing down eachothers necks.
Along the way, in seemingly random spots were dotted little art galleries and cafes with sitar music, where we sat to sample various types of masala chai (spice tea) and chat to the artists. The Indian art, at least here in Kerala, all seems very surrealist and we met one artist, Victoria, who made very feminine works reminiscent of Frida Kahlo. We loved them, and I just lament the fact that I could only buy postcards, not canvases.
What a beautiful, quaint and fragrant city...
