World cruise 32M2

From Margaret
Cochin, Kerala Province, India
Private tour

As Didi wasn't quite up for this expedition, my mission for the day in Cochin was to photograph things, experience things, and find a salwar kameez (if I could). India, however, apparently needs to make an eyeball match between actual face and passport face for everyone before anyone can disembark. Our poor private tour guide had to wait for 2 or 3 hours before I could get out and find him. After connecting with him, I learned that the day's main event was to be an excursion on a houseboat along the canals and shores of a seriously huge lake, the Alappuzha (Alleppey), in Kerala.

My late "arrival" must have put a bit of a kink in the planned schedule as the guide was anxious to get underway. So, into the car I hop ... errr ... well ... it is sort of hard to hop into anything when the driver and the guide are treating you like some kind of foreign dignitary.

Riding in a car in Cochin is bit like being a passenger in a demolition derby car – only the cars/trucks are going in all directions and going fast. The guide and driver weren't in the least phased by it, so I figured that the vehicles we were dashing head-on toward would either swerve out of our way or we out of theirs. Must have worked as I am still here.

The long drive to the houseboat dock, gave us time for quite a conversation. Cochin is an amazing poly-culture, where everyone seems to get along. There are as many Christians as Hindus, a good sized Muslim population, and any number of smaller religious groups. English is the lingua franca, and many of the shop signs are in both English and Hindi. My guide spoke several languages.

The economic incongruities are obvious. Homes that reflect serious wealth and equally serious poverty sit side by side. There were fences of one sort or another dividing them but not always.

My guide seemed to have wide-ranging interests – nice. He knew about Vandana Shiva, an activist working to improve the lot of the small farmers across India and to ensure that ownership of indigeneous crops, especially rice varieties, is retained by the small farmers who have developed them. He also knew of another activist like Dr. Shiva. I will have to try to find out who that is. Kerala produces a lot of its own food, but not near enough – as best I could find out.

While riding through Cochin, I noticed a hammer and sickle logo on a couple of signboards. I wish I had been able to get a photograph. The guide told me that it was the symbol of the local communist party and how much good that party had done Kerala – improving education, economic opportunities, health care, etc. In fact, Kerala currently has a 99% literacy rate and is apparently in better economic shape than other parts of India. Schools, both government sponsored and church sponsored (there were more of the latter), were all over the place. The guide said that generally people preferred to send their children to a school sponsored by their own religion.

A "houseboat ride on the Alappuzha" doesn't even begin to convey the reality. When I quite literally hopped from the little motor boat that conveyed us from the dock to the houseboat, I entered something so utterly elegant and comfortable it was stunning.

Built on the traditional Indian longboat base, the rattan frame and intricately woven thatch superstructure hid the elegance inside. Nor did the external view give you any indication that the boat came equipped with the captain/driver shown here and 2 crew (one a superb cook) whose job is to make everything wonderful and pleasant for their passengers.

The front section is furnished with comfortable chairs, couch, and other bits of elegant teak furniture. It is entirely open so that you can see everything in front. The wide glass side windows give a clear view of the canal banks and the activities along them. Behind the front section (designed for general socializing) are a beautifully appointed and air conditioned dining room and bedroom with a private modern bathroom. The kitchen and other work areas are at the back of the boat.

All of the interior is clearly designed and furnished for the tastes of upscale people. My understanding is that wealthy Indians, Malaysians, and Singaporeans rent these houseboats by the week or for several weeks. The guide kept saying that we should come and stay on the boat for two weeks and get completely relaxed.

One can see why this area is called the Venice of India. Water seems to be the primary mode of transportation and revenue. Out on the lake itself, fishermen were hauling in their catch.

The canals were faced with stone walls. Most of the homes on the canal banks were shacks but mixed in with these were extremely fine ones – that incongruous mix of wealth and poverty. The Keralan government, however, has put in access to clean potable water, I think throughout entire the state/province.

Lunch was entirely Indian cuisine and seriously good tasting – no chili thankfully. There were at least six different dishes and two different desserts followed by what I thought the guide said was "sprouted" pineapple. Other than being a bit more acidic than I am used to, it seemed like fresh pineapple to me.

Here I am thanking the crew as the guide and I left after lunch.

I had told the guide that if it were possible, I wanted to find a salwar kameez and maybe some Indian spices. So, after we got back to Cochin from the houseboat ride, we went through a maze of narrow winding streets to a Ladies Cooperative store. It was sensory overload. A huge and fragrant array of packaged spices and other goods met the eyes and nose as we entered. I picked out three spices, and then the "lady-in-charge"(??) took me upstairs to look at the women's clothing, jewelry, etc. More sensory overload. I did find the salwar kameez (a matched set of top, loose pants and long scarf which, in the photo is doubled and laid across the top), a couple of shirts, and a skirt. And then I managed to escape without buying jewelry and other Indian keepsakes that the solicitous proprietress was urging on me.

Back to the ship to regain my senses!!

As we sailed away from Cochin, we passed the giant, tent-like Chinese fishing nets that have come to symbolize the city.