Cochin, India 30^th March 2010

Cochin is on the western side of the tip of India and we approached it from the east passing Sri Lanka on our starboard side. It was one of the principal sea ports for the spice trade. Vasco Da Gama the famous Portuguese navigator arrived here in 1503 and built the first church in India, Sao Antonio. This was later converted by the Dutch to Protestant and renamed St. Francis. A church still stands on the site. Catholic churches, schools and convents are more evident than the Hindu temples in this area. Fort Kochi, from which the town derives its name, is still there along with many Portuguese and Dutch colonial houses and warehouses used during the spice trading days. Cochin not only provided spices, much in demand in Europe, but was the distribution centre for the trade. Spices from China, Indochina, Siam and Madagascar were brought here to be sent on to Europe. As a consequence, the town was ethnically mixed with Chinese, Arab and other Asian groups. A large Jewish population settled here too, in fact the Jews settled here in the 4^th century so were able to speak the Indian dialects and translate for the traders from Europe.

The waters of the western Ghats, a major rivers system of Southern India, spread into a series of smaller rivers or delta system of small islands. This forms very fertile soil which support coconuts, bananas, mangoes, jack fruit and spice crops. Three crops of rice and tapioca are produced per year. The rivers support heavy fishing. The Chinese built lots of very large fish traps which are still in use today.

Kochi means land of the Cheras. The local people, the Cheras, were fisherman and farmers. The men have bushy mustaches and wear check shirts and long skirts which they pull up between their legs and tie with a belt when it is hot. Which is most of the time. The skirts are called dohtis. We never saw this type of skirt anywhere else in India but we were told it is worn by farmers.

First impressions.

India was going to be the ultimate destination for this trip. It isn’t and it wont be. So here goes. Note, travelers often get it wrong, would you judge the UK by a day in London or the US by a visit to New York so I may have to correct our impressions as we see more but according to our fellow passengers and the crew, ‘Slum Dog Millionaire’ got it right in one. Its hard to believe as the Indians we know are very smart people.

The British left in 1947. They left behind docks, a railway system, government buildings and an organized civil service, police, military, functioning businesses and a common language. New Delhi built in 1927 is in a class of its own and compares well with Washington as it is set out on a plan of wide streets and parks, substantial buildings some designed by a famous British architects. The Indians took all of this over in pristine condition and have done little with it since.

In Cochin the railway at the docks was covered in weeds and the buildings were in slow decay. The terminal where we tied up was the scruffiest we have seen in all our travels. Compared to Shanghai or Vietnam for example and thinking of their history, Cochin needs a lot of work. We found out later that this observation did not just apply to Cochin.

Armed soldiers met us off the boat, strict passport regulations etc. We wondered what it was all about then remembered that India is on war footing against Islamic terrorists. Here is a number to conjure with, there are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan. India and Pakistan are at loggerheads and that was quite obvious from reading the Indian papers. Its not just a religious issue.

We boarded a nice bus and drove along a bumpy road passed some of the most disgusting hovels we have ever seen, interspersed with scruffy shops, garages (no doors, dirt floors, abandoned vehicles). Worse still, mounds of garbage, litter so old it was in a state of decay, enough empty plastic bottles to fill a ship were scattered all over. We concluded that there is no garbage collection system. Everyone drops it on the floor or on vacant lots. Vacant lots? Every third space, on average, looked like a house had once occupied the spot The walls were still there but the houses were missing. Had they been recycled?

Corrugated iron sheet (second hand) was on sale along with old doors, window frames and all the equipment necessary to construct a hovel, plus tarps and palm fronds.

Some houses were decrepit looking but had been substantial at some time. Nobody could explain this. Inside these vacant lots we saw cows or goats eating what ever they could harvest from the garbage littered grass. We saw no graffiti! The reason, we concluded, was that everywhere was covered in advertisements, walls, buildings, road signs, bill boards etc. like you would never believe. There was no room for graffiti, or if a site could be found no one would notice it. One traveler reported that he saw goats chewing flyers off the wall. Sure enough there was plenty of this to eat.

We came to a cross road undergoing a repair. Two very stooped old ladies were shoveling and raking fresh steaming tar macadam while young men appeared to be stood by, watching. A sight that would be impossible anywhere else but apparently common in India. It shocked us.

We progressed in our air conditioned, luxury coach passing decrepit local buses packed beyond belief. We bumped or groaned along the dirt roads. The scenery became rural. Some of the rest stops had squat as well as sitting toilets. What a treat!

Eventually we came to our destination. What a surprise awaited us. The area was crisscrossed with canals. These were natural canals made by a draining lake. The banks were reinforced by blocks of stone years ago to stop erosion of passing boats. Unfortunately, the canals were suffering from water lily/hyacinth invasion to a point where some were completely blocked. The monsoon was due in April which apparently washes these away.

The boats are very large, wooden based with stitched planking. The tops are intricately woven patterned structures in coconut fibre, These tops can be two storeys high. They have a kitchen, dinning room, sitting room and one, two or three bedrooms. Coconut fibre is a major industry in the area, known as coir. We believe these boats are unique to this area. There appeared to be hundreds of them. Some were residential but most were for hiring as holiday accommodation.

We boarded a motor vessel and toured the canals and lake for about an hour. This area is known as the Venice of India. We passed many islands, large and small. Little houses dotted the banks and we saw people washing clothes, bathing, cleaning dishes, fishing or just passing the time of day. On one island a wedding was taking place with what appeared to be a cast of a million. The guide explained that the size of the reception was not unusual. For a poor country, the Indians spend a great deal of money on weddings with enormous guest lists. People in this area are usually self employed with small plantations. Rice paddies, coconut palms, bananas, mangoes and tapioca are typical products.

Our return journey to Cochin and the ship was through an area just as bad as the first time.

We stopped in the old port of Cochin where the Portuguese first landed in 1503.

We headed to the quay on the river to take a look at the Chinese fishing traps. These contraptions feature a huge circular net about 40 ft diameter hanging from a wooden gantry. The net is spread out so that it forms a false floor when lowered into the water. Fish swim over the net in their passage through the river. The net is quickly pulled up with a boom leaving the fish trapped. We saw the net lowered and raised twice and there appeared to be about 5-6lbs of fish caught each time. About 30-40 traps lined the river and working continuously.

We ended our visit to Cochin. Our next stop will be Mumbai the transit stop for our trip to see the Taj Muhal.