Cochin, India
Cochin comprising of a cluster of islands and towns, is a living museum. The commercial capital of Kerala glories in the title of “Queen of the Arabian Sea”. A city of peninsulas and islands with a mainland centre, Cochin has a magnificent natural harbour, almost in the middle of the city, created by the underwater Malabar mud banks that ensure calm waters.
Arrive in Cochin.
You are met on the docks and taken on a guided tour of Fort Cochin, believed to be the oldest European settlement in India, with the Portuguese flag first hoisted here in 1500.
St Francis Church, built in 1510 by friars brought to India by Vasco da Gama, is the first European church built in India and is the site where da Gama was buried. While the remains were later taken back to Lisbon, the gravestone can still be seen here.
The Chinese fishing nets are used for a very unique and unusual method of fishing. Operated from the shore, these nets are set up on bamboo and teak poles and held horizontally by huge mechanisms, which lower them into the sea. They look somewhat like hammocks and are counter-weighed by large stones tied to ropes.
The Mattancherry "Dutch Palace" (closed on Fridays) was built in the 1550s by the Portuguese and taken over by the Dutch, who later presented it to the Rajas of Cochin. The palace museum contains excellent mythological murals and a rare example of traditional Keralite flooring - a subtle mix of burnt coconut shells, lime, plant juices and eggwhites - which gives the effect of polished marble.
The Jewish Synagogue (closed on Fridays and Saturdays) was built in 1568 and considerably embellished in the mid-18th century, by Ezekiel Rahabi, who built a clock tower and paved the 2 floor of the synagogue with hand- painted tiles brought all the way from Canton in China. It contains Grand Scroll of the Old Testament and the copper plates giving privileges to the Jew settlers by the rulers of Kochi.
You have time to wander around Mattancherri or Jew Town. Jew Street is full of antique shops selling genuine and pseudo objects d’art. Though Jew Town has lost much of its earlier glory, it has retained its status as an important centre of spice trade. The exotic odour of the finest ginger, cloves, cardamom, turmeric and pepper, also known as black gold, emanate from the spice warehouses lining the street and fills it. The bustling trade of spices is evidenced in the trucks and pushcarts plying in and out of the warehouses and the sight of workers drying, sorting and packing spices.
Return to the ship in time for the departure.
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