Arty Fort Kochi

Fish Market
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Although getting here from the north meant a really long train journey where I was mysteriously upgraded to an AC sleeper even though I really wanted a non-AC, so I sat on a train for a day and a half rather cold. Unfortunately this car had a rat living in it along with roaches and I guess some fleas (something bit me, it wasn't a mosquito so I'm guessing it was a flea) as I could track the entire path of the bug down the right side of my body. Lovely.

So I step off the train onto a very sunny, very warm platform where I am immediately jealous of the men in their small little towels that they are wearing wrapped around their waists. I will suffer in silence though as I don't want to stand out by exposing myself in a pair of shorts, much as I would like to have some on at the moment!

Chinese Fishing Net contraptions
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After politely arguing with the autorickshaw driver for a good 10 minutes to take me to the ferry and not to the hotel I finally make it to the ferry and across to Fort Cochin. I am pleased to see that the water seems to be clean and there is an absence of the piles of trash that I am used to seeing. This is great! I decide to walk to the Ham Dale Inn home stay that I am staying at so I arrive rather sweaty and feeling very in need of a shower after my 2 nights without one. After that is out of the way I head off to explore. I eat at my first art cafe here in India and I have some really good food while I share my table with some Israelis. I then head to the beach where there are Chinese fishing nets, see the photo as I wasn't sure what these were either. The beach is an interesting mix of native fishermen, Indian tourists and foreign tourists. The muslims seem to group together at the water's edge, fully clothed of course, getting wet. The Hindi children are almost naked and playing in a group off towards the rocks and everywhere you look there is a foreign tourist snapping photos of all of the action. The last part is kind of a disappointment, but I try and overlook it.

Sunset
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On the way I pass the fish market, which smells really, really bad. I have several offers to select a fish and they will cook it for me but I pass on that as most of the fish are covered by a layer of flies. There are so many different types of fish I am shocked at the selection.

One thing is for sure, this place definitely has money as there are several upscale stores around and many art galleries. Once again I am overwhelmed with the religious diversity here in India as I tour Jew Town the next day. There is a beautiful old synagogue, which if I am to believe the tour guide that I overhear, has dutch tiled floors because the local Maharajah discarded them after finding out that some part of a cow had been used in making the dyes used on the tiles. On the way to Jew town I stopped at the Dutch Palace, originally constructed by the Portuguese. It has some really beautiful wood carvings and painted murals that are worth a look.

Kathakali performers applying makeup before the show
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I wandered back to Fort Cochin through the local neighborhoods in time to shower and change for the Kathakali performance I had bought a ticket for. I arrived early so that I could see the performers applying the very elaborate facial makeup for the performance. It took them a good 1.5 hours to complete 4 people's makeup! They use strips of cotton and a paste to add dimensions to their faces. I was really struck by how beautiful it was, the color combinations were very intense. I only have movies of the performance so I'm sorry that I can't share the final result of their efforts! The performers (all male) use a complex series of hand motions to communicate, combined with movements. It takes them 6 years to be trained so it is not very easy! This was the tourist version, fortunately as these performances traditionally can last all night. Yikes! After sitting in the extremely hard plastic seat to watch the makeup I was afraid that I wasn't going to make it for the performance but I was engrossed in the performance, it was fascinating!

After a day of indecision I decide to leave Fort Cochin tomorrow and head for Allepy so I treat myself to an excellent meal of fish curry cooked in coconut milk. I really love south Indian food!