Reminiscences of Portugal

Church
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We thought initially that it would take 2 hours from Alleppey to Ernakulanum ("mainland Kochi") but we ended up in the heavy entry traffic for one and half hours more...

The ferry was ok except that some Navy boys were with us and one passed away midway through... We ended up getting the first place after the ferry stop, a nice new hotel (without a reference in the lonely planet, places seem empty, everyone goes to the reccomended spots, nice going lonely planet, a monopoly of India Guides...).

this amazing melting pot of chinese fishing nets meets old courtyard english house meets St Francis Xavier Church, amazing!

Fort House Hotel
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Kochi is great, and it really has a western feel (we want to say portuguese but here we have to share the glory with the dutch). However, catholic faith is strong here and in every corner there is a little church. We went to the town's basilica where we heard a lot about the Motherland and its accomplishments in the 16th century! It's great to hear it from a non-Portuguese it fills us up with pride!

Afterwads we got to yet another church where Vasco da Gama was burried before being transladated to Lisbon (Mosteiro dos Jeronimos now). In the end, we talked with this "Kochinean" whose name was Joseph who praised what Portugal had done in here (ok maybe he was after a tip, but it sure is nice to hear it). This was in the Indo-Portuguese Museum, that's right there is this nice little place with a tranquil garden inside!

Children
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Roaming in the streets of this "empty" town (compared to the enorminity of the rest of South India) was simply refreshing, this is a new side of India, the multicultural that we had seen a preview in Pondi but that here reaches new hights. Arabians, Chinese, Portuguese, Dutch and English were here creating this amazing melting pot of chinese fishing nets meets old courtyard english house meets St Francis Xavier Church, amazing!

At night we went to this great restaurant Old Courtyard. Very good food, and live music to top it off! I'm still remembering that desert...

Chinese Fishing Nets
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The next day we found out that our hotel, which ended up being very good, was also a great restaurant! Mrs Nova Thomas the cook is an artist! Helena got this amazing tuna pepper dish and myself a squid in pepper garlic sauce... The cinammon cake was great also, it's not in the menu so please for your own sake ask for it!!

We moved to Ernakulam where we stayed for 2 nights at Le Meridien Cochin Resort (6000 starwood points were enough for this charm). And because they didn't have the cathegory of room we had booked (an intermediate one) we got upgraded to the best rooms! UAU, this was great and complimentary breakfast of course! The swimming pool was wonderful and the setting of this resort just next to the backwaters is idylic! (I know by now some might be calling us names but we deserved it after all!)

Church
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For lunch, internet and dinner we went to the main city, here was a problem. Ernakulam's entry is caotic as highways with 2 lanes for each side are frequently shortened to just one lane for each side and then again broadened... It took 1 hour to make under 10 kms! (indian traffic sure is slow but in here it is the worst).

We even got a Pizza Hut from Town and brought it to Le Meridien (the guys working there couldn't believe we were staying there, especially in the Best Floor!)

Kochi sure is nice! :)

Vasco da Gama
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The next day