Carol and Harold's India trip: November 24

An abundance of rain in the mountains caused extremely high waters in the waterways. As we were sailing back to our starting point on Wednesday morning, we could see that many home and fields were flooded or close to being flooded (which would ruin the rice crop). We left the boat at 9:00 AM and walked without shoes through puddles and ankle high water to get to the bus. We made a stop at a coir factory where the women take fibers from the outside of the coconut, make rope, sometimes dye it, then the men weave it into rugs, door mats, etc.

After a 1.5 hour bus ride, we arrived back in Cochin where one can see a 16th century Synagogue, ancient mosques, Hindu temples, Christian churches and many Portuguese, Dutch and English buildings. We stopped at St. Francis Church which is India’s oldest European church constructed in 1503 by the Portuguese Franciscan friars. Vasco da Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, was buried on this spot. We then walked along the beach where we saw many giant Chinese fishing nets and fishermen selling their catches and offering to cook and serve us. We declined and all went to a restaurant for a mediocre lunch – we are spoiled by the wonderful meals served on our houseboat. We then went to our hotel and had a rest before meeting at 5:15 for a traditional Keralan show. The art form of Kathakali has elements that stem from 2nd-century temple rituals. The Kathakali performance is the dramatized presentation of a play, usually based on the Hindu epics. Drummers and singers accompany the actors who tell a story through their hand gestures and facial expressions. When we arrived at the small theater, we went up to the second level where we watched three actors (only men perform in these shows) applying their makeup. We then went downstairs to watch the show, which was extremely interesting and entertaining. It was divided into two parts: the first was a demonstration of the various facial and body movements to reflect the nine emotions and the second was an enactment of a story while the drum played and an actor sang. After the show, we went to the Grand Hotel for one of the best dinners we’ve had on the trip which included seafood bisque, fish curry, and many other Keralan delicacies topped off by gulab jamum and ice cream.

After a huge breakfast buffet at the hotel, we went back to the old part of Cochin and first visited Mattancherry Palace built by the Portuguese in 1555 and presented to the king of Cochin as a gesture of goodwill (after the Portuguese had destroyed much of Cochin – seems only fair!). The star attraction here is the astonishingly preserved Hindu murals depicting the story of Rama. We next visited the Pardesi Synagogue and Jew Town, a bustling port area and center of the spice trade. Scores of small firms huddle together in old, dilapidated buildings and the air is filled with the aromas of ginger, cardamom, cumin, turmeric and cloves. We stopped at a women’s cooperative where Harold bought a lungi (we’ll leave the details until you see him in it). Finally, we went to the imposing Catholic Santa Cruz Basilica which was originally built on the site in 1506. After lunch in a nearby hotel restaurant, we returned for an afternoon rest before meeting up at 5:00 for a sunset cruise in the working Cochin harbor. From there, we went for our third home hosted dinner. Miriam and her daughter served the dinner and we heard all about the daughter’s upcoming wedding. As is customary in India, her mother found a suitable boy (same religion, same status) and contacted his parents. When both sets of parents approved the match, the couple met for the first time two months ago. At this point they had the option of refusing to proceed, but they agreed, got engaged, they will be married on January 29th. Although there are some love marriages in India, in most instances, it seems that arranged marriages are still the norm. We returned to the hotel and are getting ready for bed and a 5:00 AM wake-up call. Oh, and P.S. Happy Thanksgiving to everyone at home!