Spices in Cochin, Kerala – January 4, 2012
Continuing north along the western coast, Cochin is about 2 hours from Alleppey’s backwaters, situated on the Arabian Sea. Drawing spice traders for over 600 years, Cochin was colonized by the Portuguese and then by the Dutch and British. Walking through the fort area, you can see the Portuguese influence in the colonial-era mansions and Catholic Churches.
Jumbo prawn in Cochin, Kerala – January 4, 2012
Can you believe how big this prawn is? Cochin is famous for its fisherman nets and bountiful fish captured from the Arabian Sea and Indian Ocean. We get to literally hand-pick our fresh fish before sitting down for lunch. Doesn’t he have the loveliest blue – beige shell? Hellooo lunch!
Lunch in Fort Cochin – January 4, 2012
I think we ate our way through India. Eyes always bigger than our stomachs, we can’t help but order up a storm. The hand-picked fish was incredibly flavorful. We at king fish prepared in a coconut based curry, with Manchurian cauliflower (Indian Chinese), our lovely chili jumbo prawn, and paratha. Paratha is the most delicious bread in Kerala. Light, flaky and slightly chewy — it was my favorite bread to order. YUM!
Mailing our goodies – January 4, 2012
Ready to shop, but aware of the lack of space in our bags (and the constant weight overage fees we pay every time we take an internal flight), we have Jithin, our driver, take us to the local post office to see how we can mail all of our purchases from New Delhi. The people at the post office send us around the corner to a lovely little dusty road lined up with tiny shops selling jewelry, clothing, pillow cases and other trinkets. Right in front of us, we watch a woman sew a muslin sack. Another woman then hand-stitches the sack closed, and seals it by melting red wax along the seams. I am so in love and romanticized with how personalized, and hands-on this process is (although highly inefficient – takes 45 mins). Taking pictures of the lovely Muslim tailor and Hindu seamstress at work in their traditional clothing, the tailor laughs. This is such a novelty for me, but I imagine she thinks we’re funny, and can’t understand why we’re so intrigued and enamoured by their daily work. Once our packages are done, we walk them back to the post office, weigh them and off they go on a long and slow journey to NYC.
Jew Town, Cochin – January 4, 2012
Jew Town in Cochin is a touristy, but charming area filled with all sorts of shops reflecting Cochin’s long history with the spice trade. At one point, Cochin attracted numerous Jewish exiles seeking refuge. Most of the families left for Israel after WWII. We were told that only 7 Jewish families remain in Cochin.
Fabrics and antiques in Jew Town, Cochin – January 4, 2012
Textiles and antiques. The cow is a wood carving of Lord Shiva’s Nandi (bullock) from the 1920s. So cute, he reminds me of the photograph I took in Mumbai of the beggar’s cow.
Ginger factory in Cochin – January 4, 2012
Curious where this entrance led to, we walked through the arch to find a large beautiful courtyard with white washed rustic walls. The courtyard is a factory used to dry ginger. A worker dressed in a bright orange lungi washed himself with water drawn from a well within.
Handing out school supplies in Cochin – January 4, 2012
Handing out school supplies and Hershey Kisses to children in Cochin. Smiles were precious.
Chinese fishing nets in Fort Cochin – January 4, 2012
Chinese fishing nets were oringinally brought from the court of the Chinese emperor, Kublai Khan to Cochin. We saw them being used to catch squid.
Fishermen tossing squid from nets to buckets – January 04, 2012
Fishermen piled the squid they just drew in from the Chinese fishermen nets into buckets. The squid’s skin had the most beautiful designs.
travel with pallavi 