Day 12 OCTOBER 04 - Transfer to Cochin • Cochin backwater cruise
This morning, we began our drive to Cochin (Kochi), On the Road to Cochin 1 the cosmopolitan “Queen of the Arabian Sea,” —where mariners from Arabia, China, Holland and elsewhere have left their mark among South Indian tradition and style. Our first stop was a visit to a tea plantation. Actually the entire area we drove through is dotted with Tea Plantations. Not much to see. Tea is grown as a bush. Workers pick the leaves. A little further down the road we stopped at the very pretty Marian Pilgrim Shrine in Pattumala. The shrine is a Roman Catholic Church dedicated to Our Lady of Good Health. It is served by the Congregation of the Missionary Brothers of St. Francis. The church was built entirely of granite. The name Pattumala means "Hill draped in silk," referring to the tea plantations that surround the church. On the Road to Cochin 2
It was no easy task to decide on which tea shop to stop at for a short break. Leave it to Sudhakar who knew the best café with a water fall cascading down the mountain – a lovely Tea Store. While at the tea shop a father came with his beautiful daughter. Dressed as she was going to the ball ; she loved to pose for photos. Back to the bus and continue toward our Cochin Backwater cruise. It was not to long before we made another discovery stop of the day. This was a stop at a Rubber Plantation. Watching the activity at the rubber and tea plantations is very similar to watching paint drying. There are small bowls fastened to the rubber trees that catch the sap from a groove cut into the bark. The sap is collected and then processed into rubber sheets. Caution – Do not smell the sap. It is a disgusting smell that will remind you of Dorian Fruit.
Tea, rubber and Pineapple are just some of the agriculture products produced in this area of Kerala. By early afternoon we made it to the Kerala “backwaters”—a system of interconnected lagoons, lakes, and canals that stretches along the western edge of Southern India. Like Louisiana’s bayou country, the waterways are a unique ecosystem, lushly overgrown and labyrinthine. Houseboat Cruise Backwaters (A) Over the years, communities ranging from large towns to small enclaves have sprung up. For our trip on the backwaters we boarded a Kettuvellam (houseboat.) The kettuvallams were traditionally used as grain barges, to transport harvested rice. Thatched roofs over wooden hulls, 100 feet in length, provide protection from the elements. The boats were later appropriated as living quarters by the royalty but have become floating cottages to accommodate tourists. The houseboats have a sleeping area, western-style toilets, dining area and a sitting area on the deck. Food is cooked on board by the staff. Over 2000 kettuvallams ply the backwaters of Kerala. While no two houseboats are the same design they all share the standard barge configuration. Houseboat Cruise Backwaters (B) Once aboard, we enjoyed lunch while cruising through the backwaters of Alleppey. Known as “God’s own country” for its serene natural beauty of palm-fringed canals, local fishermen, a variety of birdlife, vivid green rice paddies, and sparkling water.
We arrived in Cochin in the early evening and after checking in to Cochin Killians Hotel I set out to explore the area around the hotel. Cochin is a South Indian city layered with Jewish, Portuguese, Chinese, and British influences from its days as a hub for spice traders to the world. Our hotel was located in Fort Cochi a “suburb” of Kochi.
- Southern India
Southern India Photo Page 12