Cochin Tourism-A Date with Tourist Hub of South India
Last month, A tour to Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala was organized by our office management. It was the best gift for us as spending holiday in a relaxing and green location was always my dream. With this trip, I got a chance to spend some time with Maria and Danny. Among other colleagues, Maria and Danny are my best buddies. Apart from great IT professionals, they both have a good sense of humour.
As, I and Maria got the responsibility to manage the basic arrangements, we searched for a good tour operator for the same. After contacting a trusted tour operator in Delhi, we felt somewhat relaxed as all the arrangements like hotel, air tickets and taxis were supposed to be arranged by them only.
On our arrival at Nedumbassery International Airport, we were ready to explore the beautiful city of Kochi. We were told that Kochi was 20 km away from the airport. Therefore, we hired a taxi to reach our hotel. On the way, we could see that Kochi is a cluster of islands and peninsulas, canals and lagoons. With its finest natural harbours, Kochi is a thriving city, located on the Malabar coast in Southern India. Though it was a 4 star hotel but it had all the facilities. While enjoying the traditional food at hotel, I could easily smell the aroma of coconut. Having its own special flavour, it is used in almost every dish of the place.
After taking rest and treating our taste buds, we were ready to roam around in the city. In evening, finding the weather pleasant, we went for a long walk around Fort Cochin and the Jew town. There we saw the Dutch Palace and an old synagogue. It seems that the beautiful floor of the Dutch Palace has been made up of marble. Rather it is hard to believe that it is made from the blend of burned coconut shells, charcoal, lime and plant juices.
While the Jewish Synagogue is the finest piece of architecture with its outstanding tile work. Our guide told us that these hand painted tiles were imported from China. We were totally mesmerized to see the wood carving and unique artifacts.
Danny and Maria insisted to visit the port area first. We went there and saw many Chinese Fishing Nets. It is a strange way of fishing. These fishing nets are fixed land installations, operated from the shore. This made us so excited that we could not resist ourselves from watching it. The net is left into the water for few minutes and then it is raised back by tugging the ropes.
Then, we moved towards the St. Francis Church. Built by the Portuguese, it is plain inside. Boasting of an impressive European style of architecture, the church has also lush green gardens. This landmark edifice is believed to be the place where the body of Vasco da Gama, the legendary explorer was originally buried.
Our next visit was to the famous Santa Cruz Basilica. That was quite impressive with lots of colours inside. Well, as I have heard about the spices of Cochin several times so I could not help buying them. While Maria and Denny purchased some beautiful Coir products. As the tour got over too soon, we were not able to come out of the mood of enjoyment.
Taking home with unforgettable memories of the beautiful port city, we left for New Delhi.