Jackamy - Fort Cochin

Fort Cochin

Jackamy

Paul & Derry Harper

Sat 29 Jan 2011 04:08

Saturday 29th January

Back on the ferry again to make our way to Fort Cochin, the old town. When we were off the first ferry at Ernakulam we walked for a mile to the main ferry terminal to catch another ferry to the Fort. It is possible to drive round but it takes over an hour in a rickshaw, not the most comfortable form of transport. We thought it'd be quicker on the ferry but because of the schedule and the fact that we just missed one it took around an hour and a half from A to B, all in the midday heat. Nonetheless, it was fun. The second ferry, the main ferry, had two drivers, one to shift the gears down on the engine down below and the other sat up on top in the wheel-house to steer. They communicated by rings of a bell, it was one ring for forward, two for reverse and who knows the rest, it was impressive though.

As soon as we stepped off the ferry the atmosphere was different, the buildings and roads were older and narrower, and there was an authentic feel to the place, unlike the main new city. It was as if we'd stepped back in time and although most definitely not the 'real' India, it was nicer than the other side of the water.

Driver one..............Driver two

On the ferry again..........This is more like it

Old interesting buildings and quiet streets

Our first stop was lunch at Dal Rotis, it was highly recommended in the lonely planet and it did not disappoint. If you ever find yourself in Fort Cochin you must eat here! The friendly owners were fantastic in helping us decide what to order and we left promising to order more to stock up our freezer for our onward journey.

Ramesh and Kalpana, the owners of Dal Roti..............Mouth fresheners in a beautiful box

Once our tummies were satisfied we walked a short distance to St Francis' Church which is believed to be India's oldest European built church. St Francis was originally constructed in 1503 by the Portuguese Franciscan friars. The edifice that now stands was built in the mid 16th century to replace the original wooden structure. Adventurer and sailor Vasco da Gama, who died in Cochin in 1524, was buried on this spot for 14 years before his remains were taken to Lisbon, his tombstone is still in place in the church though.

Then it was on to the Catholic Santa Cruz Basilica, which was originally built on this site in 1506, though the current building dates to 1902. It has a striking pastel coloured interior with different artifacts from the different eras in Kochi. There was a constant stream of female worshippers whilst we were there, they'd make their way around the church and pray to many different paintings and statues.

St Francis Church............Santa Cruz Basilica

Colourful ceiling at the Basilica

As we were being driven around in a rickshaw we were suspicious with their suggestions as we have learnt before that they get paid for bringing in customers, so when they mentioned a spice market we were wary, it was however very interesting. We arrived at the same time as two men pulling a cart loaded with sacks of ginger, which they unloaded by carrying the extremely heavy bags on their heads into a room in an old Portuguese building. The smell in the room was choking, the ginger would hit the back of your throat and make you cough, I don't know how they were working in there.

Sacks of ginger

Drying the ginger in the courtyard

Sorting the ginger

The rickshaw drivers didn't do so well with their next stop. We were promised fantastic views over Cochin but as we made our way up the many levels of an antique shop to the roof we realised we'd been conned and our only purpose was to buy something from the persistent salesmen. There was no view other than down into the backyards of houses down below.

Daily life in the Fort

A spice store

At the very tip of Fort Cochin are the unofficial emblems of Kerala's backwaters, the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets. A legacy of traders from the 1400 AD court of Kubla Khan, these enormous, spiderlike contraptions require at least four people to operate the counterweights at high tide. Unfortunately, modern fishing techniques are making these labour intensive methods less and less profitable and old abandoned nets can be found all along the waterways.