Thursday, Jan 29

I got up early to watch the sunrise – so peaceful in the dark, with the sound of water lapping lightly at the boat. Ever so slowly the sky got a little lighter…shades of pinks and oranges phasing out the blue black of the sky.

I could hear fish jumping, and a few fishermen were out and about. Occasionally someone passed on the path along the water, heading off to school or to an early morning job.

Alas, as enjoyable as the scenery and serenity was, Ava had a rough morning and Claire was sick again, so we were quite happy to leave houseboat life and get back to the car.

We lifted anchor around 7:30 and headed to where Ramu met us after yet another good meal whipped up by the chef (fresh pineapple, omelet and buttered toast).

Today we traveled to Cochin, north of Allepey, and got in around 11:00, ate and relaxed – kids got to catch some cartoons and get back into the swing of things.

Our hotel was in the modern part of Cochin, so we drove to meet our guide in Fort Cochin, an island and historic part of the city. (There are 20+ islands in the area.) To get to Ft. Cochin we passed through a different island, where the South India naval base is headquartered.

Ft. Cochin was a mix, driving into the area we saw some trash and rundown buildings mixed in with some nice homes, then lovely European style streets and Portuguese and Dutch architecture. Big square and rectangular style houses, most now businesses (hotels, restaurants and shops).

Our first stop after picking up the guide was at the water, the Arabian Sea, to see the Chinese fishnets at work. We stopped by a big one – large wooden poles with spider web-like nets attached to them. Every five minutes the net is lifted out of water via a big rope hoisted by several men. Big rocks are anchored to the net on shore to keep it in place in the water. We watched the nets be pulled up and down several times; a few fish were dumped into a small handheld net each time by a wiry fisherman with dhoti down to his ankles and a faded British flag tied around his head. (BTW we were told the dhoti is the answer to heat/humidity here as it’s light and allows for air to circulate better.)

Free of the net, the fish were passed on to a boy to put in separate bins for market.
One of the men brought a sea frog over to show the kids – ugly round scaly little creature with sharp teeth. Apparently they’re a problem for the fishermen as they cut holes in nets.

This fishing method has been around for hundreds of years, passed on by the Chinese, and still well used today around Cochin. (Apparently they’re distinctly unique to Cochin, introduced by traders from the court of the Chinese ruler Kublai Khan). During our time in Cochin and our travels down the coast we saw numerous Chinese fish nets at work.

From the fishnets we drove around the "European" part of Ft. Cochin, stopping at the first church on our tour: St. Francis. It started as Roman Catholic, then Protestant under the Dutch, then Anglican with the English. It is now the Church of South India. It’s a well kept church, cream colored outside with a lovely, sculpted exterior. Inside the décor was simple, with various stone carvings along the walls from the different groups that claimed the church over time. Vasco de Gama’s original grave is located inside the church, though his body was moved to Portugal.

About St. Francis:

Originally built in wood and named Santo Antonio, it was probably associated with Franciscan friars from Portugal. Exactly when it as founded is not known, but the stone structure is likely to date from the early 16th century; the land was a gift of the local raja, and the title deeds, written on palm leaf, are still kept in the church today. The facade, with multi curved sides, became the model for most Christian churches in India. Vasco da Gama was buried here in 1524, but his body was later removed to Portugal.

Under the Dutch, the church was renovated and became Protestant in 1663, then Anglican with the advent of the British in 1795 and since 1949 has been attached to the Church of South India. Inside, various tombstone inscriptions have been placed in the walls, the earliest of which is from 1562. One hangover from British days is the continued use of punkhas, large swinging cloth fans on frames suspended above the congregation; these are operated by people sitting outside pulling on cords.

We also stopped at Santa Cruz Cathedral, which was decorated in a busier fashion. The courtyard was full of children as school was letting out, so it felt even busier!

About Santa Cruz Cathedral:

The original church, situated in Fort Kochi, was built by the Portuguese in 1505 and named as a cathedral in 1558. The British colonists destroyed the cathedral in 1795. The current structure was built in 1905 and raised to the status of a basilica by Pope John Paul II in 1984.

Another stop: The Dutch Palace in Mattancherry, which was under renovation so we only saw part of it. A bit of a misnomer, the palace was originally built by the Portuguese. Later, in 17th century, the Dutch modified it and presented it to the Raja of Kochi. Coronations of many Rajas of Kochi were held here. The palace has a fine collection of mural paintings depicting scenes from the Hindu epics Mahabharatha and Ramayana.

From there we went to the Jewish Synagogue, also in Mattancherry. Today there are only 11 Jews in Cochin. At one time there were thousands.

The synagogue, built in 1568, is decorated with Chinese tiles (hand painted blue and white) and Belgian chandeliers. Giant scrolls of the Old Testament can be found inside. A vibrant orange/red curtain hung at the front of the Synagogue. Apparently when a Jewish person dies the family donates a curtain to the synagogue in that person’s memory. The lamp that’s always lit at the front is still the traditional flame (not electric). Lovely, peaceful place. No photos were allowed, but we were the last to leave and 200 rupees later photos were allowed.

The streets around the Synagogue are narrow pedestrian walkways, lined with tourist shops. After the synagogue we stopped near the water to check out the fish market – lots of fish shops, some with tents overhead. Fish of all sizes were waiting on ice to be purchased for dinner. Hawkers out front offered to clean and cook it immediately, on site – al fresco dining at its most simple. If we were staying longer, I would do it.

We also stopped at the wharf, got to walk through the lobby of a nice hotel where our guide showed us how the old-style fans worked. You pull a cord and the rectangular length of cloth swings back and forth to create a breeze. (Lovely lobby in this hotel – old church pews and other historical furnishing/décor.)

The view from the wharf was lovely, too – could also see lots of construction as the city is growing rapidly. According to our guide various industries, including IT, are coming to Cochin, which hasn’t realized an economic slowdown (yet, anyway).

Our last stop before our Kathakali show was at the Art Café, owned by an American woman who churns out homemade cakes in an old European style building. Very cool space with, appropriately, art exhibited in the foyer and throughout the restaurant. I had an iced coffee, kids had lime sodas and we shared a delicious piece of chocolate cake.

Then to the Kathakali dance performance, an art form which originated in the country's southern state of Kerala during the 16th century AD.

First we watched the actor apply makeup. He put on MANY layers, much of it applied by the time we got there. It made his face look feminine, which I believe was the goal as only men perform this traditional dance. Various colors of makeup are used to depict different characteristics of those in the performance – i.e. bravery, demons, etc.

Performers don puffy skirts and sometimes head ornaments, relying on dramatic facial/eye movements, expressions and specific hand gestures to tell their stories (examples of the hand gestures were displayed above the stage).

The Master of Ceremonies for the evening introduced the art form to us, explaining its history:

Kathakali originated from dance-drama precursors Ramanattam and Krishnanattam. The word "attam" means enactment. These two forerunning forms to Kathakali dealt with presentation of the stories of Hindu Gods Rama and Krishna. Kottarakara Thampuran (1555-1605 ruler of the south Kerala province of Kottarakara) composed several plays on the Ramayana, leading to the evolution of Kathakali. Today, Ramanattam is extinct, but its storyplays continue to be a part of Kathakali.

The MC told us that a typical Kathakali performance lasted 10 hours!

Half of our one-hour performance was spent explaining the dance through a demonstration. The man who exhibited his makeup showed how he used his eyes, eyebrows and all facial muscles, then hands, then put them together to demonstrate different animals and people – married and unmarried ladies, for example.

After the demonstration a scene taken from one of the traditional stories was performed. I didn’t follow the story terribly well but it was amazing to watch the 2 actors convey emotion and storytelling through their appearances, hands, body movements, facial expressions and eyes.

By the time we finished with Kathakali it was late so we had room service and crashed.