Kochi (Cochin), State of Kerala, India
So confusing, Indian, Portuguese, Dutch, English, Indian. The Mariner is only docked here from 09:00 to 18:00. We are beginning to understand why they are changing the cruise formula to having at least one overnight in each city. Honestly you can’t see much of a city or the surrounding countryside in a two-and-a-half hour or even five hour excursion. It just isn’t possible.
This morning we are arriving in India for the first time. The Indian boarder control is doing a face-to-face meeting with each passenger and crew member. We dock at 09:00 and our excursion, the fifth one to disembark is scheduled to start at 09:30. No one is anticipating things even thinking about starting before 09:15 or 09:30.
The first excursions are those people venturing out on five-hour tours and those doing overland excursions to Nepal or the Taj Mahal. The overland excursions are multi day excursions who will meet up with us again in Mumbai in three or four days. Our choice this morning is a simple highlights of Kochi. We had to pay a little extra and take the small group excursion as the regular excursion was fully booked. This is our first small group excursion it will be interesting to see if it is any different than the regular excursion with the same name.
It now 10:30 and things are really beginning to move along. All of the overland excursions have gone. They are just down to calling the Highlights excursions. Our turn! The “cruise terminal” is a good 500 meters from where we exit the ship. We are clearly in an industrial port, and a busy one at that. Fortunately, someone has provided a eight passenger golf carts to take us to the cruise terminal.
The distance isn’t really the challenge, it is the heat and humidity. It is 31 and there is probably 90% humidity. Walking is going to be a chore. One of the first things we learn is that while we are technically in Kochi, we aren’t really. We are on a private island, Wellington Island, which is home to the Indian Navy and a busy industrial port. Our guide shares with us that no one, except the owner, lives on the island.
Apparently at one point this island was the main airport for Kochi, as well as the main sea port. They even had a train that ran out here to take goods and people into Kochi. That probably means we are some distance for the main part of town. This is highlighted in the Passages this morning. “Local Transportation. Public transportation in the city is largely dependent on prices buses. Taxis and tuk tuks are available to hire through out the day. …. Taxis to the city center will normally charge $30 one way”. This is followed by, “taxis do not have meters, and you should negotiate a price before entering.”
The guide tells us we are headed to the Fort Kochi area of Kochi. We also learn that since it is Easter Weekend and Saturday, we will not be able to go to the Basilica di Santa Cruz or the Paradesi Synagogue, two of those most important cultural monuments in Kochi. But don’t worry you can visit the synagogue tonight or on on Sunday and you will be able to visit the basilica on Monday. Yes, we’re only here for nine fricken hours.
We are driving though the old part of the city. Except for the languages on the signs, it isn’t much different from Indonesia. A mixture of new and old, mostly old. Thousands of little shops, each selling something different. As we are going along, he is pointing out the highlights, schools, churches, playgrounds, the four-hundred-year-old trees planted by the Portuguese for shade. Either the air conditioning isn’t up very high, or it is really hot out there.
While we can see some of the things he is pointing out, most of them are a hidden behind the ramshackle shops in front of them. We are pulling into the sight of the Saint Francis Church. The famous Portuguese explore Vascio de Gama was buried here, but they took his remains back to Portugal. Very beautiful church. The ceiling looks like an inverted boat. This really isn’t a surprise. We’ve seen this multiple times. It is still quite amazing, but eh.
Walking across the street trying not to get hit by a tuk tuk or motorcycle, we reach the western shore of the fort part of Kochi. Here are the famous Chinese fish nets. It is very interesting and unique way of fishing. This is also the fish market. Let see how am I liking this? Fresh fish, lots of people, 31 degrees, 90% humidity, and the air not only filled with humidity and the scent of smelly people, it is also filled with the smell of fish in the morning sun. Ugh!
I stay as far away from the fish stalls as I can, but it still stinks. Our next stop is the Mattancherry Palace. The palace was built in 1555 by the Portuguese for the Maharaja of Kochi. It was remodeled by the Dutch in 1663 and is now a museum holding a collection of elaborate murals inspired by Hindu epics. It is a least away from the fish market.
We opted not to go to the palace. We are going on a hunt for the anti-malarial medication we need to go around Africa. Our guide has suggested that we take his helper to translate for us. We head towards what at least looks like a large chemists shop or pharmacy not too far from where the bus is parked. It didn’t look that far on the google map.
There have been five of six pharmacies that the helper stopped at and asked bout the medication. Each one had said no. But honestly they are the size of a postage stamp. One pharmacist even suggested there is no malaria in India why would be have this medication. There is malaria in India dispite what she thought. We are both sweating like pigs. Having trouble breathing and even walking in this heat and humidity. The helper realizes this and offers to walk ahead to the pharmacy and ask. We can wait here in the shade. Yes, please here is $100 tip. He returns shaking his head. I ask his to find a tuk tuk to take us back to the bus. He thinks this is a good idea.
He hails a tuk tuk and we all climb in. We hadn’t gone two blocks when he stopped at another pharmacy and asked about the medication. Then another. Still no luck. Finally we are back to the bus and to the air conditioning. Oh well so much to finding the medication.
Everyone is now back on the bus and we are heading back to the ship. We are tired, sweaty and anything but hungry. However, we stop in the coffee connection and get a small sandwich for lunch. Mary heads up to use the shower and I head to the cigar lounge for a cigar while she showers. Then I go up and do the same. Then we both go down for a nap.
After dinner I went down to the medical bay and told them dispite their assurances that I could find the anti-malaria medication ashore, I couldn’t. That I was now relying on them to acquire it for us. They said they had written to the port authority in Mumbai that was needed, meaning they already knew we wouldn’t find it ashore, and order some. Hopefully it will be there. They haven’t heard back yet.
One interesting thing learned today. The ever present tuk-tuks, or auto rickshaws, are often made in Italy. The Piaggio Ape seems to be everywhere. There are other auto rickshaw manufacturers in India including Bajaj Auto, Atul Auto Limited, Oculus Auto, Kerala Automobiles Limited, Force Motors, Mahindra & Mahindra, Piaggio Ape, TVS Motors, Fleek Motors and Khalsa Auto. However most of them observed today were Piaggio.
An auto rickshaw is a motorized version of the pulled rickshaw or cycle rickshaw. Most have three wheels and do not tilt. They are known by many terms in various countries including auto, auto rickshaw, baby taxi, mototaxi, pigeon, jonnybee, bajaj, chand gari, lapa, tuk-tuk, tum-tum, Keke-napep, Maruwa, Adaidaita Sahu, 3wheel, pragya, bao-bao, easy bike, CNG and tukxi.
The auto rickshaw is a common form of transport around the world, both as a vehicle for hire and for private use. They are especially common in countries with tropical or subtropical climates, since they usually are not fully enclosed, and are found in many developing countries because they are relatively inexpensive to own and operate. There are many different auto rickshaw designs. The most common type is characterized by a sheet-metal body or open frame resting on three wheels; a canvas roof with drop-down side curtains; a small cabin at the front for the driver operating handlebar controls; and a cargo, passenger, or dual purpose space at the rear. Another type is a motorcycle that has an expanded sidecar or, less often, is pushing or pulling a passenger compartment.
As of 2019, Bajaj Auto of India is the world's largest auto rickshaw manufacturer, selling 780,000 during the 2019 fiscal year. India is making a concerted effort to convert or replace the gas or diesel tuk tuks with electric tuk tuks. They are fun to ride in, at least once.
Buonanotte e Ciao, Enrico e Maria
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