Cochin, India

After clearing in we proceed to the designated yacht anchorage in the river between Bolgatty Island and the town of Ernaculum on the mainland. Cochin, now called Kochi, encompasses Ernaculum, Fort Cochin and several islands in the harbor area. About 25 cruising boats are in the anchorage which is very peaceful except for the ferries which weave their way through. Some ferries, playing loud music, are carrying tourists who wave and take pictures. We have to be alert when taking our afternoon cockpit shower.

At daybreak each morning several round woven "boats" perhaps 8ft across are paddled through the anchorage, usually with a man and woman aboard and sometimes a small child as well. Spending the day fishing with nets they return in the late afternoon to their camp on a narrow strip of land on the mainland shore. We think they must be the Indian contingent of sea gypsies.

The mainland city of Ernaculum is quite a jolt to the senses. This must be the most busy, dirty and noisy place we have ever visited. The streets are jam-packed with busses, cars and tuk-tuks. The bus drivers seem to own the road and go wherever they please while honking their horns continuously. The tuk-tuks fearlessly dart in and out and around the busses. Crossing the street is a hair-raising experience. The sidewalks are filled with people and when we stop to watch we see a continuous fashion show of women in beautiful jewel tone saris, each one more gorgeous than the one before. I feel rather dowdy in comparison.

Twice we take a ferry to Fort Cochin and enjoy the relative quiet and slower pace of its narrow winding streets. We stop to watch as fishermen operate the huge cantilevered Chinese fishing nets on the waters edge. This method of fishing is believed to have been introduced by traders from the 13th century court of Kublai Khan.

We stop in at the Kaschi Art Cafe and are seduced into ordering a second breakfast. We meet travellers from all over the world. Wandering about, we look at old churches and the 16th century "Dutch" Palace with its beautiful murals. We visit the Jewish synagogue, originally constructed in 1568, destroyed by the Portugese and then rebuilt in the mid 1600's. The Jewish community here is reportedly now reduced to just a few very elderly residents.

Peering through ancient doorways into dimly lit spice houses we are treated to the aroma of cloves or ginger. Men hoist huge burlap bags of spice onto their heads and carry it down the street. Bags are loaded onto long wooden carts, some onto trucks. What we see are remnants of the centuries old spice trade in Cochin, dating back to the 1st century AD.