Day 66, Kochi (Cochin), Kerala [Thursday 7th February 2008]
Previous day: Day 65, Kochi (Cochin) [Wednesday 6th February 2008]
Next day: Day 67, Fort Cochin, Kerala [Friday 8th February 2008]
Breakfast is great, especially the sweet coconut milk that goes with the light, fluffy appams. I think the milk contains fried cashews, sultanas and cardamom. It's soooo good.
We walk around Fort Cochin and see the Bishop's house, the Dutch cemetary, the Cochin Club — no booze, it's for playing cards only, St Francis' Church where Vasco de Gama was buried the first time around, before being moved back to Portugal. Many of the 16th and 17th century buildings are well-preserved, but the whole place lacks any considerable atmosphere. It's a tourist town, and painfully so — most of the food is European, and prices are high. The best preserved buildings are the 'heritage hotels', exquisite reproductions of the original rich merchants' houses, many using the original frame and decked out with expensive furniture, lots of teak wood and rattan blinds, plus a bar and a swimming pool of course.
We find Neemrana's hotel here, 'La Colonial', hidden behind a plain, cream coloured wall with only a tiny plaque next to a door for identification. We ask to have a look inside, and get a personal guided tour of the magnificent building. The whole place is completely empty, and a trio of staff show us each of the 8 rooms, including an amazing twin double room suite with a vast veranda overlooking the garden and pool. We ask where their guests usually come from, and if they ever have any Indian guests.
'We never have Indian guests,' the man smiles, 'Price are too high.' A sneaky look at the tariff shows that prices start at Rs. 5000 and go up to Rs. 20,000.
We get a tuna sandwich for lunch, plus coffee and a piece of chocolate cake then wander around the churches and parade ground some more. For dinner we go to the Italian restaurant run by a mixed Indian-Italian couple. We spend much of the evening trying to work out if the hostess is Indian, Italian or both! It's too close to call.
The 'imported salami' pizza is good. The espresso and vanilla ice-cream is even better.
Next day: Day 67, Fort Cochin, Kerala [Friday 8th February 2008]
Previous day: Day 65, Kochi (Cochin) [Wednesday 6th February 2008]