Sunrise in Kochi

    

We have arrived and settled into Kochi. We are staying at a very nice home residence, the Chiramel Home Residency. The innkeepers are most friendly and helpful--highly recommended.

Fort Kochi, where we are staying, is an old Portugese-Dutch settlement situated in the Kerala State of India. The area contains a multitude of stunning old colonial mansions lying under the shadows created by palm groves that cover the region. The two main attractions are the Santa Cruz Cathedral and the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets, which provide a hint of the multicultural nature of India's southern coast.

The dawn broke with the sounds of music blaring from a Hindu temple, the muezzin's call to prayer, and the toll of bells from the cathedral. A local fisherman back from an uneventful fishing session greets me onshore. He informs me he is of Dutch descent--though nothing in his appearance would suggest such a connection--and says his family has lived in Kochi for over 400 years.

After just one full day in India, our preconceptions have been shattered and the D(harma) Bums await eagerly to begin our journey north.

Posted at 09:31PM Dec 27, 2006 by D Bums