Cochin - The final day
Sunday was our last day in Cochi before our next destination to Taamara - a homestay near Vembanad lake. So we decided to explore the rest of Cochin. Our day started with our cab driver not turning up as his car had gone to the wokshop. After some frantic calls including ones to the hotel cab service as well we managed to get our cab by afternoon. It’s actually a matter of shame as to how we can’t use the local transport to expore a city life. Guess we have been spoiled too much by the comforts back home.
Our trip started with a trip to Cherai beach, 25 kms from Cochin. The drive was nice, nice enough for us to doze off till we reached there. The good part of the beach is that it’s not so crowded – One finds a mix of firangs & locals who visit the place. The locals were of two kinds – ones who genuinely like the beach and had come there with their families to enjoy the sun & sand. The other kinds were young & not so young locals who had come there to see firangs in their bathing suits( read bikinis) – we even spotted a couple of them taking videos of the firangs. I am not the one to pass moral judgement here, but such an attitude usually results from the conservative society that we wish to enforce in this country. Human beings are by nature free people – It’s when governments & the moral police try and restrict & control behaviour & thoughts, it leads to this kind of behaviour. Anyways such a discussion is out of the scope of this blog.
Back to the beach, it’s a nice unspoilt beach – There is a distinct lack of properties on the beachside. There are both pros & cons of this. On one side, you run the danger of making it a place like Puri which gives a new definition to the word ugly with rows of hotels with colorless facades & clothes hanging outside the balconies for drying. It feels like you are going past a ghetto. On the other hand you have places like Andamans & Nicobar which mixes hotel location with restraint. The beach at Cherai is barren which helps it in maintaining the non touristy feeling but think some thatched huts in one corner could be nice.
We left Cherai after two hours and were on our way back to Matancherry. En route our driver suggested another basilica which had some unique structures. There was an open compound which had Jesus portrayed in various phases in his life. It was quiet, peaceful & serenic. There was a couple getting married at the Basilica who looked happy in their marital bliss. God bless them. By the way I have always wondered whats the difference between a church & a basilica but don’t have the answer as yet.
Post our brief stopover, we reached mattancherry – we headed straight back to the Dutch cemetry. One of my friends had raved about the place & I was quite disappointed by the sight of it. We could see it from outside with it being behind solid gates. Post this sojourn, we walked back towards Fort Kochi & stopped by a local field which had a football match going on. Now I love football and wouldn’t miss one match in I M Vijayan’s city. We saw the match for some time & got bored by the pace of it. I guess watching the EPL on a regular basis has made me used to a different kind of speed for the game.
Now after all the visits and walks, we were just famished. The outlook traveler had mentioned one café in Peter Celli Street called the Tea Pot café and we were determined to check it out. We managed to find this quaint little place & were lucky to find a seat. The place was packed which kind of indicated its popularity amongst people. I ordered a Pork Vindaloo and was asked if I wanted it spicy. The obvious answer was yet. The Pork vindaloo was served with hot appams. One bite into the dish and I was in heaven. It was amazingly well done, the spices mixed very well. The food was spicy but it was not only because of the chillies used but the spices were used in abundant but just sufficient quantities. I have had a lot of vindaloos across the country but this one beats everyother very very handsomely. Satisfied after my meal, we ordered for dessert. It was a fig walnut cake & it was heavenly. After a very heavy meal, we walked around Fort Cochi with our stomachs full & our appetites completely satiated.
It was getting dusky & some of the fishermen were pulling their Chinese nets. It was a great sight to watch with all muscles taut and pulling in one direction and all the heaving got it up and they transferred the day’s catch. With the sun setting, we bid goodbye to Kochi and with sadness in our eyes headed back to our hotel. The place is laidback, slow, beautiful & full of good people who always have a smile on their face. Its is truly indeed a fiting capital to God’s own country.
I shall be back again.
