Two more days in Kochi: sightseeing

January 5, 2016

After Sunday's long tour of the Backwaters of Kerala and Monday's ordeal of mailing a package, we decide we need another day in Kochi to do some sightseeing.

Patrick boxed up to mail to a contact in northern India our camping and cooking gear, with the exceptions of the sleeping bags and sheets, and bowls and cups. Also some cold weather gear. All that we won't need until further north and will lighten the load on the bikes for awhile.

The mailing was internal rather than international which made for a little easier process. The box wasn't opened, if international it would have been or we would not have sealed the box prior to going to the Post Office. Patrick had to fill out a form and a copy of his passport was needed. The Post Office didn't have a copier, Rachel went off looking for Photostat Office. This took some doing! The first two were closed, finally getting a copy at the third place and taking a tuk tuk back to the Post Office. The package is ready for mailing.

For lunch, we took a tuk tuk to a local restaurant, recommended by our guesthouse owner, for a Thali meal. This is a set meal of rice with small dishes of different garnishes.

On Tuesday, we took a tuk tuk to the Spice Market in an area known as Jew Town. Here there is a 400year old synagogue, and the Dutch Palace, a gift to the Raja in 1555 from the Portuguese and renovated by the Dutch in 1663. The Dutch Palace had well preserved Hindu murals depicting legends. Mainly the area is filled with antique and tourist shops and spice shops.

Wednesday, we'll be on the road cycling again.

St. Francis church. The famous Portugeese explorer Vasco Da Gama died here and was for a time buried in this church.

Quite a few old Dutch gravestones line the walls inside.

Lots of trash on the beach. Guys fishing with thrownets.

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