After taking it easy for 1 day mainly at the hotel it was time to explore the city and the famous Fort Cochin island. I've heard and read so many wonderful things about the island that I just had to see it first thing!
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| Island ferry |
One way ferry ticket to Fort Cochin cost horrible 2 Rs (3 cents) and took about 15 minutes. Island looked nice, lush green after the dryness of for example Hampi. My first impression was very positive, and we walked slowly on the quiet streets until we reached Fort House's waterside restaurant.
My pepper tuna with lemon rice was lovely with generous amount of pepper in the coconut gravy! I will try to modify the recipe for Finnish fish when I get back home.
Moments after we had finished our lunch a bus load of French speaking tourists arrived to the restaurant with their own local French speaking guides. After we left the restaurant the same pattern continued all across the island. It seems that maybe Fort Cochin is the favourite vacation spot for the French, like North Goa is for the Russians. Who can tell, but either way I felt like I was teleported out of India and to French Guyana instead.
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| Both seemed to be out of business... |
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| Chinese fishing nets |
Still operational chinese fishing nets were an impressive sight, smell of the fish market late afternoon equally impressive. Island has also a lot of beautiful colonial type houses by the water and in the small town of Fort Cochin. The main area is easy to see on foot or take a rickshaw but prepare to pay nearly double than in Ernakulam.
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| CCD - the best place for green apple soda |
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| Rickshaw graveyard |
I visited the David Hall art gallery while there was an exhibition of paintings by Bahuleyan C.B. His works were quite impressive and provoking, definately worth while to check out if ever in a gallery near you.
2.2.2011
Today I was still feeling the good art vibe and decided to visit the Fine Arts Hall mentioned in the hotel map. I walked for few kilometres in the "warm" weather and found a big university / arts campus... and a video cassette rental store (yes, they still exist). Needless to say the Fine Arts Hall wasn't exactly what I was expecting. For my defence I have to say that the map was very misleading! After all, I'm just a tourist:)
Tomorrow is booked for a canoe boat trip and a visit to an elephant sanctuary.
