After visiting New Delhi and Agra we returned to the ship in Kochi. The ship stayed overnight, so I had my standard “Kochi at a Glance” tour the next morning. Kochi has a lot of European history, being an early trading port for the Portuguese, Dutch, then British during the age of exploration.

We started by visiting a local temple to Shiva. Walking down the street we passed a store where you can buy flower donations.

Within the temple there were various artwork on the walls showing Shiva and family.

Whereas in Christian churches you can find candles lit in prayer, here there are oil lamps.

Immediately next to the temple is a shrine to Murugan, a son of Shiva. It is made is a completely different style.

We then traveled to a public clothes washing facility. Dhoby Khana has existed for over 300 years, since the Dutch merchants and guards needed someone to wash their uniforms. They provided for the public washing area. Each cubicle is owned by a family and passed down thru the generations.

While leaving the site, there was a sign explaining how the buildings were constructed in exchange for the washing families volunteering to give up some of their land for the building of a public play ground. People helping people…

After some shopping (meh), we visited the fish market area and toured the Chinese fishing nets. It seems Kochi is rather known for these, which they learned from Chinese merchants centuries before the first Europeans first landed. The nets are balanced on a cantilever, and our guide explained you have to empty it quickly before the birds take your catch. There is a video on the Wiki page.

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Kochi was a rude return to humidity after a few days in the comfortable air of New Delhi and Agra. Here we leave Asia and start across the Indian Ocean to Africa. I will start a four-day safari there by visiting the Masai Mara in Kenya again. I will be bringing my laptop, so I should be able to post daily.