I am in Cochin (or Kochi). It is very hot and humid… Indian ladies from Kerala are very pretty… That’s nice… But there is a lot of stinking garbage on the streets – it is bad and sad… It is still country of the big contrasts…
In the morning I was walking around the Fort Cochin, visiting old churches and the palace once presented by Portugeese to the local raja.
Kerala state has a lot of backwaters – rivers and channels. Local tourist office offers inexpensive tour to the backwaters. It will cost much more then 350 rupees if you will decide to go there on your own and to rent a boat… There were only 9 people on this tour – they took us by minibus to the distant village – little boat was waiting there and we sail through the narrow channels enjoying the scenery, watching the countrylife. The local guide was pointing many exotic terees and plants. Then in the village there explained how they made the solid strings from coconut fibre and the mats from the leaves of pandanus palm… Very interesting and the people are just lovely…
