Through the Streets of Kochi

The green tag is Zostel, The blue ones are the places I visited and the orange tags are the places I ate at.

So, I reached Fort Kochi by around 5 pm. I had come from Alappuzha by bus, but here are the other ways to reach here.

Travel Options

Fort Kochi is connected by road and ferry services. It is  about 15 km from Ernakulam Junction Railway station and Ernakulam Town Railway station, both of which are well connected with all the major railway stations in India. You can catch a bus to Fort Kochi, from both of these railway stations, or you can use any of the online cab services. There are also ferry services running from two stations in Ernakulam. I recommend a ride in these, and they are really cheap too.

 The Cochin International Airport is about 40 km from Fort Kochi. It’s better to catch a bus from the airport, which are readily available and cheap. The alternative is hailing a cab.

After the beautiful setting sun disappeared under the sea and I clicked pictures to my heart’s content, we decided to head back. We decided to separate after a short while and I circled back to the fishing nets. The sunset colours were still in the sky, and I got pictures of the Chinese fishing nets under the dusky sky.

With my tummy full, I finally started drifting back to Zostel. I spent the rest of the evening sitting in the common area, catching up on social media and chatting with other tourists.

Next day, I woke up early with only a plan to visit the Synagogue in Mattancherry. I reckoned I’ll plan the rest from there. The synagogue is around 3 km from Zostel, and I walked. I thought I’d get breakfast on the way there, but it was a bit early and almost all shops where closed. So I had to wait till I reached Mattancherry, and ate Idli (you can google that, if you don’t know) from a local food stall. If you are visiting with a small budget it’s better to eat locally like this, and street food here is available pretty cheap. You can eat for a day with something like 150-200 rupees. For example, this breakfast only cost Rs.30.

Then I headed straight for the Paradesi Synagogue, and reached just when it was opening. It is open from 10 am to 1 pm everday except Saturday and from 3pm to 5pm everyday except Friday and Saturday. I think I was the first person there.

The Paradesi (‘foreigner’ in Malayalam) Synagogue is the oldest synagogue in the entire British Commonwealth. The architecture and antiques present in the synagogue are invaluable. The most famous of these are the tiles used for flooring, which were imported from China, each of which were hand painted with unique images. To protect them, visitors are only allowed inside barefoot. The glass chandeliers used in the synagogue were imported from Belgium in 19th century. The synagogue also has in it’s possession, an ancient Torah which is written in the traditional way on specially treated goat skin. This Torah is not shown to visitors and is only taken out during the weekly prayers, in the presence of members of the community.

All this was explained to us by a guide present at the synagogue. There was also a small museum showcasing paintings of the story of Jews in Kerala. This was very informative.

Then I got out and google maps showed an Antique Museum a few meters away. When I got there I saw that entry was free. So, who cares, I went inside. It’s a small hallway with an odd assortment of antiques, from 8000 year old bushman stone to a 90 year old kerosene fridge. If you are walking by, just get in and have a look around.

Next place I visited was the Mattancherry Palace Museum that’s nearby. The Mattancherry Palace was built by the Portuguese is 1545, as a gift to the then king of Kochi, Raja Veera Kerala Varma. It later came under the hands of the Dutch, and certain repairs were done by them. So it’s also known as the Dutch Palace. Sign boards in the area show both Mattancherry Palace and Dutch Palace. So don’t get confused.

Now the palace is home to a museum run by the Archaeological Survey of India. There is a cheap entry fee, and it is a must visit place in Kochi. The main attraction is the collection of murals present here. They depict stories of some great Indian epics like Ramayana and Mahabharata, and also some stories by Kalidasa. There are also life sized portraits of the Kings of Cochin since 1864. There are several exhibits showing the lifestyle of the royalty and the common men in early Kerala.

There is also a temple nearby that houses the Pazhayannoor Bhagavathy (the deity of the royal family). I couldn’t get in because the temple had already closed for the morning.

After two pigeons started to fight over the grain in my hand, I decided to leave them to themselves and left the place. By this time I’d started to feel hungry again. So I decided to be on the look out for restaurants. I went into this small restaurant, Uncle’s Restaurant, near the Santa Cruz Basilica and had rice meals. Getting out from there, my aimless wanderings brought me to the Jawahar Park. This place had a lot of sitting space, with lots of shade. So I thought I’d sit here for sometime, and plan my next step.

St. Francis Church was nearby, so after a few minutes rest I headed there. The St. Francis Church, well-known for its beautiful structural design and ambiance, has an important place in history. It is here that the famous explorer, Vasco da Gama, was originally buried. His remains would be taken back to Lisbon 14 years later, but to this day, the exact spot is clearly marked.

This church was witness to a lot of struggles between the Dutch, Portuguese and British through whose control it passed. It was dedicated to St. Bartholomew and St.Anthony, to be finally named after St. Francis when it came under British power. Presently it is maintained as a protected monument by The Archaeological Survey of India and is under the Church of South India.

The Indo-Portuguese Museum was a 5 minute walk from here. It’s stands adjacent to the Bishop’s House.

The museum shows the contributions of the Portuguese in shaping the Christian culture in the area. It shows various ancient artifacts collected from various churches in and around Kochi. I was the only visitor in the museum when I first arrived. It had just reopened after lunch, and so I had a thorough look around. The Museum is built above the remnants of the old Cochin Fort, and it can be seen in the basement of the museum. There are lots to see, read and appreciate and this museum is a must visit location.

Exiting the museum I saw that it was very close to Zostel, and being exhausted with all the sight-seeing, I decided to go back for a bit. Then I went for a stroll and ended up inside the Chariot Beach Restaurant, from where I had some sandwiches and coffee.

The rest of the evening went by with nothing special, just lazing around after a busy day, catching up with Instagram and chatting. Had dinner at a nice place near Zostel called the Spice Root Restaurant. I’d recommend it to everyone. The place is run by a family, and all the staff are very nice and responsive. The menu is multi-cuisine, food is delicious and also cheap. The place was packed when I arrived.

So, filled to brim with noodles and walking back to Zostel I took a little detour to think about my first solo trip. Tomorrow morning it’d be time for me to go back. It was a little depressing, but I felt good that I finally did something like this. Back at Zostel, I had a lot of time on my hands and I spend it sitting around and talking to people. Honestly, that’s not my strong suit, but I managed. Then it was time to retire.

Next morning I got up early, packed all my backs, said goodbye to Jo and checked out. On the walk to the bus stand was the famous Qissa Cafe where I went in to get some breakfast. The cafe was really beautiful. No other way to describe it.

Wandering around and looking at stuff alone is fun, but eating alone is no fun at all. I feel bored and awkward, not having anyone to share the food with. Only problem I felt with the trip.

I reached the but stop almost as soon as I got out of the café . Didn’t take much time to find a bus, board it and reach the railway station. My train was late and I was early. So to kill the time I walked to the Centre Square Mall and spent some time there. Then I caught an auto back and caught the train headed home.