Kochi Favorites

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Favorite thing: People who have travelled to India and especially the southern cone of it, know very well that the Indian Restaurants in the west usually represent a very narrow aspect of the cuisine of this much varied cuisined country.
For some reason or other, I prefer the cuisine of South India: Idlis and dosais for breakfast; Lunch Meals with multiple vegetable curries preferably on banana leaf and for dinner: curries to choose from: preferably fish of which there is plenty in cochin

Fondest memory: the people who have to be the nicest people in all of India.. then again i have not experienced all of india and possibly never would, never mind, they are very nice
homecooking is excellent in kerala... on each of my visits i get at least invited into homes for about 50 per cent of my meals.. that is okay..

Favorite thing: People who have travelled to India and especially the southern cone of it, know very well that the Indian Restaurants in the west usually represent a very narrow aspect of the cuisine of this much varied cuisined country.
For some reason or other, I prefer the cuisine of South India: Idlis and dosais for breakfast; Lunch Meals with multiple vegetable curries preferably on banana leaf and for dinner: curries to choose from: preferably fish of which there is plenty in cochin

Fondest memory: the people who have to be the nicest people in all of India.. then again i have not experienced all of india and possibly never would, never mind, they are very nice
homecooking is excellent in kerala... on each of my visits i get at least invited into homes for about 50 per cent of my meals.. that is okay..

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Favorite thing: "If China is where you make your money, then Cochin is surely the place to spend it."
When Nicolas Conti, the legendary Italian traveler said this, Cochin was flourishing in trade as one of the most desirable destinations approachable by sea. And Fort Cochin, once an obscure fishing hamlet, found itself at the hub of all this bustling activity. It was soon to be the first European township in trade as one of the most glorious cities in its history.
Fort Cochin probably has the best preserved history of colonial times and the ideal way to bring it alive is to take a walk down its old colonial roads, with its tree-lined avenues and quaint little lands and beside the seashores – where magnificent Chinese fishing nets sketch a spectacular skyline. It is believed that Chinese travelers during the reign of Kubla Khan had introduced this art of Chinese fishing to Cochin.
In AD 1341, a cataclysmic flood threw open the estuary at Cochin. Thanks to the strange ways of nature, out of this land-locked area was born one of the finest natural harbors of the east. This in turn paving the way for a deluge of seafaring visitors, from the Arabs to the Chinese and later, from the Portuguese to the British. The features of the latter ones characterize the façade of Fort Cochin, to a great extent.
The huge, elegant Chinese fishing nets that line the northern shore of Fort Cochin and the southern side of Vypeen island add grace to an already characterful waterside view, and are probably the single most familiar photographic image of Kerala. Traders from the court of Kublai Khan are said to have introduced them to the Malabar region. Known in Malayalam as cheena vala , they can also be seen throughout the backwaters further south. The nets, which are suspended from arced poles and operated by levers and weights, require at least four men to control. You can buy fresh fish from the tiny market here and have it grilled on the spot at one of the ramshackle stalls.

Favorite thing: Attractive signs for Hotels abound, but in Indian English, a hotel is more like a restaurant.. as in vegetarian hotel. Smaller tea shops are also called Hotels to add to the confusion

Fondest memory: Asking the owner of a tea stall for directions, he abandoning his work, accompanying me to my destination, makins sure I dont get lost along the way..

Favorite thing: Theoldest and most interesting part of Cochin is this peninsula located in Cochin Bay, once dutch and portuguese colony. It's got a lot to see: Chinese Fishing Nets, Dutch Palace, Jew Synagoge, old tiny alleys...