INDIA | KERALA – GOD’S OWN COUNTRY

Had planned a weekend trip to Kochi to attend a friend's wedding. We booked a Scoot Flight which flies direct to Kochi Airport in about 4 hours. Our friend arranged for us to stay at Niko Hotels. I was very impressed by the overall experience- the staff were polite, rooms were clean, complimentary breakfast. It hit all the right spot for a traveller looking for a decent place to stay. 

The next morning, we had a light breakfast before hitting our first stop at a local restaurant serving North Indian food. Dal Roti is a popular place among tourists. The menu were simple and the dishes had English translations. I ordered a Thali, which is a rice set with veggies, dhal, chicken and Roti.  We also ordered Chai Masala Tea and it was so good! 

We headed to Santa Cruz Basilica after our sumptuous meal at Dal Roti. As most of the attractions lie within Fort Kochi itself, you can get around pretty easily by walking. The church is one of the eight basilica in Kerala. Just when we were about to leave, they opened doors for visitors to go in and experience the sanctity of Santa Cruz Basilica.

Next we head to another place of worship known as St Francis Cathedral. It had an Portugese flavour to the architecture and is the oldest European church in India. The Portugese explorer Vasco de Gama was originally buried here before being brought back to Lisbon after 14 years. You can still see the location of tomb marked inside the cathedral

This is one of the highlights when visiting Kochi. No one ever misses this. It is located right next to Mahatma Gandhi Beach. Once you're there, you will spot the array of gigantic wooden structures along the beach with nets. The use of fulcrum system and boulder weights as the lifting mechanism is so awesome. The fisherman will display their haul in their tentages along the beach for customers to pick and choose their catch. They also offer cooking services so you can actually have a fresh seafood feast. Common roadside stalls are there selling souvenirs, fresh fruit and fruit juice.  

Our last place was a visit to the famous Sree Balaji Teahouse. The chai tea costs around 5 INR and had a rich flavour. I would have had a few more cups if I haven't had 2 already in the morning. The shop has all the pictures and media on his travel experiences and he had wooden frame that contains the foreign currency during his travel. 
I think it really served as an inspiration for others who are trying pursue their dreams of seeing the world.

After photo taking, we went back to change to finish the rest of our sightseeing. Starting with Mattancherry Palace, which was built by the Portuguese as early as 1500s. Admission Price is 50 INR. We were there for an hour or so as they preparing to close for the day. Note that the opening hours ends quite early at around 5pm. Next, we went to Jew Town to explore the shophouses and streets. We stopped by a place called Ginger House where it was famous for ginger-related dishes and beverages. The place was next to the backwaters, giving us a great ambience to chill and chit-chat. I ordered ginger coffee while the rest went with ginger chai. Be expect to spend a little more due since this place is popular with travellers. 

Although most of buildings looked old, the color scheme still looks as great. I wonder how vibrant the street would have been during its prime. Expect to see couple of shops selling powdered paint and natural oils. 

We had a dinner at Fish N rice before leaving for the late night flight. Note that shop name is Fish 'N' Rice not 'And'. We had some issues locating on the map at first and realize it was due to a silly misspelling. 

The creative use of the ship's fore as a refrigerator was what caught my eye. You can choose from a large variety of fishes from red snapper, tilapia, black snapper, pomfret etc and will charged according to weight. Expect to pay around 1100 INR / kg. The signature dish is the barbecue fish where they will cut the fish into half - one side spicy the other original. 

I had some craving for Biryani and when I was about to order, the staff actually served us 3 small bowls to taste before ordering. We ordered a couple of garlic naan and a seafood masala dish which consists of prawns, fish and squids. It was a real satsifying meal before we head back for our flight to Singapore