I can hardly believe it has been 10 years since we last visited India. When I was 18 this was the first country I backpacked around and it ignited my passion for travelling. I have so many amazing memories from the 5 months I spent in this eclectic country that when we found flights taking us through Kerala to get to Australia we both decided it would be worth spending a couple of weeks there.
Last time I visited Kerala it was in the monsoon season so I remember a lot of rain. This time we arrived well into the summer. Getting off the plane close to midnight we were greeted with a wave of 30 degree heat. I had often reminisced about all the amazing things in India, but getting off the plane hot and worn-out from travelling and then having to deal with the crowds of people and lack of queuing systems made all the stressful memories come flooding back.
After managing to get a taxi we began our drive to Fort Kochi where we would be spending our first 2 nights. Despite the roads being rather empty we were still faced with danger as a guy had fell asleep in his taxi at the traffic lights, causing all kind of chaos. Thankfully, our driver was kind enough to pull over next to him, whack the car with his hand and wake him up.
In the morning we set off to explore Kochi town and went for a walk along the beach to see the Chinese fishing nets.
The surrounding area was more tourist orientated than I remember. With shops and restaurants filling most of the streets we couldn’t help enjoying a bit of shopping along the way. After finding that a majority of the scarfs in South America were made in China I was on the lookout for a genuine ‘made in India’ scarf. I had to explain to Karl, as he began to moan, that it wasn’t just any scarf I was looking for, it was a Pashmina scarf. Well worth spending the time bargaining for.
We were dying to try some Keralan dishes so went to a recommended fusion restaurant for lunch to try the fish curries. The mix of spices and coconut flavours are divine. In my opinion there really is no better food in the world than Indian food.
To see the other side of Kochi we took a rickshaw for 50p to see the numerous, temples, churches and mosques which line the streets, stopping off at the old Dutch Palace and spice market along the way.
In the evening we went to see a traditional Kathakali show. The performers and musicians spend 6 years learning the discipline which focuses on precise movements and facial expressions. Shows can last up to 9 hours although we chose to attend a shorter introduction and performance designed for tourists. The costumes are spectacular and it is a wonderful and distinctive part of Kerala’s culture. However, after an hour and a half of very loud chimes being rang in our ears we were glad we weren’t sitting through a full show.
Being back in India, and absorbing its many unique sights, sounds and smells has opened up our senses and we are looking forward to enjoying our time back in this vibrant country.
