Kerala’s green highlands produce an abundance of tea and spices.
International Living Postcards– your daily escape
Monday, May 22, 2006
Cochin, India
Dear International Living Reader,
A lookout onto the blue expanse of the Arabian Sea…a four-poster bed that’s so high, I need a footstool to clamber into it…the perfect breakfast for anyone who yearns for a respite from curry (fresh pineapple and papaya, boiled eggs and toast, and drinkable coffee). Brunton Boatyard Hotel (http://www.cghearth.com/) has a stellar reputation but after yesterday’s dodgy bowels episode, I’m taking my coffee black–milk in India is often unpasteurized.
We’re now in Cochin, an historic Keralan city that first attracted European, Arab, and Chinese traders back in the 14th century. The big prize was spices–so heavily scented is the air that sailors reckoned even the blind could steer ships toward the Malabar coast. Kerala’s green highlands still produce an abundance of spices, including ginger, nutmeg, cloves, star anise, cinnamon, pepper, and cardamom.
Vasco da Gama arrived on the Malabar coast in 1498. He was originally buried inside Cochin’s Church of St. Francis, India’s oldest European church. You can still see the original tombstone, but da Gama didn’t rest in peace–his remains were eventually shipped back to Portugal.
With its Dutch Cemetery, Jewish Synagogue, and colonial warehouses, Fort Cochin is the oldest and most interesting part of the city. If you’re a cooking enthusiast, head for the Spice Market along Jew Town Street. As you can guess, the street got its name from the city’s once-thriving Jewish community, but today’s traders are almost all from Kashmir or Kerala.
Although aromas are overwhelming, don’t expect a spice market like you’ll find in a Moroccan souk. Today’s merchants cater for the wholesale trade. The main product is ginger with entire mountains of roots stacked high in warehouses. The only place individuals can buy packets of various spices is in tourist shops along Jew Town Street. However, packets are fairly large and good value at around $0.60 apiece.
On Fort Cochin’s harbor, Brunton Boatyard is only five minutes walk from the ferry terminal where boats ply to Willingdon Island and Ernakulam on the mainland (the modern part of Cochin). Next door to the ferry terminal are the famous "Chinese" nets–introduced by Chinese fishermen in the 14th century. It’s a sight to behold.
Half a dozen men use a cantilevered pulley system to dip the huge nets into the water. The nets stay down for a couple of minutes at a time before being hauled up. Whatever catch is worth saving is sold at the fish market auction or to fish stalls along the quay. To see the auction, get there around 7 a.m. If you want to step onto one of the boats, be prepared for a "photo fee" of 50 rupees ($1).
As elsewhere in India, all is not quite what it seems. Catches are pitifully small. Realizing the Chinese nets are a prime tourist attraction, Kerala’s government pay the fishermen a small subsidy to continue the old tradition.
Steenie Harvey
Roving Travel Writer, International Living
