Kochi – The Underdog of Kerala
When we mentioned that we are headed to Kochi in Kerala — one of the southernmost States of India, for 6 days, we got several surprised looks. “You could cover Munar”, some one. “Only Kochi?” asked another. I will be lying if I said I did not doubt my decision of spending 6 nights in Kochi after listening to all the apprehensions. We were staying 20 km away from Kochi in a tiny sleepy hamlet close to Cherai at the intersection of the backwaters and the ocean. And the family was in the tow. What if it turns out to be a bad investment of time and money?
The greatest joy of travel is being able to discover. Experience. Savour.
We found Kochi to be a huge huge surprise.
Someone had mentioned to me that Kochi is a good cultural centre. But what I found was in Nitish’s words “what Goa would have been. And what Pondicherry should have been”.
We landed up in Kochi during the last week of Kochi - Muziris Biennale 2016 where several small venues were alive with art exhibitions and displays. I am not an art connoisseur. But even by the layman standards I was in awe. Nitish of course tripped out completely and was ready to move to the city, bag and baggage.
As we walked through Fort Kochi enjoying the shade of massive old trees, exploring the numerous quaint cafes and witnessing a city with a rich art culture, I could not help but think “6 days is too little”.
We spent our mornings in the backwaters watching the sunrise and identifying birds. We spent our afternoons exploring the city or just lounging in the pool. Evenings were majestic, swimming with the waves in the backdrop of gorgeous sunsets at the beach. The cherry on the cake were the traditional Kerala style dinners of beef and seafood which makes my mouth water every time I think of them!
I ticked off an item on my bucket list – I wore a bikini. And felt perfectly comfortable doing so with no stares or comments even in the interiors. Back in Delhi, I am super conscious walking around the city roads at 12 pm in my shorts!
Communication was difficult, I must agree. But we managed. And managed well. We found very few Indian tourists in Kochi. The lone Indian family we came across at our place of stay was “bored” because their kid had “nothing to do.” Some other kids from European and other Asian countries could be seen spending hours under the trees playing in the grass and jumping on the stones, almost on their own. The educationist in me is seeing patterns and not feeling very happy with what I see.
Yes it is true, Kochi has less things to “do” and more to “experience”. Perhaps most tourists head to the popular areas of Allepey or Munar. In the process, Kochi remains unexplored. I call it the underdog of God’s Own Country!
Thank you Kochi! We shall be back!
