Kerala Folk Museum and a Most Unusual Offer

Ft. Cochi – Day 4

Saj is dumbfounded when we relate our bus odyssey.  He has a better idea for today (and promises a free stay if this doesn’t work) – he will write the name of the right bus in Malayallam and we can either read it on the front of the bus or show it to people.   Right – like I could read the front of one of these busses which was put into service in 1967 and hasn't been washed since 1968 and the windshield is nearly covered with stickers! 

Nope, this time it’s a tuk tuk after the ferry ride - all the way to the Museum.  Our suspicions that locals don’t know about this Museum are confirmed when we show the driver our directions which happen to include the Museum’s proximity to Santa Maria Cathedral – that he knew, not the Museum! 

After all that, we make it!  And it is truly worth it.  What a gem.  In fact just 4 months ago, Prince Charles and the Duchess of Cornwall visited – their photos are everywhere.  While this is a dazzling collection of artifacts from all over Kerala, some dating back over 2,000 yrs, it is a private collection in a private museum.  The owner, a Mr. George, was a collector and decided he needed to create a home for his treasures and now they’ve fallen on hard times.  Signs posted at nearly exhibit plead for funds. 

Tim and I are both struck by the fact that there doesn’t appear to be any business model in place, and they would do really well to sit down with the same people who merchandised the Fort in Jodhpur – a classy gift shop, audio guide, slightly higher admission prices – instead they have a display of artifacts for sale!  Some are priced,  most aren’t, none are labeled as to provenance . . .

The bells that elephants wear for festivals.

We were totally baffled by this painting . . . check out the various body parts and the actions of the people.

Home on the ferry . . . it’s a holiday (pre-Holi) and the ticket terminal is mobbed.  There are separate ticket lines for men and women – the women’s is much shorter.  My turn to buy tickets . . . I’m approached by a number of men who ask if I can buy a ticket for them (the limit per purchaser is 3 tickets) – ‘Sorry, I’m at my limit.’ 

Now, one of the more amazing events . . . ferry is crowded but one young man stands out.  He looks like he was picked up in Goa in 1979 and dropped at the terminal to get on this ferry.  Rasta locks, tats, big shades, not at all like any of the young Indians – definitely out of place.  He ends up sitting near us on the ferry, chit chat, chit chat (that’s the norm now since we’re frequently the only Westerners) and then as we’re getting off, he leans over and asks Tim ‘Want some drugs?  I can get you whatever you like – ganga, weed?’ 

Hello!!  This in a city where you cannot smoke in public!  Most restaurants don’t even serve beer, much less wine or the hard stuff!!  We figure he must have been Kerala’s answer to the narc squad!  I think Tim’s secretly a wee bit pleased . . . just to have been asked.

This calls for a cold beer, watching the harbor – off to one of the few places where we can do that!

Riding the Bus in Circles and Learning about Pashminas

Ft. Cochi – Day 3

A fellow traveler from the UK has urged us to see the Kerala Folk Museum.  It’s a challenge to get to  but well worth it (even LP agrees on both counts).  We ask Saj for directions and, although they sound a bit complicated, we figure we can do it.  Tuk tuk to the ferry, ferry to the mainland, bus to Thevara (close to the Museum) and then another tuk tuk to the Museum.  Off we go . . .

What we hadn’t planned on was the lack of English speakers (or people who even know about the Kerala Folk Musuem!) at the bus stop.  After asking six people, one older man tells us, ‘Wait, I tell you which bus to get on.’  A few busses later, he says ‘This one, you get on.’  Like so much in Kerala, the busses are quintessentially Communist (this is a Communist coalition government and Kerala appears to work much better than most of India) – they are old, dirty, and ugly, but they run – on time – and are cheap.  

We tell the ticket taker where we want to go, he does the head bobble and says ’24 rupees’ – mmm, that’s more than we thought it would be but we’re going.  Using our crude tourist map, I watch the streets whiz by and so far so good.  Then we get to the point where I think we should turn left and, horrors, we turn right and appear to be going right back where we started!  And, yup, we end up in Jew Town (that’s it’s name) and are the only people left on the bus!!  We just made a huge circle from the mainland, down to where the peninsula that is Ft. Cochi joins the mainland and up north to about 1 km from our homestay!!  End of the line – the driver and ticket taker tell us ‘Off’ - in Malayallam - but we get the idea. 

The synagogue in Jew Town was on our ‘sights to see’ list – now’s as good a time as any.  Sweet neighborhood and the synagogue is very old (13^th cent) but well-maintained.  It's Friday so we cannot get inside.

Love this photo - taken by Christians, in front of a synagogue capturing two Buddhists in a neighborhood which, we learn later, has as many Muslims as it does Jews!  

We wander around an architectural salvage/antiquities store and of course, have to take a photo with one of the most remarkable pieces.  

Lots of shops nearby – more beautiful fabrics and tons of spices.  One pair of brothers convinces Tim to ‘Just have a look, sir.’  They are Muslim and tell us that there are only 7 Jews in the area and an equal number of Muslims.  (Is this enough for a Jewish quorum?)  Out come the inevitable array of fabrics, including pashminas.  Everybody’s selling pashminas.  

Here’s what we learn:  the ‘real’ pashmina are made from the hair of the mountain goat.  Premium hair comes from the chin, good hair from the belly, and poorest quality from the back.  Ideally, the goat is sheared regularly – like a sheep – but the demand for pashminas, coupled with a dismal economy up north (Kashmir), has resulted in the wide-spread slaughter of the goats and the harvesting of all the hair at one time. 

Creating a true pashmina consists of two skills – one is weaving and the other embroidering.  We are dazzled by pashminas showing both these skills, and I take photos of the ‘signature’ of each craftswoman (yes they’re all women).  

These are fabulous.  But way out of our reach – a ‘best price’ is about $200, somewhat less if we were to buy 6 or more. 

Funny, ‘only in India’ event, while we’re there.  The whole store goes dark, the A/C goes off, and one of the brothers says – ‘I go outside and put fuel in the generator.’  And that’s exactly what he does, and the power comes back on!! 

More than enough excitement for one day . . . off to our new favorite restaurant, Casa Linda, where Aroma and her husband compete to see who can prepare the best fish dinner.   Too bad they don’t have a beer license – it's forbidden as they’re directly opposite a school!  Waiting for dinner, we watch the children being picked up (by car and driver)).

Reminded me of the 20-passenger Jeep we passed on the drive to Udaipur.  Time for our fish dinner . . . 

The Biggest Bargain in India and a Question . . .

Ft. Kochi – Day 2

This is a very touristy area of Kochi which is a big city, a bustling port, and a harbor filled with everything from colorful fishing boats to ocean-going container ships.  And, best of all, ferries!  We decide to take a ferry ride from the peninsula that is the Ft part of Kochi to the mainland.   The grand total for both of us for the 15” ride – 12 cents!  4 rupees each.  And, as usual, we’re two of maybe six Westerners among about 100 Indians.  This is a commuter ferry, and a recent move to raise the fare by one rupee had locals  in near revolt.  Construction workers make about 5,000 rupees a month – roughly $80 - and even with a ‘commuter ticket’ this increase is a real hardship. 

We disembark and walk for a km or so along a lovely promenade on the water’s edge. 

One of the many high luxury rises along the waterfront.  You may not be able to make out the laundry hanging over the uppermost balcony!  I thought it was a hoot.

Photos of some posters that I'm still looking for an explanation for . . . just how many positions??  We've seen the famous temples at Khajuraho and they didn't have nearly half that many . . . are those 'variants' on positions, pleasure . . . any ideas??  The young man in the background seems quite keen on figuring it all out!

When in doubt, have an ice cream!  Certainly one of our sensual pleasures . . . wait, didn't Baskin and Robbins have 64 flavors?  OK, I think I'm going off the rails here . . . time to head home.

On the way into the ferry terminal, we see two men laying pavers using the most remarkable device to cut the pavers along the edge.

We have to walk through two other ferries to get to ours.

And on the way home, we see an Indian Coast Guard cutter named for Gandhi's wife, Kasturba - wow!  (You really can't make it out in this photo.)  Have we ever named a US ship after a woman??

Hooray for Jet Airways!

Ft. Kochi – Day 1

We fly from Ahmedabad to Kochi, via Mumbai.  As we land in Mumbai, we’re stunned by two things:  the air is utterly filthy - polluted doesn’t begin to describe what it looks like - and there, right next to the jet path is a slum!  What looks like home to probably 5-10,000 people living under the ever-present poverty quilt of ratty white and blue tarps.  It’s butt up against the runway, I could actually see people walking around in this airport slum – I couldn’t believe it.

Amazing experience with Jet Airways.  A big hooray for this carrier.  Our flight from Ahmedabad to Mumbai was delayed, and we both decided there was no way we were going to make the connecting flight to Kochi.  As soon as we landed, we heard an announcement: ‘All passengers for the flight to Kochi, please wait in the jetway after you deplane.’  There were 10 of us.  The attendant collected our boarding passes, checked them against a manifest, returned the boarding passes, and then led us down a stairway into a waiting bus on the tarmac.  We never set foot inside the terminal. The bus took us to the Kochi plane which took off as soon as we were seated! 

The best part – our luggage got on the plane with us!  (Note – we almost never check bags but Indian flights we’ve been on have had a free checked baggage policy along with a 5kg weight limit for carry-ons.)   We were absolutely amazed! 

Our car and driver were waiting (I’m really getting to like this ‘car and driver’ idea!) – it’s about a 60” drive to Ft. Kochi, and fortunately, this driver has not had the horn surgically implanted in his palm – hooray!  We arrive at Saj Homestay, a highly-rated TA (Trip Advisor) property and Saj is another whirling dervish of energy and enthusiasm.   Very, very nice room.  All the goodies, including individual bedside reading lights, A/C, cable tv, and fast internet service.  Ahhh . . .

Some  photos of the iconic Chinese fishing nets of Ft. Kochi.