I am staying in a small, well run boutique hotel recommended by my travel agent for India, Sumati. It’s called Arches, a few minutes walk from the Gulf of Arabia. It houses Rosoi, one of the best-rated small restaurants in the whole region and I am thankful it’s here.
The town of Fort Kochi is built on low-lying land between the Gulf and a series of water-bound lands in the western part of south India. It is called Fort Kochi because the Portuguese built a fort here with the permission of the king of the area at the time, to protect their interests in the spice trade. The fort no longer exists except as stones in the ground near the current location of the Bishop’s house. The stones, which I saw in the basement of the small Indo-Portuguese Museum, are part of an exhibit that mostly features remnants and articles, including very old vestments and monstrances from the surrounding churches donated by the Catholic Diocese here. While I was there I was the only visitor. I only stayed a few minutes, but I am still glad I went. By comparison, the Portuguese stayed for over 150 years and became the colonial power until the Dutch ousted them in 1683. The Dutch lasted until 1795, when the British took control. The initial burial place of the famous Portuguese explorer and navigator, Vasco de Gama, is in the church, now called St. Francis, just a few steps from the front door of my hotel. His son removed his remains and took them back to Portugal long ago, but there is still a sign inside the church marking the spot.
The town is quiet, by Indian standards, and very walkable. Pictured above are the “Chinese Fishing nets,” one of the main attractions in this region of the coast. The nets seem to be unique to this area of the world, and why they are called Chinese seems to be debatable. The style of fishing has been here since pre-colonial times. As you can also see from the photo, the area is still a thriving port for many items arriving from around the world. Crude oil is shipped here from the Persian Gulf and refined at a large facility nearby, but the area still retains its charm. If you would like to see more pictures from my first few days in town click here.