Village life in Cochin.......beautiful mothers and children

Our shore tour of Cochin included a visit to Vaikom, 

a small rural area on the western side of the 

Kottayam district of Kerala. 

I have to laugh reading back in the tour description...this area above where we boarded the local country boat was named 'the jetty' but was nothing more than a clearing along the bank with a few plastic chairs - in case your boat was delayed perhaps. We felt a little uneasy walking first through squishy mud and piles of debris............

.........and even the boatmen had some 

difficulty in getting the boats launched 

for our short journey! 

Note these men are wearing the traditional Kerala mundu, a garment worn around the waist similar to the dhoti or sarong. This is said to be the coolest garment for the very hot weather (though I doubt my DH will be trying it here in humid North Carolina this Summer - he's definitely not into skirts!). Unspoken rules of etiquette govern the way it is worn. Although full length, it is often folded in half to resemble a short skirt, such as shown here, when men are working, cycling etc. It is however considered disrespectful to speak to women, or one's social superiors, with the mundu folded up this way revealing the legs from the knee down. In those situations the mundu is loosened and flutters down to cover the legs completely.

Hand-built 'country boats'.

Eventually we set sail along the backwater, on 

our interesting 'leisurely cruise' toward a 

tiny local island village.

We were first greeted by the shy boys...........

.........who led us into the village. Note sandals 

removed at the door of this house.

...........one boy wears the traditional mundu 
garment which he is lowering probably 
out of respect for the ladies in our group.

Soon the village girls joined us, dressed in very pretty frocks.......

..........delightful, smiling girls who quietly followed 

us about happy to show off their homes, mothers, 

and younger siblings (they did not speak English).

Note, even at this young age the baby's eyes are 

lined with kohl.

 Communal village kitchen.

There weren't many men around the village - perhaps 
they were the ones working the country boats! I loved 
these colors, the paint, the clothing.......and 
me such a devotee of neutral shades! 

The girls appeared wistful as we readied to leave.....

......but broke into smiles and waved goodbye as our boat pushed off.

The women of this village work extremely hard, 

doing manual jobs requiring skills passed down 

through the generations - come back to see 

what they produce to sell and support 

their families.

Edited March 18,2014

I was requested to add these following photos sent to me by Kerala Tourism today and am happy to do so. A visit here would be an amazing experience for any traveler - hope you get to go some day!

India..............arriving in Cochin

The Jewel In the Crown, Passage to India, Story of India, Slumdog Millionaire, Beneath a Marble Sky.......all those fascinating stories we've read or seen on the silver screen about a country very different. India was never on my list of places I longed to see........it was a country I preferred to keep in my imagination. It was a dark country, said to be poor, dirty, crowded, and much of this is true. The stories from colonial days, under the British Raj rule, were often titillating and brutal. Being English, and a World War II baby, I grew up when India was still in the period of dominion.....the Indian Empire. That system of governance was instituted in 1858, when the rule of the British East India Company was transferred to the Crown in the person of Queen Victoria (who in 1876 was proclaimed Empress of India) and lasted until 1947 when George VI was King.

That said, it was with a tingle of excitement, and a smidgen of anxiety, that I awoke at sunrise on another smoldering morning to find Cochin (Kochi, meaning 'small place' but with 1.6 million inhabitants), in the state of Kerala, India waiting for me. Sighting first the Chinese fishing nets (Cheena gala), ethereal shore operated lift nets at the harbor entrance, here for details......on either bank of the narrow Ernakulam Channel...........

.............some very old buildings, seemingly 
built in the water of the channel as we 
sailed into port.............

........and the early morning local ferries taking people to work in the city.

Already docked was the elegant German cruise ship Europa.

Walt, our travel companion, watching as the immense Queen Elizabeth is maneuvered sideways into her berth behind the Europa..........

.......Europa's chef and kitchen staff out on their deck watching.........

...........as QE slowly moved in..........

..........and was made secure.

  

We were on the starboard side of the ship. Fortunately we always seemed to tie up that side so had great views of all the activity surrounding the docking of a huge vessel from our balcony.

Below, once again local musicians were in place waiting to serenade us as we disembarked........

...........and the tour buses were lined up ready to roll. Fortunately all the buses we took for shore excursions during the cruise were air conditioned and, all but one, quite comfortable.

Pulling away from the QE in the bus, I was at last in India.

The drive through Cochin was an eye opener. Let's just say this image was from one of the neater areas near the port, after that we were overwhelmed!

Our chosen shore excursion was called 'Village Life'........above and below are the country boats, our transportation through the canals to Vaikom village. 

Next post.......do come back so I can show you the beautiful village girls and boys, and how the local people earn their livelihoods.

The Captain's Message as we head to Sri Lanka.................

As we commenced the two day voyage from Malaysia to Sri Lanka, our Captain notified us of the Anti-Piracy Drill to be held the next morning. As we would be passing through the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea, areas well documented for piracy, QE was required to take precautions.

We were assured that we'd be using an internationally approved transit corridor under the protection of an International Military Task Force, including the UK Royal Navy.

We did the drill, which included sitting on the floor of the internal corridors, and not in front of the closed cabin door......

...........and from then on things on board changed somewhat.

Bob on the promenade deck - high powered water 

hoses visible behind him.

• External promenade deck 3 (in above photo) was closed from dusk to dawn - being the lowest open deck where grappling ladders could be used by speeding pirate boats 
• Large fire hoses were at the ready on that same deck - apparently forceful enough to knock back pirates 
• During hours of darkness only essential open deck lights would be on as it was important to reduce the ship's external lighting
• Curtains of cabin/balcony windows were to be closed at night and cabin lights turned off when not required
• We attended an extremely enlightening lecture, with excellent videos, showing just how those Somali pirates work, given by a high profile Royal Navy Commander who was aboard to assist in setting up the safety system.  Fortunately no cruise ship has been taken hostage yet , only container ships and small private vessels which are easily  boarded
• The Commander stated that armed security agents had been brought on board for the duration of the journey to Dubai - they were trained to shoot to kill any pirates who tried to board the ship

This was the Queen Elizabeth's maiden call to Colombo, the largest city in Sri Lanka (formerly Ceylon). The large harbor and strategic position along the East-West trade routes was known to ancient traders 2,000 years ago.

Fast Facts

• Similar in size to Tasmania, Sri Lanka is half the area of England and slightly smaller than Ireland
• Approx. 70% of the population are Buddhists
• The classic film 'Bridge On The River Kwai' (1957) was shot on location here
• The horrific tsunami of Dec. 2004 devastated coastal communities and killed more than 30,000 people
• Sri Lanka is the world's fourth largest producer of tea after China, India and Kenya

Colorful musicians and dancers in national costume welcomed us to their country.

A tour around the city included a visit to the National Museum..........where a huge Banyan tree, also known as a 'strangler fig' stood guard......

........and was thankfully air conditioned inside for viewing more Buddhas and interesting artifacts.......

..........because it was unbearable outside where I stopped to view the prayer flags.

Hot and humid in the streets so we did very

little walking....

............these were actually 'lady monks' making good use of their umbrellas - sorry for blue tinge, our tour bus had dirty tinted windows and I got very few good images through them!

The taxi driver washed the dust off his little green auto rickshaw, a 3-wheeled tuk-tuk. This mode of transportation is definitely not for those of a nervous disposition as they weave in and out of traffic......apparently an unforgettable experience!

An elegant lady with the right idea for keeping 

cool in Colombo.

Next on the trip...........sailing to India. Thankfully, no visits from pirates!