Kochi is a bit of an unusual place, it seems to have a mix of all different influences. From its Portuguese architecture to the Jewish community. Our hotel is on the main land in Ernakulam and in the morning we took the ferry across to the peninsular called Fort Cochin. Unfortunately there is no longer a fort there but it is a fascinating place. Along the stretch of coast there is a line of Chinese fishing nets, these contraptions do not appear to be the most efficient and look a lot more like catapults than fishing equipment. As we walked down the shore we saw a few buckets with fish in and you could even choose you fish and have it cooked in the nearby restaurant. Talk about fresh! There is also a Jewish part of town which we decided to head over too, this area was full of shops and cafes and a synagogue, the only one I have seen in India.

For the evenings entertainment we went to see a Kathakali dance, this is the traditional dance for the state of Kerela. The beginning of the show consists of watching the dancer put on his make-up, which is more like an elaborate style of face painting. Then he leaves the stage to put on his lavish costume and a woman appeared to explain what Kathakali was and the moves involved. The performer uses a variety of facial movements, eye movements and hand gestures. There is a whole language and over 100 stories that are told using this skill which takes 10 years to master. It was a special kind of show, like nothing you will ever experience again, but also really different from anything we are used to; so quite hard to fully grasp the idea.