A nine o'clock pick by our driver Mr Anthony and we are off to Fort Cochin, about a 40minute drive. We are struck by the contrast between North and South India. The south seems a lot more modern, less rubbish in the streets, less traffic on the streets and there appears to a be a lot less poverty. There also seems to be more backpackers about. We meet our guide for the day Mary. We stop to watch Children's Day where all the local schools have there children dressed in various costumes and doing a march past. Then we visit the Dutch Church before heading to the waterside to see the old Chinese fishing nets that Cochin is quite famous for. Some of the local fisherman give us a demonstration on how they work and let us join in and help. Then it was off to Jew Town and the Synagogue. Mary tells us that there was once a large Jewish community but now only four families remain. Lunch is at Kashi coffee shop which doubles as a small art gallery and seems to be popular with the foreign backpacker crowd. No wonder, it has cheap and good food (yummy banana pie for only 80R) We spent the after wandering through the bazaar and it's really the first leisurely shop we have had on our own. We're a little over every guide we've had taking us to his particular place to shop. At 5.30pm we go to see a traditional Kathakali performance (classical dance drama with most elaborate makeup and costumes) We get there early like most people to watch the performers put on their makeup, which is almost a performance in itself. After the performance we have fish and chips at one of the nearby outside cafes where we are well waited on by Bob (I think he may model himself on Bob Marley) it's high five knuckles all around as we leave to make our way back to The Dream hotel after another full day.