Day 42 - Kumily to Kochi - Sunday 27th November 2011

Hold on, were awake and we can't hear rain and there is power! Brilliant news, oh but we're leaving today! We got up, packed our still soaked clothes and went for a hot breakfast before catching our bus from the town bus station. 6 hours to Kochi. Should be fun……….

Our bums are officially numb and even after being off the bus for over an hour now, we still can't fell them. The joy of travelling! After waiting at Ernakulum bus depot for another hour, we finally got on the bus to Fort Cochin and arrived at our lovely guesthouse, Dreamcatcher, about 8pm.

After a quick coffee and chat with the owners, in which we were warned about the dangers of India and that we were to be extra careful, we ventured out for some dinner at Ariba. This was what you can only describe as a chicken kebab but tasted oh so good!

Full up and satisfied, we headed back and after some more chats with the owners, went up to bed.

Day 43 - Kochi and train to Managalore - Monday 28th November 2011

We ate breakfast at the Karsi café - yummy food in lovely arty surroundings which showcases local artists work. Then we headed off for our tour around Kochi, our guesthouse owner gave us a small map but he spent so long drawing lines on it to show us where to go, that in the end we just had a map of scribbles! Anyway after a bit of time going in the wrong direction, we made it to St Francis church which was pretty non-descript from the outside but inside it was pretty interesting. Built in 1503, it's the oldest European built church in Indian. There were remembrance plaques all over the walls with names of old English gentry like 'William Earl Symth-Bottomly!' who donated money in 1849 etc. To be honest, the church in Ewell Village is prettier but you've got to respect the fact that its been around so long and is a landmark of the European presence in India. Next we headed to the Dutch cemetery which is exactly as it sound… yep a graveyard for people for Holland! We then scrolled along to the spot of the Chinese fishing nets - these are a legacy of the traders from the AD 1400 court of Kubla Khan and are massive nets used for fishing. All around this area are stalls selling the freshly caught fish - everything from shark (yes, shark) to snapper.

We took a leisurely stroll all the way round the coast through the port and spice areas. The streets are distinctly European looking in a dilated kind of way and out of the doors waft the aromas of cloves, ginger, cardamom, nutmeg - every spice you can imagine, with as little bit of garlic and onion added in. We arrived at the Dutch palace (or Mattancherry Palace - it seems to have 2 names!) and went in to have a look around. It was presented by the Portuguese in 1555 to the Raja of Kochi - the most interesting part for me was the downstairs room which has a wall painting of Krishna using his 8 hands and feet to "entertain" lots of ladies as well as playing the flute! Finally a man who can multi task!

We ambled onto Jew Town, which has some lovely antique shops that sell the most amazing furniture but at very expensive prices, and then went to the Synagogue.

Once we'd exhausted the sights, we walked back the Kerala Kathakali Centre just in time to see the men start their make up for the evening show. Kathakali is a traditional Keralan play combining eye movements, music and religious dance and as it was our last night in the state of Kerala we decided it would be good to take in a show. The show was interesting but after an hour of eye movements and signing (there is no words), we were happy when the lights came up - apparently some shows run to 9 hours!!

Show done, we headed back to our homestay, picked up our bags and took a taxi to the station for our sleeper train to Managlore. Tomorrow we'll be in Goa and the beach!