As suggested by our driver who lives in Kochi, we set out for an early ferry across the bay to another part of the city ... Kochi/Cochin is made up of several islands. Once we had tickets the men were herded to one waiting area and the women another (behind bars) but once the ferry docked both gates were opened simultaneously and it was a mad rush to board ... no 'women and children first' mentality here .. I used my size to good purpose and got a seat - David didn't!
The ferry trip was just about 15 minutes and cost the grand total of 8 rupees for the two of us - that's 8 pence!
the 'back end' of the ferry
Worryingly, our driver slept through most of the crossing but the rudder was tied in position with a bit of string so I guess he's done this many times before ... he awoke in time to guide the ferry in
The scramble to get off first
The Broadway area is less touristy than Fort Cochin where we're staying. The shops are 'fixed prices' and sell household items/clothing rather than tourist tat. There is a huge market there so we wandered round to watch all the lorries being loaded (overloaded) with produce
Its not just the lorries that get overloaded, the people and bikes do too
But its the people who interest me most ... everyone's a business man it seems, no matter if the 'shop' is just a section of pavement
Show repairers
Two very jolly market guys ... they gave us an orange to share (which was delicious)
and this chap wanted to be photographed .. what wonderful whiskers!
It was around 35 degrees this afternoon and sooooo humid. By chance we found a doorway marked Beer and Wine and it turned out to be a bit of a speak easy type place ... pitch dark inside with a few locals watching an Indian film on TV. It was wonderfully cold with powerful air conditioning so we spent half an hour in there nursing a beer and cooling off.
We found a bus stop and sat down to wait for a bus. After a while a very nice Indian Gent told us that no buses were stopping at this place due to road works and he directed us to the next working one. There were several ladies waiting there so David asked one if this was the correct stop for a bus to Fort Cochin. We got a lovely head wobble which is always confusing because it can be used to indicate YES or NO. Joshi (our driver) has tried to show us the subtle differences and I think it mostly depends on whether the head wobbler smiles or not (wobble and smile mean yes - wobble and no smile = no)!
The bus was full initially but as people got off we managed to get seats - no aircon on these buses but the windows aren't glazed so when the bus is moving there's a nice breeze. I chatted to the lady next to me (she spoke perfect English) and she said the weather is particularly warm just now.
I love the bell pull to notify the driver when to stop - just a string running along the top of the bus which activates the 'dinger'
and here's our driver reflected in his driving mirror ... the light on the panel behind him is a brake light which glows red when he brakes so passengers can brace themselves! Clever eh?
We got back to Fort Cochin in one piece and walked along the beach path to our hotel. We did give in and make a purchase along the way but I think we got a bargain after a bit of haggling.
Who remembers Spirograph? Well this guy was selling small kits - just 6 wheels in each bag but we beat him down to just 100 rupees (£1 for 2 bags)
The ferry trip was just about 15 minutes and cost the grand total of 8 rupees for the two of us - that's 8 pence!
the 'back end' of the ferry
Worryingly, our driver slept through most of the crossing but the rudder was tied in position with a bit of string so I guess he's done this many times before ... he awoke in time to guide the ferry in
The Broadway area is less touristy than Fort Cochin where we're staying. The shops are 'fixed prices' and sell household items/clothing rather than tourist tat. There is a huge market there so we wandered round to watch all the lorries being loaded (overloaded) with produce
Its not just the lorries that get overloaded, the people and bikes do too
But its the people who interest me most ... everyone's a business man it seems, no matter if the 'shop' is just a section of pavement
Show repairers
Two very jolly market guys ... they gave us an orange to share (which was delicious)
and this chap wanted to be photographed .. what wonderful whiskers!
Local Artist
It was around 35 degrees this afternoon and sooooo humid. By chance we found a doorway marked Beer and Wine and it turned out to be a bit of a speak easy type place ... pitch dark inside with a few locals watching an Indian film on TV. It was wonderfully cold with powerful air conditioning so we spent half an hour in there nursing a beer and cooling off.
We found a bus stop and sat down to wait for a bus. After a while a very nice Indian Gent told us that no buses were stopping at this place due to road works and he directed us to the next working one. There were several ladies waiting there so David asked one if this was the correct stop for a bus to Fort Cochin. We got a lovely head wobble which is always confusing because it can be used to indicate YES or NO. Joshi (our driver) has tried to show us the subtle differences and I think it mostly depends on whether the head wobbler smiles or not (wobble and smile mean yes - wobble and no smile = no)!
The bus was full initially but as people got off we managed to get seats - no aircon on these buses but the windows aren't glazed so when the bus is moving there's a nice breeze. I chatted to the lady next to me (she spoke perfect English) and she said the weather is particularly warm just now.
I love the bell pull to notify the driver when to stop - just a string running along the top of the bus which activates the 'dinger'
and here's our driver reflected in his driving mirror ... the light on the panel behind him is a brake light which glows red when he brakes so passengers can brace themselves! Clever eh?
We got back to Fort Cochin in one piece and walked along the beach path to our hotel. We did give in and make a purchase along the way but I think we got a bargain after a bit of haggling.
Who remembers Spirograph? Well this guy was selling small kits - just 6 wheels in each bag but we beat him down to just 100 rupees (£1 for 2 bags)
Aaaah you've cleared up a mystery for us. When we were down by the Chinese fishing nets we saw a young lad with the drawings and just thought he was selling the pictures. Didnt realise the sets were for sale doh!
ReplyDeleteI love your unerring scent for alcohol xxxxx
ReplyDelete