Roaring Through My Twenties

Even with the busyness of my research project, upcoming holiday celebrations, and everything in between, I can officially check off Kochi, Kerala from my travel bucket list. My fellow Fulbright researcher, Rachel, is completing her project there, so she gave me the perfect excuse to make a trip!

Kochi is about a 7.5 hour train ride from Mangalore. I’ve heard wavering opinions about the trains in India from both locals and foreigners, but I had a good experience. And honestly, I am pretty impressed with myself for navigating the train stations in Mangalore and Kochi (though, I’ll give a little credit to my local friend who met me the night before my trip to describe the entire Mangalore train station to me). Even after a three hour delay of my train – getting to the right platform, cabin number, and seat was all easier than I expected!

My first full day in Kochi, Rachel and I took a ride to Alappuzha, a city not so far from Kochi that is known for its backwaters and houseboat tours. This was something I really wanted to do while I was here and, thankfully, it did not disappoint. While the boat itself was very impressive and beautiful, the backwaters were certainly breathtaking. On the boat, we spent most of the time admiring our view and chatting. The boat crew was awesome and they answered a lot of questions we had about the backwaters, local community, and the boat itself. Even when we jokingly asked if we could steer the boat, they let us! In total, we were out on the boat for about 6 hours. There’s an option to do an overnight trip, which I hear is a very cool experience, but because I was only in Kochi for a couple of days, we decided on one-day only. But if I am ever back in Kochi, an overnight trip would be necessary!

House boats in Alappuzha

A really popular tourist location in Kochi is called Jew Town in Fort Kochi (yes, it is literally just called Jew Town). I read a lot of different things about the arrival of Jewish people to India. According to some historical accounts, the first Jewish people to arrive in India on the Malabar Coast came around the 1st century BCE during India’s spice trade. They are believed to have arrived as sailors on King Soloman’s boat. As they were welcomed by the King, they therefore experienced religious freedom, land rights, and exemption from taxes.

Again in the 16th century, there was a second wave of Jewish immigrants, from the Middle East and North Africa, who were seeking refuge after fleeing from the Spanish and Portuguese Inquisitions. When they arrived, the King of Kochi granted them land near his Palace. With that land, the Jewish people built the first synagogue in India and called it the Paradesi Synagogue (est. 1568).

The Jewish community in Kochi flourished alongside the native community for hundreds of years. Today however, the populations of Jews is very small. Many chose to emigrate to Israel after its official recognition as a country in 1948.

A sidenote: This is one of my favorite things about India, especially in the South. There is so much religious diversity and always an opportunity to observe it.

Jew Town in Fort Kochi in present day is known for antique shops, handcrafted art and jewelry, cafes, and more. Many of these storefronts are now run by Kashmiris, Rajasthani, and local businessmen and women. We had a lot of fun shopping around here!

“Jew Town”

Some decor sold in a crafts store in Jew Town

My last full day in Kochi was a lot of fun, too. We rode the metro through the city to Lulu Mall. Which sounds like a funny thing to do, but Lulu Mall is one of the biggest malls in India so I was very curious to see it (it was ginormous and super crowded). We spent the later afternoon at a Flea Market where vendors were selling clothes, jewelry, art, and food. We stayed into the evening when the sun went down, where a Christmas tree was lit and there were a couple of live bands.

Christmas Tree at the Flea Market

One of my favorite parts about this trip was the food. In comparison to what is available/accessible in Mangalore, Kochi had a lot more options. We had a lot of really good bread and pastries at a Dutch bakery. And, I was able to eat beef!

Even more than the food, I was shocked by how big Kochi is compared to Mangalore. I didn’t think much about it before I got there, but the intricate highways, metros, and even the way I could feel the difference in population density was interesting. As much as I loved Kochi for all of the great things it has to offer, it also made me realize how Mangalore is the perfect “home base” for me.

All in all, it was a great trip to Kochi. As two researchers, both taking on two different cities on their own, it was really awesome to be able to catch up, share our experiences, and have fun together.

Me and Rachel

Successfully navigating the train station in Kochi, I survived the 7.5 hours back to Mangalore with no hiccups, and even daydreamed about the next couple of trips I could take on the train…

Be sure to check out my Photo Gallery to see more pictures from this trip!

Disclaimer: This blog is not an official site of the Fulbright Program or the U.S. Department of State.  The views expressed on this site are entirely those of its author and do not represent the views of the Fulbright Program, the U.S. Department of State, or any of its partner organizations.