india, photography, travel

5 things that will make you STOP at Fort Kochi

There is a lot of quaintness rolled into the package that is Fort Kochi. Let me tell you about 5 really interesting stops you should make while discovering this old port.

 

1. Large Rusted Drums

These two tall, rusted drums are now quasi garbage bins by the disrespectful passerby. They were once boilers on a ship. They stand harmlessly at one end of the Kochi Beach, rather quietly without any fanfare and it might cause you to walk by. But pause a bit, take a step back and then go right next to them and look. They were once the powerful boilers that pushed a ship across the ocean. It would be great if the Kerala Tourism / Government could actually figure out which ship these powered, and more importantly who was on that ship! If it was the colonising British, it might make me reconsider it’s worth… #justsaying

 

and yet people miss it completely

2. Anchor of a Dredger

Are you going huh, what’s that? (I looked it up too!)

dredger ˈdrɛdʒə/ noun 
a boat designed for dredging harbours or other bodies of water.
This was the dredger that can be credited with “making” Kochi or then Cochin into a super port – it’s identity for many years. It stands along the Kochi beach, and has become a good bench to rest mid-way of the walk.
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3. A Stone Pillar

Just like that, lying at the end of Princess Street is a stone pillar. The romantic in me would like to believe it’s ancient, heritage and all of that. But the realist hopes that’s not so in the same breath. If it is really old then that’s terrible on our part. It should be in a museum or safe place – not subjected to even more wear and tear? It looks like the pillar is lying there in two parts.

pillar at princess street
pillar at princess street

4. Antique Items you can touch

You know you go to that museum and there is that DO NOT TOUCH sign everywhere. Do you find it frustrating? I do. Always. Every time. I feel the need to touch to understand and appreciate. As you can imagine, museums are frustrating places.

At Teapot Cafe you can do just that. They have old stuff from weighing scales to cigarette boxes and old, rusted kettles. You can touch them all. No one yelled at me so guessing they won’t yell at you either!

 

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5. A Wry Stone Face

And again just like the pillar at Princess Street, a few kilometers away, in the parking lot in Jew Town – this chap is waiting and watching. Just lying there in the corner. And this is a parking lot, so people don’t even pause and walk slowly here – they are always rushing out of their cars or rushing in and leaving. I saw his / her only because I was walking to the Jew Cemetery and stepped in to ask for directions.

I like that his / her nose is WAY bigger than mine – gives me hope.

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That’s all the unusual stuff I stumbled across in Kochi. None of this was guidebook planned. Another reason why holidays tend to make themselves  regardless of all the planning you do. (Not to take away from the fact that I love the planning) Those were my unusual stops. Do you have any – tell me by leaving a comment.
Here are few more pictures – just for you to laugh your head off! In their defence, this was next to the ferry wharf.
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