A land of natural beauty

ERNAKULAM is the largest township in COCHIN City

Cochin located centrally in Kerala is the Tourism Capital of Gods Own Country.
Kerala offers an entire gamut of interesting sights and scenes. Join Raynald Rivera as he sojourns in two of its more than a dozen cities — Cochin and Kozhikode — exploring their innumerable wonders.
A tourist is a person who visits a place for pleasure while a journalist is someone who writes about his visits. I was both for three days when media men from GCC recently flew from Doha to Cochin, Kerala in India for a Media Familiarisation Tour sponsored by Qatar Airways. The name Kerala sounds bizarre to a stranger; to an adventurer like me it means excitement. Little did I expect that I would find more than that.

Upon exiting Cochin International Airport, one can already feel an air of the city’s cultural rootedness.

I did. The exteriors of the airport bear the imprint of architectural marvel characteristically Keralite. We were met by a courteous and fluent tour guide and beckoned to board a small bus still big for the seven of us. As the white bus left the Airport, a conspicuous sign could be seen; it said ‘Way out’. Yes, we were all out for a three-day long adventure.
A forty-five minute drive from the airport leads to the fantabulous Le Meridien Hotel where our exhausted bodies comfortably rested for a while. It is situated on a land bounded by rivers and accented with a gem-like pool with crystal blue water reflecting an ambience of serenity.
The morning of the first day of our tour brought us to our first stop which was the Jew Town — a must-see for a visitor who loves relics and antiques. The centuries-old houses lining up the narrow streets were converted into antique shops which sell anything from garments to miniature display items to spices.
It was a major hub for spice trade in the olden times and still is a centre for business nowadays. Sauntering along the streets, one can still smell the scents of spices particularly ginger brought by the winds from a remote past. Black pepper, ginger, cinnamon and cardamom are just some of the various spices available in this part of India.
One of the most famous landmarks on this corner of Cochin is a synagogue which dates back 450 years ago. Entering the synagogue entails some restrictions: photography is prohibited and wearing of shorts is not allowed, a visitor is also required to remove his footwear before he can enter as a measure to preserve the ancient tile flooring of the edifice. The interiors are all primitive but eye-catching are the chandeliers magnificently hanging from the ceiling.
A stone’s throw away from the shops is the historical Dutch Palace, visiting which provides one a face-to-face encounter with the political, literary, and architectural wonders of Kerala. The palace was built as a gift to the Cochin King by the Portuguese but taken over by the Dutch in 1663, hence it got its name. The walls of some of the rooms tell the entire story of world-renowned Hindu epic Ramayana in very detailed mural paintings whose lines flow freely but flawlessly and no space spared of kaleidoscope of colours. Some royal furniture and battle implements exuding the kingdom’s glorious past are also showcased. A combination of floral and geometric carvings on teak wood painted in black highlights the ceilings of the palace. Compared to palaces in European countries, the Dutch palace has fewer weapons on display but more of other things, showing Kerala’s love for peace and the arts rather than preoccupation for battle.
“Kerala is a composite culture, that’s why eclectic art and design is evident in all the rooms,” Joerg, the director of Malabar House Fort Cochin told us as we were toured around the award-winning hotel’s suites. A taste of the Brochette of seer and rice fish and tiger prawn with baked potato, a speciality of the hotel’s Malabar Junction restaurant, will surely make even the most discerning palate crave for more.

The Peninsula Quatar