Ron and Sally Jo Blog

Left the houseboat and drove along the coast through fishing villages to a fish market.  The fish were brought in on small boats.  Some fish were sold immediately to individuals and others were sold to a large company, packed in crates with ice, and put on a truck to be taken to towns.  Lively place.

We had lunch near an old fort area that had first been Portuguese, then Dutch, then British.  We visited the nearby old (1503) St Francis Church—originally Catholic, then Orthodox, and then Anglican.  The inside looks like an upside down ship.  It was the original burial place of Vasco da Gama.  (His body was later taken to Lisbon.)  We stood outside the church as our guide giving the history of the area.  Sally Jo turned to look at something and saw a snake slithering fast towards us.  She yelled! The snake went over a tour member’s foot and around the ankle of another as she was dancing.  Another member jumped and fell.  We presented quite a sight for the locals!  It was not a harmful snake and finally slithered off in to the grass.  (Too much excitement for actual photos, but the experience is imprinted on our minds!)

In the evening we attended a Kerala dance.  Loved it.  There were only two actors.  They were on stage before the show putting on their make-up.  They used very heavy bright colors.  We also visited their dressing room as they were putting on their costumes.  The first half hour was an explanation of the dance—use of eyes, forehead, face, hand movements.  The performance was only half hour long but very interesting.  Reminded us a bit of what we think of Kabuki.  Someone else compared it to Charlie Chapman!  The male figure had a large headdress which they said weighed 40 pounds!

Boat tour of the harbor area with many fishing and navy boats and loading docks.  Also ferries.

We visited a dhobi – area set aside where laundry men/women wash, dry, and iron clothes for clients.

We visited Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica (1558).  An impressive, ornate and colorful church.

We also visited a Jewish synagogue in the Jewish area of town.  There are only five members remaining.

We stopped at a Coir Cooperative.  Coir is the production of turning coconut husks into mats and other products.  We saw the spinning and weaving.  They also dye the fiber but we were not allowed in that area.  Both men and women work in this industry which is prominent in the Kerala area.

Miscellaneous photos.  (The bat hit both electric wires and met its end.  However, we saw a number of these fruit bats flying.  Their wing span is 1 ½ -2 feet!)

This entry was posted on Monday, November 14th, 2016 at 1:45 am and is filed under India. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.