Two more nights until we fly back home, these should add to the relaxation, also we wanted to wanted to buy a few souvenirs to take home. We have chosen Kochi for that, a town at Kerala’s coast with a lot of history and international flair. As for most things, two stories can be told as there are always the other side of the coin.
A) Our taxi brought us directly to the Tower House, a hotel that has been recommended to us by a traveling family, we met in Goa. The hotel was directly in the Fort district, as the last house to the ocean front. It was a historical building from the 18th century, with a lot of work invested in restoration. As we entered the the lobby, teak furniture fit well to the yellow and white painted high wall, that were hung with picture showing scenes from various religions, the interior was nicely designed, handcrafted wooden exhibits completed the scene. Our rooms were spacious and have been decorated with the same sense of style. Stepping out to the backyard, a pool was awaiting us 15 m long pool was awaiting us and soon we were diving into it. We enjoyed this some hours until Andrea and Fiona had an appointment for a traditional oil massage. Levin and I strolled around in town meanwhile and found a bookshop (Idiom Booksellers) and a music shop ( ) for some souvenirs. After the ladies were back from the massage, we had a delicious dinner with korma, curry and fried vegetables before going to bed early.
B) The taxi from Allepey to Kochi had to stop half way as we heard the sound of water burbling from the dashboard and saw water running around the shift stick. A problem with the AC drainage made us get out and the driver had to wipe out the water from the legroom. My daypack, already slightly wet, had to go into the trunk for the rest of the drive. When we got out of the taxi in front of the hotel, we directly could smell the sea – and fishing that was done some 50 meters away. After checking in, we were shown our rooms in the ground floor that had a distinct smell, something mouldy, a bit like ammonia like we know it from very old farm houses, something hard to get out from the ancient walls, especially in a very humid area. Nevertheless it caused some headache to Andrea, why – after rethinking it twice – she asked if there was another room available. The manager wanted to check. In the pool we all felt comfortable, just after some time some of us had some itching on the skin. Maybe there was a lot of chlorine needed, to keep the water clean. We then rather laid outside in the shade. Yet the walls around the estate could not keep the smell of fish outside. well it’s a very central location. While Andrea and Fiona were off to an oil massage, Levin and I meanwhile walked though the hot town, again repeatedly ignoring or shaking off countless riksha (tuktuk) drivers who offered us their services, mostly a city tour for a “very cheap price”. After the oil massage of Andrea and Fiona they had to wash their hair multiple times, to remove the oil in it, yet this is probably part of the fun. After dinner, two of us could temporarily move into another bedroom for the first night, the next one was still uncertain. With this prospect, after dinner, we went to bead early.
So you can choose which story you like better, it’s the same persons and the same day. Some people can hopefully see the sunny side only, indians especially I think, as for them even the not so good aspects of life seem to be “no problem, Sir”. For us, the mix didn’t bring all the relaxing vibes we wished to have.