The Mystery of India

Fish Farms

Our stop at Kochi (Cochin) in the Kerala state of India lasted only four hours.  Michael and I took the basic orientation bus tour since time was a bit too limited to try to go off on our own.  The bus drove by some basic sights and stopped for a “comfort” stop at a local high priced tourist shopping center.  The tour did not allow time to stop at the historic places but we were given twenty-five minutes to buy overpriced tourist merchandise.

Elephants Are Always Popular With the Tourists

Waiting for the "Comfort" i.e. Shopping Stop to End

The most fun part of the visit to Kochi was the walking tour of the historic Fort area following our “comfort” stop.  We walked along the harbor and observed the historic Chinese fishing nets being raised from the water using a unique cantilever system.  The nets may have been historic, but all of them came up empty.  When asked, the tour guide allowed that there are no longer any fish in the area. The whole exercise is purely a tourist attraction nowadays. 

The Chinese Fishing Nets Came up Empty

Tuk-Tuk in Foreground

One woman in our party became concerned because her husband had disappeared in the crowd.  Our bus escort, a “Gentleman Host” from the ship went to look for him.  The rest of us walked over rough pavement towards St. Francis Church the original burial place of Vasco da Gamma before his remains were shipped back to Portugal.  An elderly man in our party found the footing too difficult.  Our Local tour guide summoned a tuk-tuk (a three-wheeled motor vehicle based on a motor bike) and went off with him to wherever the bus had parked leaving eighteen tourists alone on a sidewalk besieged on all sides by vendors selling tourist junk.  Our people, of course, started to wander off.  Fortunately, the church was only a half block away and the tour guide reappeared before total chaos ensued.  See Michael’s blog entry on Cochin for more on the tour guide.

St Francis Church Built in 1503

After a short visit to the church whose main distinguishing features were its Portuguese style exterior and a system of pulley driven, human operated fans inside designed for the comfort of the more wealthy members of the congregation, our group repaired to nearby David Hall for refreshment.  About this time, the bus escort whose duties were to make sure the passengers don't get lost and are supplied with water and wet wipes, turned up with the missing husband.  The ship’s escort apparently found the missing husband with the assistance of street vendors who pointed out a person wandering around who didn’t look like any one else.  Everyone else being Indian. The brief glimpse of Kochi didn’t enlighten me much about India. I saw traffic jams, churches, crowds at the seaside, lots of people selling tourist trinkets and even some Indian youth playing baseball. Aside from the vendor's desire to get money from tourists, nothing made much sense.  We had a sea day to read and relax before Mumbai.

Refreshments at David Hall

Red Carpet to Shabby Cruise Terminal

Silver Wind docked at Ballard Pier in Mumbai two mornings later.  Michael’s and my first choice of excursion was canceled so we went on a tour of the Marvels of Mumbai.  For a bus tour, it was pretty good. We drove by major sights and the tour guide stopped the bus several times so we could get out and take pictures. The prime minister was in town that day so we had to take a roundabout route through the city center because a number of streets were blocked off.  As a result, we saw more of downtown Mumbai than we might otherwise have.

Local Tour Guide

Picture Stop at Victoria Station
Whatever the Building in the Background Is, It is Most Impressive
in the British - Moorish Style that for Some Reason they Thought
Suited All of Asia

Michael was very surprised at the changes he saw in the city since he was there last twenty plus years ago.  During the nineteen nineties, it was a study in contrast between extreme poverty and great wealth.  Now the downtown real estate is far too valuable for slums. They still exist but are no longer anywhere near the center city tourist attractions.   We drove by the traditional early twentieth century British Moorish-Gothic style buildings as well as numerous modern glass and steel high rises: banks, office buildings, and expensive residences are taking over the sky line.  

Beach with Financial District Skyline

Our Guide Said that this Building is the Most Expensive
Residence in India - It Cost More than a Billion Dollars

When Michael last visited, he thought  the only beautiful street was the one on which the Gandhi Museum is; now most streets are clean, the traffic is  more orderly, there are no beggars in sight and many streets are tree lined and lovely.  The only spot that hadn’t changed much was the outdoor laundry in the heart of the business district.  It is now surrounded by high rises and it would appear that its days are numbered.  The real estate is now very valuable and more importantly, the very low paid laundry workers have more and better options for work.  There is no longer a ready supply of people willing to do the dirtiest and most unpleasant jobs – the “untouchables” are now legally able to attend school and work at better jobs.  The vast outdoor laundry survives today mainly by washing hotel and restaurant linens.  Middle class Mumbai residents now mostly have their own washers and dryers.  I reluctantly concluded that the outdoor laundry is mainly a tourist attraction.

House Where Gandhi Stayed - Now a Museum

The Mumbai Laundry

The caste system may have been legally abolished in India but still exists in the minds of at least some of the Indian people.  Our tour guide, a woman obviously educated and relatively upper caste, said that the cast system had been a good way to ensure social order and provide labor for less pleasant occupations.  She seemed to believe that automation will eventually eliminate the need for low skilled labor and the lowest cast will gradually disappear. I’m not so sure.  Throughout Southeast Asia relatively light-skinned people are considered socially superior to darker ones. Being dark brown is an indicator of working outside at low status occupations.  Women frequently wear face masks and carry umbrellas outdoors to keep the sun from darkening their skin.  Status, or perceived status, matters a lot.

We had an opportunity to spend forty-five minutes at the Prince of Wales museum where Michael and I chose to see the exhibits on Hindu deities. The museum is reasonably comprehensive although somewhat confusing.

Wealthy Neighborhood

Poor Neighborhood

Our tour concluded with a stop at the Gate of India where separate metal detectors for men and women were unmanned due to the security needed for the prime minister. Street vendors were selling huge rubber balloons shaped vaguely like bowling pins.  Michael and I could not imagine that anyone would buy them and were astonished that a quarter of the tourists on our bus bought them. India is a most intriguing place.

The Gate of India - Tourist Central

The Taj Hotel

Balloon Sellers