On Feb. 15, we went from Mamallapuram to Cochin (Kochi) in Kerala, on the southwest coast of India. This was the southernmost stop on our trip, at just a bit north of 10 degrees north of the equator, well within the tropics. The intensity of the sun was noticeably stronger here. This is a fascinating area, with longstanding ties to various places around the Indian Ocean, as well as a very long established Jewish community (said to have arrived within two years of the destruction of the temple in Jerusalem in 70CE), rule by Dutch, English and Portuguese colonists at various times throughout its history, and much else. The state, Kerala, is lush and tropical, and produces much of the spice and other enticing foods which drew people from all over the globe to this part of the world. Even just in the garden of the guest house we stayed at, there were pepper, nutmeg, mango, cinammon and jackfruit growing. We did not have time to visit the hills where all these are grown commercially, along with coffee and tea. We did take a backwater tour (see photo of Sonia above), which took us through a network of canals and rivers which have been used for a long time for transportation into the agricultural interior of the lowlands of the state. We saw many birds, coconut groves (the name Kerala is derived from the word for coconut tree), coconut twine manufacturing, toddy tapping, and many other activities, on our two hour boat ride.
We also visiting the Cochin synagogue, which was built in the 1500's, but which is not nearly as old as the now almost gone Jewish community of Cochin. The synagogue is surrounded by a spice market but, unfortunately, the day we visited, there was a general strike and the market was closed. This was a major disappointment, although it demonstrated something rarely seen in the US.
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