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| Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica Kochi, Kerala |
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| Fort Kochi, Kerala |
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| All Spices Market, Kochi, Kerala |
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| Mattancherry Palace, Kochi, Kerala |
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| Water Metro Ride Fort Kochi > Marine Drive |
Day 7 Wednesday Nov 20 2024 (Day 2 - Kochi, Kerala) - main highlight was hiring of an auto rickshaw (time & energy saving option) to visit major touristy places in & around Kochi & also a water metro ride from Fort Kochi to Marine Drive & return seeing a greater Kochi region using this efficient & economical urban water transportation service !
1) Walkabout in Chirattapalam, Cochin, nearby Bastian Homestay - a familiarisation visit !
2) My daily hotel breakfast (Rs150 = Rm8.10 = US$1.85) in Bastian Homestay + local finger food bought from a nearby eatery stall - yummy yummy taste & filling !
3) Auto Rickshaw Day Tour Package Rs200 = Rm10.80 = US$2.45 (2 hr) for 2 persons + Rs50 tips (extended hr) covering 10-12 places of interests in an around Kochi + 3-4 shopping visits ! You may like to opt for this tuk tuk offer - an economical way of seeing the major sights in Kochi, saving time & energy instead of moving on your own !
4) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica, Bastian Street, Kochi, Kerala - located in Fort Kochi, one of the 34 basilicas in India one of nine in Kerala, this heritage building of Kerala is renowned for its Indo-European & Gothic architectural style.
5) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Chinese Fishing Nets, Kochi, Kerala
6) Street posters promoting various day tour packages in Kochi, Kerala.
7) Kerala Visitor Center & Tourist Boat Jetty, Kochi, Kerala - it was from here that we came to know of a water mero service from Fort Kochin > Marine Drive which we undertook (a sightseeing through waterway) on the following day !
8 Auto Rickshaw Tour - Bastion Bungalow & Heritage Museum, Kochi, Kerala - admission fee Rs350 (Rm19) for foreigners, external visit only.
9) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Dutch Cemetery, Kochi, Kerala - a historical site that commemorates the Dutch presence in India, established 1724, located near St Francis Church, 104 tombs in Dutch architectural style with inscriptions in ancient Dutch scripts.
10) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Fort Kochi Beach, Kochi, Kerala - a beach along the Arabian Sea.
11) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Indian Naval Maritime Museum, Kochi, Kerala, external visit only
12) Dhoby Khana, Kochi, Kerala - a public laundry founded in the early 1700s.
13) Auto Rickshaw Tour - the day tour includes visits to 3-4 retail shops selling gift items, silk wear, fabric & garments etc, just window shopping for me & my travel buddy !
14) A street lined with fresh fruit stalls
15) Auto Rickshaw Tour - All Spices Market, Kochi, Kerala - performing my skill in haggling for a pack of ginger candy offering Rs300 down to Rs100 (Rm5.40) which we were happy to pay !
16) Our Lady of Life Church, Kochi, Kerala - opposite The Spice Market
17) Auto Rickshaw Tour - Mattancherry Palace, Kochi, Kerala - also known as Dutch Palace, one of the finest examples of the Kerala style of architecture interspersed with colonial influence, locate 12km from Ernakulam, built around 1545 C.E by the Portuguese as a present to King Veera Kerala Verma of Kochi dynasty, the museum features Kerala murals depicting portraits & exhibits of the Rajas of Kochi, Dutch drawings, ancient coins etc, the palace was included in the tentative list of UNESCO World Heritage Sites; admission fee Rs5 (Rm0.22)
18) Auto Rickshaw Tour - passing the touristy places of Jew Town, Kochi, Kerala; visited the Jew Town & Kochi Synagogue on a separate visit the following day.
19) Auto rickshaw Tour - Fish Market, Fort Kochi, Kerala - tourists could buy the fresh fish & seafood here & nearby restaurants would cook them for you any style to suite your taste buds !
20) St Francis CSI Church, Kochi, Kerala - originally built in 1503, one of the oldest European churches in India, & has historical significance as a witness to the European colonial ambitions in the subcontinent, the Portuguese explorer, Vasco Da Gama dies in Kochi in 1524 when he was on his third visit to India.
21) Vasco Da Gama Square, Kochi, Kerala
22) Small Eat - lunch in a eatery stall nearby Bastian Homestay in Chirattapalam, Kochi, Kerala.
23) Fort Kochi Bus Stand, Kerala - buses to Jew Town, Chirattapalam, suburban & Kochi new & old town areas.
24) Water Metro Jetty, Fort Kochi, Kerala - ferry ticket one way Rs40 (Rm2.20), traveling time 20 minutes, services run every 20 to 30 minutes, enjoyed the sea breeze, leisure walk along the Marine Drive waterfront, hypermarket shopping & downtown Marine Drive. When in Kochi, I suggest you include a water metro ride (an urban water transport) in your itinerary in order to see a greater Kochi region.
25) Vasco Da Gama Square, Kochi, Kerala - a popular touristy place in Fort Kochi, historic & picturesque promenade along the beach, impulse buying for souvenirs, shopping & also for eating especially in the evening when all the eatery stalls in Eat Kochi open for business ! Nearby is St Francis Church & Chinese fishing nets.
26) Light Refreshment - enjoying a fresh coconut juice (Rs60 = Rm3.20) near Fort Kochi after our water metro ride.
27) After the water metro ride from Marine Drive > Fort Kochi, we took a local bus from the Kochi Bus Stand & went on a "merry go round" bus ride (over 2 hours) to suburban Kochi & new Kochi Town / Marine Drive areas (passing 2 link bridges) connecting the Willingdon Island to the mainland Kochi. After close to 1.5hr of bus ride, we took a return bus ride back to Chirattapalam Cochin 1 (as we realised from bus passengers that this bus's terminal is at the far end of a suburban town !) thus a mission accomplished having satisfied our desire & curiosity of seeing a greater Kochi in this laissez-faire & long hour bus ride of the day ! I must confess that both of us had enough of sight seeing of Kochi after this bus ride !
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