Fort Kochin, Allepey Backwaters

Dufferin Point - Fort Kochi

I couldn't resist the name. The short ferry ride - for 4 rupees/ cannot even tell you the amount in Canadian, 8 cents maybe, can take a rider from Fort Kochi to the mainland at Ernakulam. Why would you take a bus which takes three times longer and costs much more! 50 cents!

The local ferry point in fort Kochi. Passengers cycle to the ferry and park off.

Passengers wait to board the ferry Fort Kochin, Kerala.

My favourite cafe in Fort Kochin - with a magnifcent gallery attached.

Why wouldn't you want to hang out here? This is outdoors, btw

The red building is mansion once owned by a Jewish family who still have a presence in Fort Kochin.

Chinese fishing nets - dating back to the 15th Century. The practice has continued down the ages. Here, the seafood is unbelievable...and very affordable!

Jeffrey, one of the fishermen in Fort Kochi. He was hoping that I would stop by the following day and purchase some of his catch.

Jeffrey and is companion working the nets

A small sampling of the daily catch. I purchased three meals worth...for one sitting. 1 kg of jumbo prawns, crabs for curry, and a yellow tail and had the hotel prepare it for my dinner! Total cost: 6 dollars!

The garden at the House Hotel - sitting right on the water. A splendid place to spend three nights.

The Goddess, Parvati, welcomes visitors to the Cultural Centre, Fort Kochi

Inside the museum section of the cultural centre, Fort Kochin

A Kathakali Dancers prepares his make-up in front of an audience

Witness the precision and skill

The end result with the full costume

A performer at the cultural centre sans headgear. The yellow colouring is turmeric!

The cafe at the cultural centre where I learned about puttu and was shown how to make it. 

The Allepey Backwaters

Not an eco-friendly way to travel: me, with a guide, his friend, and the boatsman. $20 for a four-hour cruise.

Cell phone reign in the oddest of places

House boats are very popular during the high tourist season

Casual chatter amongst local men in Allepey. The dhoti is one thing that is not seen in the north.

The monsoon rains had caused flooding that was quite severe in many areas of Kerala.

Nuns everywhere...I was shy to capture their pictures. This one I took from a discreet distance across the road.

There are buses...and buses. The green is always greener on the other side! You pay more to travel in the air conditioned buses.

No glass windows in this  bus - just leather shutters which need to be closed when the rain comes down! As in this case!

Something I had to get used to: men pee everywhere, and anywhere. I found myself wondering what women do? Are they able to hold their pee longer than men?

This picture was taken by Jeffrey, a fisherman in Fort Cochin