We spent a day in old Fort Kochi and enjoyed the sights and surrounds. We began with the naval museum, which was packed with history and information. There were some old missiles and guns, but mostly there were plaques and photos detailing the evolution of the Indian Navy. From there, we visited the St. Francis Church. Built in 1503, it is the oldest European church in India and is where Vasco de Gama was initially buried (he died in Cochin in 1524) before his remains were eventually transported back to Portugal. We saw a few Hindu temples from the street, since non-Hindus are not allowed entrance. Later in the day we went to the Cochin Jewish Synagogue, also known as Paradesi Synagogue, which is the oldest active synagogue in the entire British Commonwealth. It is interesting and wonderful to see how so many religions (including something like 16 varieties of Hindu alone) are practiced in such close proximity with harmony and acceptance, where so much of the world cannot even manage tolerance.
We stopped by the Chinese fishing nets, pervasive in the area, which are manually raised and lowered by about six men. The cantilevered nets are counterbalanced with large rocks. Each net is raised and lowered about 250-300 times each day.
With Equanimity and Joy
