THE best seller “1,000 Places to See Before You Die” includes as one of its don't-miss destinations the “staggeringly beautiful” backwaters of India's Kerala state. The book also says a stopover in Kochi, the gateway to these interconnected lakes, lagoons and canals, is a must. But a quick visit is hardly enough.
Known as the Queen of the Arabian Sea, Kochi has a multilayered colonial history, relaxing ayurvedic spas, colorful Kathakali dance troupes, stately rajah palaces and a laid-back way of life that is a welcome change from India's typical frenzy. As I learned when my husband, Don, and I visited in late October, the people are friendly (“American? Can I take your photo?”), and the children go to school instead of begging on the street (Kerala has a literacy rate of 90 percent; the Indian average is 65 percent).
Kochi was a backpackers' retreat even when it was called Cochin, the colonial name that was officially dropped 10 years ago (locals and visitors still use both names). But amid a blooming of new boutique hotels — two opened on the waterfront in the last year — Kochi is growing up fast.
“The number of international tourists is increasing every year,” said Dhania Us, the manager of the Malabar House, where we stayed. “Their high-spending habits mean other businesses are growing fast, too, like fashion boutiques and antiques shops.”
Chinese, Arabs, Portuguese, Dutch and British have serially dominated this port on the Malabar Coast, exporting tea and spices, and importing their own architecture, religion and cuisine. These influences are still represented, particularly in Fort Cochin, the historic district — from Chinese fishing nets (watch as hapless tourists try to work the giant wooden pulleys) to Dutch houses, Portuguese churches and English trading company buildings. And in nearby Mattancheri, there is a Jewish presence that locals date back to A.D. 72, just after the destruction of the Second Temple of Jerusalem.
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