Cochin as a weekend getaway
Hello people, this article is about my experiences on the cochin trip. Cochin is a port city located in the state of Kerala. It is a perfect place for a weekend getaway mainly for people located in south India, as it is near to the southern states.
I planned this trip along with my travel buddy. Well planned is a big word in this context as we just thought about it a week before our travel and were lazy to decide any other place. We went there 2 weeks before the covid lockdown and were kind of fortunate enough as delaying this trip just one more week would leave us to abstain from coming back from the state. But when we went there Covid is still not a buzzword in India.
Hostel instead of Hotel!!!
Until this trip, I am a loyal customer of OYO hotels whenever I plan my trip but I tried the travel hostels for the first time, and guess what, I learnt that you need to stay in hostels while traveling and not hotels if you want to be social. Firstly, it is cheap compared to hotels and you meet many travel minds from all over the world. And you might get to know some valuable feedback about places from the folks in the hostel. I couldn't expect more.
We took our stay in a hostel called Happy Camper in Fort Kochi. I suggest you find a stay in Fort Kochi and keep it as your base for remaining traveling. Most of the attractions are near to it and the dutch colonies are something you should not miss. In one instance, Two ladies from the Netherlands were walking beside us and they said, it looks similar to their country, which is a better experience for most of the people who might not go to Holland.
Rule 1: Rent a Scooty, Rule 2 follow rule 1
The majority of the places that you might visit are spread across Fort Kochi and the total distance is lesser to travel on bike and more for a walk. So renting a scooty makes life easy.
Wake up early to see fishing practice
Wake up early at the time of sunrise and head to Vasco da Gama square to see the working of Chinese fisher nets. And also the pleasant view of the beach.
Don't miss the Thrikkakara Temple
Thrikkakara Temple is also known as Vamanamoorthy temple. Legend says the great Mahabaili lived there. Male travelers should remove their shirts and go inside. We were unknown of this fact and felt shy at that time but eventually removed shirts and went inside. You cannot miss visiting the place coming from so far just because you cannot defeat your shyness.
Visit Hotel Sea Gull and try Fish Polichathu
Kaiten from Canada, my fellow roommate in the hostel suggested this hotel and the dish. Seagull restaurant is just situated at the seashore and you can clearly listen to the sound of waves from your table. You get a sea-view at your eyesight throughout your time there. And we tried fish Polichathu there and it didn't disappoint us.
Visit Santa Cruz Cathedral Basilica
Don't miss visiting this Cathedral and if you have a Sunday in your itinerary visit the church in the evening at the time of prayers. It’s one of the finest and most attractive churches in India. And trust me, the deserves the fame. The mammoth hall with all the grandeur is something not to be missed. It also has quite a bit of history. You can read about the cathedral here.
Apart from that walk across the beaches around and visit the dutch synagogue and remaining tourist attractions. Last not but least roam in the streets and observe the lifestyle of people there. IMO, Cochin is that kind of place where you need to spend time and feel the culture rather than just visiting the tourist attractions.
The above-mentioned is something I felt you should not miss in Cochin.
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Thanks for reading
