Ernakulam (Kochi, Cochin), Kerala¹

We got here in the end, after having to get a bus to Kumily, a taxi to Allapuzha and bus to Ernakulam! We'd have had to wait three hours in Kumily for a bus and the taxi wasn't much more expensive - it got us here two hours earlier as well!

Kerala is so beautiful and so different! The forests never end and some of the roads even have lines down the middle! The last couple of hours of our journey were across or alongside some of the waterways that have made Kerala famous.

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We're staying in the Bijus Tourist Home, which the Guides² say costs Rs75 and actually costs Rs200. Bit of a difference wouldn't you say? We're going to see if there's anywhere cheaper. The place is FULL of tourists. We're going to have to get used to it sooner or later, we just stare as if we've never seen a white person before! The only difference between them and us is the way we look at things. For us a lot of what we see is everyday life and not to be patronised, but in a place like this I suppose the locals market their livelihoods around tourism.

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Later (7:55pm).

An incredibly tiring day spent wandering around Kochi and Ernakulam. Ernakulam's pretty boring really, but it has a United Colours of Benetton and a Lee Jeans shop! It's like a suburb of an English city and isn't at all 'Indian'. Well, maybe a little. We spent about an hour looking for somewhere to have breakfast and eventually went to Fort Kochi, hoping that somewhere would be open when we got there.

Fort Kochi is a fantastic place with tiny streets and the buildings are all Portuguese. We walked around and saw all the sights. The Chinese fishing nets were the most interesting, like huge crabs in the water. We saw St Francis' church, built in 1503, which is the oldest European-built church in India. The Santa Cruz Basilica - a Catholic church - was impressive, but they still paint everything to look like marble carvings. A good illusion, until you get close. I don't understand these Catholic churches with their 'idols' of Mary and the Saints. It's almost as bad as Hinduism. The Synagogue was closed (we'll go tomorrow), but we visited a mosque where we were asked if we wanted guidance for conversion!

There is a palace as well³, now a run-down museum which has the most amazing murals inside. The ones in the lady's bedchamber were incredibly rude and all the women have huge round breasts which isn't Indian at all. So much for modesty and all that, the temples are just as bad!⁴ Have to let it out somehow, I suppose.

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It's a very strange experience being here, it's not like India at all - more European. I can see why they have such a low opinion of The West now. The tourists just don't care. They've probably brought loads of money and don't mind spending it. But we argue for everything to bring the price down. There's no chilli in the food, either. I had ginger chicken for lunch and it was crying out for more! I had to use C.'s from his salad. For dinner we had Burri and Chappatis which were calling out for more chilli again.

It's really happening! C. wiggled his head at an American woman as we came back to the hotel. It's an automatic gesture now, but she thought it was amazing. He's still really loudly against tourists, which will begin to annoy me if he doesn't stop soon. Today he's been suspicious of everyone who's talked to us, Indian and tourist alike. Maybe he's just miserable. Either way, he's got to lighten up otherwise I'll leave him in Bombay (only joking - I'll wait until Delhi!).