Day 45 ~ Kochi, Part Two

We live in a world that is full of beauty, charm and adventure. There is no end to the adventures we can have if only we seek them with our eyes open. ~ Jawaharial Nehru

Today is a sea day and cruising the Arabian Sea, steaming for Mumbai (formerly known as Bombay). There are only so many ways to share our small doings on these blessedly relaxing days, so this is a continuation of our tour of Cochin (AKA Kochi) from yesterday.

Into each port visit, some opportunities for retail therapy must appear. We stopped at the very clean, very upscale Cottage Industry Shop, which featured more spendy items than one can find at the average stall. I was fascinated by the statuary.

The well-loved elephant god, Ganesh

For a culture that insists on modest apparel in their populace and their tourists, their art is very sensual.

Phillip, our guide, tried to teach us a bit about Hinduism and its plethora of gods and goddesses. The three main ones are Brahma, the three-headed Creator, Vishnu the Protector who is often portrayed with blue skin, and Shiva, the destroyer. This is a reproduction of a famous sculpture called Dancing Shiva.

The final sacred space we visited on this tour was a Jewish synagogue. Jews fled Palestine in the first century after Rome destroyed the temple in Jerusalem and a goodly sized community ended up in Cochin. They thrived for centuries here until Israel became a state in1948. At that time, they emigrated en masse back to the Holy Land and today there are a total of only 5 Jews living in Cochin, 4 women and 1 man.

We weren’t allowed to take pictures inside the synagogue, but we took off our shoes as we entered (Don’t worry, Mom. We were still wearing socks!) because the entire floor is covered with centuries old hand-painted Chinese tiles. They are all done in cream and blue, and no two are exactly alike. Exquisite!

If anyone can read the Hebrew inscription,I'd love to know what it says.

Our final stop was the Dutch Palace, so called because it was built by the Dutch as a gift for the ruling family of Cochin, and was used by them for four centuries. In several rooms, photography is forbidden, so I snapped this shot of a lady’s pallaquin in one of the outer chambers. Lords rode on open chaises carried by four bearers, but this was how female nobility traveled. The roof is made of crocodile hide, which reputedly reflects sunlight and, with the open slats on the side, kept the interior cool. Yeah, right…

I wasn’t able to capture any of the intricate murals depicting the stories of Hindu gods and goddesses. The images were incredibly detailed, but the figures seemed to tumble upon each other in bewildering scenes of chaos and mayhem. I didn’t have enough of a frame of reference in Hinduism to make sense of what I was seeing. I expect a Hindu would find Bible stories depicted in the stained glass of a Gothic cathedral to be just as confusing.

This tug pulled us out into the channel because we were nose to tail with a Costa ship.

Back on board, we joined our friends for the sail away on Vicky and Craig’s big balcony. We’re all going to miss their Owner’s Suite when they have to move to a mini after Dubai. Getting to know the folks at Table 60 continues to be a highlight of this trip! 

Table 60 from left to right: Shirley (foreground), Vicky, Vaughan, Dave, Craig (who's tickled with himself because he's taking this photo, Katherine, me & the DH

We had made few purchases in the stalls near the Pacific Princess, notably a dhothie for the DH. Think of it as an Indian kilt. Like a kilt, it’s long piece of fabric which has to be wrapped and folded and tucked. He made a huge hit with the wait staff when he wore it down to supper.

Let me end this post that has stretched into two days with the meaning of the lovely greeting namaste as explained by Phillip, our tour guide. He says it can be divided into three words:

           Na: Not

·                  Ma: Me

·                 Ste: You

Not me, you. I recognize the image of God in you. I surrender my selfishness to seek your good. My heart and your heart are one.

So, my dear friends and family, imagine me with my hands palm to palm, my thumbs lightly touching my chest and my head slightly bowed toward you.

“Namaste.”