Sample Private Tour II: Cochin
Now imagine you told us that you wanted a relaxing and social day in India’s Cochin; one that mixed diverse aspects of local culture. This is what we might recommend :
- There’ll be an unhurried start to the day, to suit your timetable. So have a good breakfast first if you want.
- You’ll be met at the gangplank by your Mundy Carte Blanche Guide. First stop after leaving the pier will be a brief visit to the colourful Ernakulam Market, the centre of Cochin’s fresh produce.
- Then board a motor launch for the trip to Fort Kochi, built by the Portuguese, won by the Dutch in the 17th century and then by the English in the 18th. Highlight of this visit is the St Francis Church, India’s oldest European Church, built in 1510.
- You’ll also have time for your guide to show you India’s oldest Synagogue, with its 18th century clock tower, beautiful silver and gold Torah scrolls, and a multitude of hanging oil lamps and crystal chandeliers.
- If you have time, you can visit the pre-colonial Chinese fishing nets (the most famous landmark sight of Fort Kochi), or you may continue to what will be a rather special lunch with the renowned Nimmy Paul, a famed expert in traditional Kerala Syrian Christian Cooking. Nimmy will treat you to a local feast featuring regional epicurean delights, and tell you all about the local cuisine and ingredients.
- After lunch, relax whilst you are taken through a demonstration of how to tie a “saree” (for the ladies) and a “mundu” (for the gentlemen).
- Now it’s time to return to the ship. It’s not always easy in India to mix informed tours with such a relaxing gentle time, but it is always possible with Mundy Carte Blanche.
