Fort Kochi

It was time to catch the sunset at Fort Kochi and get the customary shot of the sun hiding behind the fishing nets. We rushed, whizzing past colonial buildings, a street thronged by foreigners relishing sea food and quaint bungalows to reach the Fort Kochi beach.The touristy fervour of the beach was evident with hawkers lined up selling any and everything. The beach was extremely underwhelming and I earnestly wished it could be cleaner.Fishermen with the Chinese fishing nets, boats perched on the shore and scores of ships cruising far away in the distance.

You cannot miss visiting Fort Kochi Beach; it's a beautiful beach that offers a scenic view and a perfect ambiance. Apparently this place is the perfect gateway to avoid the hustle bustle of the main town. While strolling around you can find plenty of unique options to hop on and have a sip of coconut water - which you surely shouldn't miss while you are in and around Kerala. It tastes real good, fresh and sweet.Being at this place was the best part of my day. It was so relaxing and fascinating at the same time to sit at a corner and watching the waves hurling towards the shore.

I visited Fort Kochi with a hope to actually see a Fort, but interestingly the word guess game fails. There isn't a single fort in sight. During the Portuguese rule there was a fort named Fort Emmanuel which was later destroyed by the Dutch. So evidently, Fort Kochi was named after Fort Emmanuel. However, apart from its intriguing ancient history, the present town has a lot to offer. The place is exceptional. You can spend a whole day at Fort Kochi without the much hustle bustle of the main town. The best part of visiting here is that all the major attractions are close to each other, so one can easily explore the whole city on foot.

Fort Kochi is famous for its Portuguese as well some unusual Jews settlement. This town was in Portuguese possession until 1663, after which the territory was captured by the Dutch. Then the Dutch held the possession of the fort until 1795 when British defeated them and finally took over the whole territory in their control. Today, at Jews Town you can see the combination of past and present. There are several antique stores, handicrafts items and of course the famous spices.

Then we went to the Fort Kochi Beach. Since there was some construction going around the beach, it was pretty much inaccessible. But again, you will find a market near the beach here and also you can catch some glimpses of the Chinese Fishing Nets.5. Boat Ride:Then we headed for a boat ride. And I cannot stress it enough. DO NOT! I REPEAT! DO NOT GO FOR IT. There's nothing much to see. For the most of it, you'll be surrounded by buildings. Most that you will be able to see is some Kingfishers and a few other exotic birds. Nothing more than that. I ended up paying a 2k for it. And I lost all the faith in boat rides ever.So with this ends our Day 1 at Kochi. Summarizing it up:1. Stay - The Dunes.2. Sightseeing - Jewish Synagogue, Marketplace in the Jewish Town, Dutch Palace, St Francis CSI Church, Fort Kochi Beach, Boat Ride (Worst idea ever)3. Best time to visit - October to January (Taking into consideration you will be visiting the rest of Kerala with this. Or else you can just go here whenever you like)More for Kerala coming up. From Kochi we headed to our next stop - Munnar!