Kochi and Gokarna

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  Gokarna, India
Friday, May 18, 2007

There really is no escaping perfect beaches in this neck of the woods.

I'm now in Gokarna (also known as Gokarn), on the coast at the northern end of Karnataka, just below Goa. The place is full of temples, and is of great spiritual significance to Hindus. And currently there's some sort of festival going on. Unfortunately I've not been able to work out much about the specifics of the festival (I probably should be trying harder), but the large number of pilgrims in town in consequence has forced me to find accommodation at a rather nice, and surprisingly well appointed given the context, hotel at the back of a somewhat wonderful beach just down the coast. From my balcony I can sit amidst the palm trees and watch the sun setting behind the Arabian sea. It really is all rather wonderful. The only thing I can think to complain about is that there's only one sunset per day, but I'm sure there'll be project managers out there prepared to take on sorting that out!

And when I get bored with lounging around, absorbing the natural beauty and more sunlight than is good for me, there are three more glorious beaches all within hiking distance just down the coast. I was planning on leaving here tomorrow, but I might now try and stay another day, just to make sure I've done those beaches justice!

The journey getting here was interesting as well, although not particularly eventful. It involved catching an overnight train to a town not mentioned in the guide-book (Gulp! Can such a place really exist?), from where it was necessary to negotiate local bus routes to finish off the journey. I was pretty impressed by the train ride. Of course the train was late, but coming from the UK that was something I was pretty accustomed to. When it did turn up the sleeper berths were clean and comfortable, with bed rolls and breakfast in the morning all thrown in.

And that was all at the end of a couple of days in Kochi which, yes Sue, is just another name for Cochin. Kochi is Kerala's main tourist destination, and I fear I really didn't do it justice. (Sorry Sue. But I did warn you that this trip would be full of missed opportunities.) Various different bits of it, each with their own distinct character, are spread across numerous islands and promontories. And there's a rather cool local ferry system for getting around. The 'best bit' (apart from the really nice seventh floor hotel room with a splendid view across the water, as mentioned earlier), was Fort Cochin, an area on the west side of the city which, complete with Chinese fishing nets, retains the most traditional charm. The other thing it had going for it, was that the local tourist office handed out maps with a marked walking route around the area, and brief information on the notable landmarks. To the alarm of many no doubt, this is the sort of spoon-fed, bite-sized tourism I like!

Probably my biggest Kochi failing, was not going to see a Kathakali dance performance. My guide-book says that it's "the most famous of the uniquely Keralan forms of ritualized theatre", before going on to explain just how good it is, and how a person would have to be mad to spend time in Kochi without going to see it (though not in those words of course). Oh well. Maybe next time.

So, one more lazy day here (hotel permitting), and then it's off up the coast to the commercialism of Goa. Will this succession of gorgeous beaches never stop?

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