Saturday, January 17, 2026:
Last Day in Kerala and Return to Bombay
And so our stay in Kerala came to a close today as we ended our travels covering the last bits and bobs of sightseeing in Cochin.
We awoke within the peaceful cocoon of our Kodianthara Heritage House where the two little grandsons, Zack and Zane, of the host couple, Crispin and Sony, came to our villa to greet us. They were delighted to have us on their property for company and insisted on completing their walking tour with us. We decided to indulge them after we showered, got dressed and packed our bags and kept them ready for departure. But first, breakfast.
Last Breakfast in our Heritage House B and B:
Sony's breakfast of omelets, dosas and dal payassam fuelled us up well for the day. With bananas and coffee, it made a very good meal with which to set out. We spent the next few minutes taking pictures of the property as we walked around to preserve for posterity the happy moments we had spent here. We also asked the lovely host family to pose with us for pictures and they willingly did so—the boys even bringing out their toy cameras to take our pictures. And then it was time for us to say Goodbye. We’d had such a memorable stay in this place that we hope to return and also tell other travelers about our experience. Shiju, our driver, was waiting for us and with our bags piled in the booth, we were ready to drive away
Driving to Cochin:
The drive from Kumarakom to Cochin is not far as the crow flies—but on narrow, country roads, it takes ages to get anywhere. We, therefore, decided to give ourselves up to the true pleasure of passing by rural routes where the daily life of the common people was always in evidence. We crossed a long bridge over Lake Vembanad, saw our last houseboats, and were well into the heart of agricultural Kerala. Banana plantations, coconut groves, mile after mile of toddy tapping trees, spice gardens galore—all the scenes that make up the green, clean and serene quality of our drive were in evidence. We were in no hurry to get anywhere as our flight would be leaving Cochin only at 5.00 pm. We needed to be at the airport by 3.00 pm. This would leave us plenty of time for just two items on our agenda: A visit to the Church of St. George Forane at Edapally in Cochin and a visit to a shop telling the famous banana and jackfruit chips to take as presents for a few people in Bombay. Eventually, we did arrive at Edapally where we parked in the parking lot to see the Church.
The Church of St George Forane at Edapally in Cochin:
I have visited this church before—about seven years ago as I had been told about it by my friends, Bishop Michael and his wife, Cynthia Colclough of London, who had visited it on their travels in South India, a few years ago. The church has been built entirely from the personal and family funds of the Joyaluccas Family of Kerala who are said to be the world’s largest-seller of 24 carat gold jewelry. They have made a staggering fortune from gold trading. Apparently, they began their business in Kerala but then moved it quickly to the countries of the Middle East—essentially the UAE, where their name became synonymous with the purchase of gold ornaments by expatriate Keralites who saved money carefully to buy gold or to construct cottage homes in Kerala.
Well, the church is built on something of a low hill. There are ramps on either side to access it. It is a conical shaped church that resembles, slightly, the Medieval round churches that you occasionally see in the UK (London, Cambridge). You are required to remove your footwear at the door before entering. Once inside, you will be struck by the visual extravaganza that is the church. In keeping with the taste of Keralites, it is ornamental in the extreme. Colors, forms, shapes, decorations coalesce to produce what one might call pure religious eye-candy. And in keeping with their professional interests in gold, the main motif of Christ on the altarpiece is surrounded by lavish gilding—real gold paint, I would assume. There are also wooden carved vignettes on either side of the altar depicting scenes from the Bible. We made a prayerful visit and were struck by the silence and cleanliness of the place. It really is a very attractive house of worship and a testament of thanksgiving by a family that have much gratitude for the financial blessings that have been bestowed upon them.
Off to Buy Edible Gifts:
And then we instructed Shiju to take us to a store from where we could buy edible souvenirs and gifts. He said that there were many shops en route to the airport where we decided we would also eat lunch. And sure enough, we were in a very large shop in about fifteen minutes. From there, we purchased banana chips, jackfruit chips and the famous black halwa for which Kerala is famous and of which my Dad is particularly fond. Those buys done, we got into our car again and drove directly to the airport.
Lunch at Cochin Airport and Departure for Bombay:
We were at the airport at 2.00 pm. This left us enough time to say goodbye and thank-you to Shiju who had provided us with such excellent service for the past ten days. He had driven through extremely tough circumstances—we would never forget the dangerous, fog-ridden drive along the hairpin slopes of the mountains which he had negotiated with courage and ease. Yes, we did have a major language problem with him, but we were able to get around that issue satisfactorily.
With the last few pictures of Shiju and his car taken, we said goodbye and walked towards the terminal. After clearing Security, we had enough time to sit in the food court at KFC and get ourselves crispy chicken burgers with a Coke. It was the only fast food we ate on our entire trip. And when our boarding was announced, we made our way to our gate and, just a little while later, with about a half hour’s delay, we were in a bus heading to the plane and then setting off into the twilight skies as we made our two-hour return flight to Bombay on an Indigo aircraft. Service was brisk and good—we ate chicken tikka sandwiches and blue spiced tea—before it was time to land. In the last of the Ubers that we would hail on this trip, we made our way back home and were in our flat by 9.00 pm.
Conclusion:
Kerala had provided us with a good ten days that were clean, green and serene. It was a real privilege to be able to leave the smog and air pollution of Bombay and retreat to a world where Nature reigns supreme, where the people are even-tempered and kind, where the food is simply outstanding, where the cost of living is low and where one can feel rejuvenated in just a few days. Llew’s first visit to the state was thoroughly enjoyable and I, who had been here before, was equally taken, all over again, by everything that God’s Own Country had to offer.
Thank you for following me on this journey. I hope you will feel tempted to visit this part of the world if you have never been and that you will reconsider a repeat visit if you have.
Until you follow me again on one of my travels, may the road rise up to meet you…
No comments:
Post a Comment