A Postcard from Fort Cochin

October 13th. Our Dessara Holiday began today. A long awaited vacation from teaching and living in our little fishbowl. We are travelling with another US teacher named Erin McGraw who is stationed nearby in Hyderabad (her apartment in Hyderabad is perhaps only 10 miles from ours, but given Hyderabadi traffic it is an hour plus journey). Erin hails from Rutland, Vermont, and is a fantastic, unflappable, travel companion. Between tantrums, train anxiety, poopy diapers, hungry and tired children, and hungry and tired parents - travelling with the likes of us isn't for the faint of heart. Lucky for us, Erin took us in stride.

Our journey begins with a flight to Kerala, a small coastal state in the south western corner of the country. It's hot and sticky here on the coast, like Florida in the middle of summer. The air, the landscape, and the language are all different and new, but the scents and sounds remind me we are still in India.

Tonight we are staying in Fort Cochin, a former Portuguese port town. The town is small and pleasant with a warm intimate almost European feel. After checking in to our great little hotel we headed for lunch at the Teapot Restaurant. Here, at the Teapot, we realized that we were in a tourist hot spot. The restaurant was full of Europeans (and only Europeans), and the menu and decor were designed with a western palette in mind. Over pots of tea we laughed at the novelty of blending into the crowd. What a welcome change!

After lunch we headed to the docks to see the Chinese fishing nets. Stopping on the way to visit the Catholic Cathedral and to do a little souvenir shopping. Then we grabbed an auto to Jew Town (I swear I am not making this up). Jew Town is a shopping district that happens to house one of India's only Synagogues. Most of the shops were Kashmiri and sold many of the same types of Kashmiri handicrafts. Tall Kashmiri men with brilliant blue and green eyes worked the shops and offered us "Temptation Prices" on all sorts of handmade goods. Although the merchandise was beautiful we weren't feeling all that tempted. The purchase of the day, however, was a little toy auto rickshaw for Evan. It was like a dream come true for him to have a toy auto. He told me: "I don't like trucks. I only like autos." Between the plane ride and the toy auto it was a great day for him.

After an early dinner of carrot cake and the finest cup of coffee I have had since coming to India we headed to a performance of Kathakali dance. Kathakali is a famous regional dance that the guide book advised was not to be missed. I had my reservations about going, but was very glad we did. The performance was mesmerizing. The performers, wearing elaborate costumes and make-up, use hand and facial gestures to act out a story to the beating of drums and the singing of the narrator. My feeble description does not begin to do justice to the artistry of the performance or the fun in watching it. Evan went to the back of the theater and happily played with his auto on the dirt floor for 2 hours, while Eli slept - drums and all. A successful first day!