July 23, 2007 - Kochi (Cochin), India
"So far as I am able to judge, nothing has been left undone, either by man or nature, to make India the most extraordinary country that the sun visits on his rounds. Nothing seems to have been forgotten, nothing overlooked."
~ Mark Twain
Kochi is an island community located in a tropical paradise. It is located on the Arabian Sea. It is a tourist destination for many people from the Middle East, specifically the United Arab Emirates. As goes with many humid places, the mosquitoes are the size of small birds. We are also finding the closer we travel towards to the equator, the less heat. When the monsoon rains have already passed through a region, the temperature becomes cooler.
This morning we visited a well respected Middle and Secondary School. The opening ceremony was a traditional Kerala welcoming of over 100 elaborately dressed girls holding bowls of marigold flowers, lining the pathway to the school. Drummers greeted us at the front gate and lead us through the ceremony. Whenever we enter a building, the hosts place red dots on our foreheads, as a symbol of prosperity. Once in the school, a lei of marigolds and jasmine was placed around each persons neck. Then at the end of the ceremony, we were showered with marigold and hibiscus pedals, thrown in the air. This was by far the most pampered ceremony we have participtated in on the trip.
This afternoon we took a walk along with Sea of Arabia to see the Chinese Fishing Nets. These have been traditionally used since Khubli Khan (who I studied at Columbia University two summers ago) sprang forth the Silk Road in the 1200's. The fisherman's catches ranged from tiny catfish to 15" shrimp to sharks. The sharks I saw were baby Nurse Sharks and Hammerheads. Neither are Endangered Species. However, there are currently over 200 species of shark on the endangered list, including the larger, Great Hammerhead.
Every fish caught is kept. None are thrown back. There are no laws monitoring the fishing industry, or any industry for that matter. India does not have the info-structure to uphold regulations.
We have been told that 40% of fish caught go to waste or become "feed" for scavengers and livestock; including dogs, goats, and cows. It would be interesting to know the percentage of caught fish in the U.S. that go unused.
We ended the day with a ride on a traditional fishing boat to the mouth of the Kerala Backwaters. There are over 44 rivers that lead into Kochi and the Arabian Sea. Life on the Backwaters has not changed for centuries. Children take boat-buses to school, men trade their catches of the day, and women prepare spices for selling to merchants.
Kochi is home to some of the most coveted spices in the world.
