Fort Kochi

My vacation started with a flight from Bangalore to Kochi to meet up with my friends. We spent 1 night in Kochi and stayed at the Brunton Boatyard located in Fort Kochi. This is the 2nd time that I've been to Kochi and it remains one of my favorite cities in India. It's not a very large city by India standards -- and it has an interesting mix of old & new (including nice examples of Indo-European architecture). Lots of good restaurants, cafes, and bars. The fish curry is highly recommended as well as anything with tiger prawns (they are huge and delicious!).

Kochi (formerly known as Cochin) is in the state of Kerala --- located on the southwest coast of India. Kochi is the commercial hub of Kerala and one of the fastest growing 2nd-tier cities in India. Kochi was the first European colonial settlement in India (occupied by the Portuguese from 1503 to 1663). Vasco de Gama (the first European explorer to set sail for India) was buried in Kochi until his remains were returned to Portugal in 1539. Later the city was occupied by the Dutch, the Mysore Kingdom, and the British.

The port is one of India's major seaports and has been since the 14th century (part of the spice trade route).

All of my Kochi pictures can be viewed by clicking here.