My Favourite Place

Chinese Fishing Net

My favourite spot in Kochin is by the water, sitting on a bench, the last Chinese Fishing Net in front of me.  My favourite time is in the early morning when it’s cool and quiet.  I watch the men retrieving the odd fish from the nets.  Hundreds of crows are squawking, scavenging bits of food, twigs and seaweed.  A family of goats drops by, the billy in charge of his several wives, playfully butting heads with his current #1 wife.  Hawks, kites (a hawk-like bird with a cream-coloured head) swoop gracefully.  I see what looks like a heron float by.

Goat Family

Fishing Boat

Sandia

I greet Sandia, the woman who cleans this little stretch of beach each day (except Sunday – holiday).  She has a sweet smile.  I see her every morning when I come here.  A young man with a backpack greets me: “Good morning, Sir” before I have a chance to make eye contact.  A man collects plastic bottles for resale to recyclers.  Thank God!  There are thousands of them littering the beach!

DCI Dredge VIII

The dredging ship DCI Dredge VIII rumbles by, sucking in the sea-bottom and then dumping further out in the Arabian Sea, then returning to refill its hold and repeat the process, back and forth, through the day.  This channel was formed in 1920 when Lord Willingdon, the English colonial “ruler” of Kochin commissioned a dredging ship - The Lord Willingdon of course – to dig the channel between the Arabian Sea and Vembanad Lake, creating a major shipping port in Kochi.  In doing so, he also created a new island called – Willingdon Island, of course.  (Gellman Island – has a nice ring, don’t it?)  Now, Kochin is a major seaport carrying containers, liquid natural gas, and exports of tea, spices and manufactured goods from Ernakulum and the rest of Kerala.

A naval helicopter roars overhead.  The Naval Headquarters and Command for South India, as well as the Naval Training Academy and military airstrip are all here.

I LOVE Kochin.  Staying in one place for a month allows us to become a part of the community here just a little bit.  We know the old woman who operates the Empress Bakery, a small shop on KB Jacob Road, the man who offers me masala chai (with no sugar) at his stall on the beach.  These rituals make my life so rich – I feel comfortable, at home, at peace.

This is my reflection time, and I am cherishing it.