Cochin-2

Dhobi Walla

Sarah Cohen

Host Family

Jan. 13, 2013-Religious Mix

It's 5:30 AM & the Muslim community has started their call to prayer. I wouldn't mind it if they used a calling chain, but waking the entire community seems selfish to me. It's the 21st century. They could at least set the alarm clocks on their iPhones. In all honesty, it was David who woke me. He was having a bad dream, thought I was in trouble, & called my name. I had trouble getting back to sleep & then the noise started.

Charles once again outdid himself. It was laundry day & he took us to a real Indian dhoubi walla. That's your basic Indian version of a human powered laundromat. We handed over our bags of dirty, smelly gotkes (undies) & in full view of the group they were sorted & counted. No modesty here. Charles was outside in the wash area where they were actually beating clothing on concrete when a bird pooped on the back of his shirt. He returned to the sorting area and they spot cleaned it. He removed the shirt & they took it to the padded concrete ironing shelf. Thereupon George, a former dancer & tailor from New Zealand, proceeded to iron it with an old fashioned coal heated iron that weighed a ton. He said it reminded him of the old days.

Our hotel is in the old section of Cochin called Port Kochi. It is rife with churches & mosques. We passed a Syrian Christian church & learned that minority religion still prays in Aramaic. Mishpocha (relatives)? As I mentioned before, there's a large communist presence in Kerala. It's not unusual to see the red flag with hammer & sickle flying from homes & telephone poles. Odd bed fellows.

The Mattencherry Palace name reflects the Hebrew for "give" & "cherry" is fishing village in Tamil. The Portuguese gave the Palace to the maharajah in 1855. The next occupants were the Dutch.  It's now a museum with un-retouched frescos from the 17th century. In the time of the raja the throne was passed down through the king's sister's son. Although royal women had power within their homes, they were sequestered behind screens in palanquins when they went out. As a means of exploitation of the Dalit class the king declared their woman had to go naked from the waist up. If they could afford it they could pay a tax & wear a blouse. I wondered if they got cut rate to cover one side or if they could get a two-fer. In any case, it was win win for the king.

The Portuguese gave land to the Jewish community in 1555. As we entered Jew Street we passed a shop where Sarah Cohen,in her 90's, still sold embroidered Judaic goods. We bought. The synagogue, built in 1558, was impressive with a blue & white 200 year old  Cantonese tile floor. Interesting to see Muslim women clad in chadors in the synagogue. It was typically Sephardic with a central bima (pulpit) & torah in a rounded case in the ark.  Although this is the only open synagogue in Cochin there are six more in town & five thousand Jews in the whole country. As if Jews didn't' have enough trouble with shrinkage, St. Thomas saw fit to come here to try to convert them.

Hospitality

Tonight was our home hosted dinner. We divided into two groups. We were in the group that wasn't going to have fish since there are several in the group who don't like it. We went with that bunch since they don't distinguish between fish & shellfish here. We were served boney yucky fish. Again David ate  it & I didn't. The before dinner beverage was a dark liquid we thought might be juice. It was Coke. They also served an angel hair- like pasta with coconut sauce. The fish was next & served on the same plate, then the green bean dish on top of that. Several people asked for new plates. I didn't mind the melding of the sauces. It was the bones I couldn't deal with. The house was five years old & designed by the husband who's a tour guide. It was large & lovely although we had to walk over an open sewer to get there. At least the odor didn't get into the house. The wife was a 4th grade teacher. They're Catholic (5th generation) & have two teen-age sons. One wants to join the navy and follow in his grandfather's footsteps. Military service is prestigious & admission is competitive. The other wants to be a doctor. Very nice boys.

I think Charles successfully & indirectly convinced us all not to go to the evening optional dance show & dinner on a boat tomorrow. It cost $83/person. He told us we could see the same show for $5 around the corner from the hotel then go to dinner. He needed ten people to reserve the boat. Only three wanted to go. I asked how many wanted to join us at the $5 dance show & the rest put their hands up. Charles is arranging for our tickets.

Tomorrow begins at 6AM with a boat ride “somewhere.” Another surprise.

Toby