Kochi India

As I had no tour or other plans for what to do in Kochi, I called up my new friends met while running around Langkawi

(here they are taking pictures in front of a Catholic church) and they graciously allowed me to squeeze into

a tuk-tuk with them for the day of touring. For those that may not know a tuk-tuk is really more of a two person ride, but it was great fun crowding in and zipping around seeing the city sights for the day. I learned a bit about posing for photos from these two. -

Check out my improved stance in this photo in front of St. Francis Church in Kochi.

Kochi is known for it's Chinese fishing nets which are a land fixed net that raise and lower using counter weights.

After a quick refresh back at the ship to wash off the various types of grime from the day we went back out to continue our authentic Indian experience by grabbing a beer at a nearby bar. This was an unforgettable experience as Mark bargained for a cheaper price for our beverages. He insisted we were being charged a tourist vs. a local price for the beer. I've never considered questioning the price quoted in a bar, but it did get us the beers for about half the originally quoted price. Later they brought around some snack that was something like chickpeas in a spicy sauce which they just spooned directly onto our open hands (btw - no napkins in sight) while Lenka reminded us that of all the places we were traveling we were not supposed to eat in India. I was hoping the beer would kill any germs - either in the food or that were on my hand and then got onto the food that way. Anyway - no ill effects and it was a lot of fun.