Wednesday, March 16
Cochin (Kochi) to Alleppey – 66 K
We left town as a group for the first 8 Kilometers and then split up to ride at our own pace and preference. The ride together ensured that we all navigated through the large and busy town of Cochin safely and without getting lost.
We were riding along a smaller coastal road and it was very scenic although the road deteriorated to a rough patch of rocks, dirt and a packed mud mix for quite a while. We stopped for a cold drink and enjoyed meeting some of the local kids. They are friendly and shared their names with us… and loved to have their picture taken. Here’s a good look at some of them.
The state of Kerala which we have been riding through since we descended into Munnar, has the highest literacy rate in India. Someone told me that the state government here in Kerala is communist, but the officials are elected by democratic means. I will have to verify that but it is an interesting concept that I considered as I pedaled the rural roads today.
The fishing boats are unique in this area. They are brightly painted and made entirely of wood (no screws or nails or metal at all). This area is known for the craftsmen who make the wooden boats. I happened upon a glance at some fishermen and their boats – although it is difficult to see in this picture, there are small fish laid out on nets in the sand in the foreground.
Another unique site here is the Chinese fishing nets like the ones below. These nets are lowered into the water with a primitive pulley system and later hoisted back up with the catch of the day.
I’ve read how coir is made here and today I saw a few of the steps in the process of turning into brightly colored matting. Coir is made from coconut husks that are first soaked, then beaten into a fine fiber. This coir fiber is often dyed and woven into matting material for rugs and floor runners. The picture below is this fiber in several colors drying on the wall along the road.
Just to the left of where the fiber is drying there is a separate open-air building where the weaver is creating the material. Here he is at his loom:
