We began our day in hilly Thekkady and by nightfall we were in Ernakulam city. We took a rickshaw to Fort Kochi, and once there we took a room at Sonnetta Residency.
It cost over Rs. 1000 a night, but it was the nicest room we stayed in on this trip. We didn't mind 'indulging' as we were on the last leg of our journey.When we felt like having a drink, we sat at this rather nice-looking restaurant
I liked the place's interiors (but I don't remember the name of the club, sorry)The food was alright and it wasn't too expensiveWe then sat at another restaurant for our main course dinner 🙂
Date: September 1st, 2009
The next morning, we had breakfast at the famous Kashi Art Cafe.
It was walking distance from where we were stayingIt's got 'Art' in its name because Kashi is also a trendy art galleryBut I was more interested in the 'Cafe' partIt was 8:45am
While we waited for our breakfast, I went through our day's planThe food was alright
After breakfast, we hired an auto to take us to Jew Town, the first sight on our to-do list.
We were dropped by the port sideThat's Cochin Port, on the other side (Panorama comprised of 5 shots)We didn't have a perfectly sunny day, but we just hoped it wouldn't rain
We first entered an old building, which I believe was Mattancherry Palace. It housed artifacts and had several murals, but there was a lot of restoration work going on while we were there. We were in and out very quickly.
We walked to Jew TownPlenty of handicrafts and other art for sale hereThis area is home to the only Pepper Exchange in IndiaWe walked towards the Paradesi Synagogue
The Jewish synagogue is to the left
Unfortunately, they don’t allow photography inside the Paradesi Synagogue, but from what I saw, it isn’t very big. The tale of Cochin Jews is an interesting one, dating back centuries. It was at this point, reading about how Jews ended up Kerala (and even the Syrian Christians) that I began to realize how Kerala has always had a historical connection with the Middle East.
We left the synagogue and walked backThe shops here look very old
The wall exteriors reminded me of ice cream 🙂I saw an old lady, who seemed to be just gazing outside her door at passersbyMrs. Selam her name was, and she was Cochin Jew herselfShe told us how many of the Jews went back to Israel and some even chose to move to America (unsurprisingly). The Jewish population in Fort Kochi now number less than a hundred, and the Cochin Jews could very well be an extinct ethnicity in a few years time.
I guess it was a privilege to meet someone like Mrs. Selam, one among the few remaining Jews of Kerala. (Read the story of Yaheh Hallegua, she’s apparently the last remaining Pardesi Jew of ‘child-bearing’ age)
We left Jew Town and returned to the promenadeIt was lunch timeThe cool thing here is that you can buy fresh fish from the fishermen, then take it to select restaurants and ask them to prepare it as you wish
I bought a few tiger prawns and a small lobster for myself (if I remember correctly, both together cost less than Rs. 300). As they were getting grilled nearby, we went for a quick stroll along the promenade.
I don't know what these were
Despite being an island, Fort Kochi does not have a whole lot of sandy shores
The famous Chinese fishing nets, still being used by fishermen in Fort Cochin
We sat by the fish stalls and had our lunch.
Well, I got my seafood lunch. The others waited until I finished so that they could have their vegetarian meals elsewhere.
Post lunch, we went for a stroll.
We walked all the way to the Dutch Cemetery, which was closedThen some time on the beach nearby -- which wasn't even a good beachWe went back to our hotel, checked out and made our way to the ferry terminal which was a few minutes walk from hereWe took the ferry to nearby Vypin islandIt was 4pm and we still had some time to kill before leaving Cochin at nightA short walk from the Vypin ferry terminal and we arrived at this stretchThought it would be a good time to record a video demonstrating how these fishing nets work
So here it is:
We walked a bit further upCherai beach was an auto ride away, but somehow we didn't feel like bothering to check it outSo instead we headed back, but this time to Ernakulam
Cochin has quite an amazing and varied history, it's no wonder why it remains a popular tourist stopWe reached the ferry terminal after a pleasant 20 minute rideWe decided to check out the Marine Drive promenadeThis walkway is one of the most popular hangouts for Kochi's residents and visitors alike
After sunset, we all had something to eat before parting ways. Ramesh and Anand were heading back to Bangalore, while I took a bus to head up north to my hometown in Kerala.
It was Onam* in Kannur for me!
*Onam is the biggest festival in Kerala and one of the celebratory highlights include making pookkalam (a floral creation)
Normally there are two conditions on which I decide to write a K-pop review. Either I should be a fan of the artist (SNSD, Rainbow, Jay Park, INFINITE) or the artist comes out with music I really end up liking (Block B, AA). The decision to write a review of Miss A’s new mini album was purely because I gave the album a chance.
I’m not a huge fan of the girl group, but nor do I dislike the girls. Miss A are just one among the many popular groups that I really don’t care much for (like 4Minute, MBLAQ) besides one or two of their songs. But like every new K-pop release, regardless of my past opinions of an artist, I don’t dismiss their new music right away until I listen to a few of the tracks.
It’s a move I didn’t regret with Miss A’s ‘Touch – The 4th Project‘
Here’s a track-by-track review:
1. “Touch” – The title track and lead single:
Written and produced by JYP supremo Park Jin Young, “Touch” at first listen didn’t really win me over. In fact I stopped listening to it after the first chorus. One, it wasn’t a great song on first listen, and secondly, I found the dancing a bit… weird (I only heard the song once the music video was out). But since I decided to write this review, I gave it a couple of more listens and watched the MV in its entirety. It slowly grew on me.
“Touch” has a slightly haunting aura and an infectious hook to it. The vocals don’t ever soar but are well in line with the song’s melody. I still find the dance choreography a bit weird, so it’ll be interesting how the girls interpret it live on stage. Still, my stance hasn’t improved much since my first listen. It’s not that great a song for a lead single. – 3/5
2. “Lips” – Here now is when the album gets a lot better. Unlike “Touch,” this song instantly won me over! Produced by German producer and songwriter FUEGO, the same guy behind Chris Brown’s latest hit “Turn Up the Music,” “Lips” is pure electronic-pop. It’s got a great build up during the chorus, and unlike the current trend of forcing cheap, re-hashed hooks influenced by house music, “Lips” never strays into bad territory. Definitely one of the best tracks on the album! – 4/5
3. “Rock n Rule“- I anticipated rocking guitar sounds, but instead the third track is pure club Euro-pop. An uptempo, and uplifting dance track with a dubstep bridge (I’m honestly bored of dubstep now – everybody’s doing it!). It’s still a good song though, and suits Miss A’s image perfectly. – 4/5
4. “No Mercy” – Hard-hitting drums opens this fierce track influenced by Brit-pop music. It was by this time into listening to the album I knew I just knew I had to write this review. “No Mercy” may not make an ideal single, but it’s still an example of a fine album track. – 3.5/5
5. “Over U” – First thing that popped into my head when this song began? “Run Devil Run” and Britney Spears. Which only meant the production was foreign and surely European. And surely enough, they were. Deepfrost are the Norwegian team responsible for this song, and it’s another good addition to the album. – 3/5
6. “Touch (Newport mix)” – The final track on the album is a R&B remix of the title track, and you know what? I actually prefer this version over the one that got released! In my opinion, this production suits the song’s melody better. Was this how “Touch” was initially intended to sound? Because I’m not kidding when I say it genuinely sounds better this way.
As is the norm in K-pop, just about every idol group releases a first single which involves dancing. I don’t know if JY Park forced “Touch” to be turned into a more upbeat version, so that the choreographers to create a dance for it. I like to believe some of the moves in the dance choreography shows how forced it looks. Regardless, this remix gets another 4/5 from me!
A more mature Miss A this time around
JY Park’s productions have been a hit-or-miss for me. As much as I believe 2PM’s “Again & Again” is one of best k-pop songs by a boyband, I also rank “Hands Up” as one of the worst by a top-tier group. JY Park is responsible for pretty much every lead single for an artist coming coming out of the JYP label (even though Miss A are managed by subsidiary AQ Entertainment). At first I assumed releasing “Touch” as the lead single was a bit of a stubborn decision by JY Park when there were better tracks like “Lips” and “Rock n Rule,” but after listening to the album in its entirety, I feel Miss A’s comeback will still be successful. I’m sure they will perform the remix version of “Touch” on music programs and the album should win them a few awards in their promotion cycle.
But the real decision to write this review was so that I could give the other songs on the album the attention they deserve. And yes, the headline is a take on the phrase “You can’t judge a book by its cover“. In an industry where the norm for most K-pop albums are: “one great single, rest album fillers,” ‘Touch – The 4th Project‘ is a rare example of when the album tracks outshine the lead single.
JYP released the best K-pop album of last year (in my opinion) and if Miss A’s ‘Touch’ is any indication, I’m all the more looking forward to 2PM’s comeback this year. JYP has already kicked off 2012 with some good music, I just hope there’s more in the pipeline!
This is in continuation of a travel series that began in Kumarakom. To recap, we had gone to Kottayam for a friend’s wedding and after another friend, Ramesh, joined us in the afternoon, we took a bus from Kottayam’s main bus depot to reach the town of Kumily.
The nearly 3 hour long journey was quite an experience by itself. Once we passed the low lying towns, we sensed we were going uphill, but it’s not like we could see anything. It was pitch dark outside, and we could only assume the bus was taking hair-pin bends when the three of us slid from side to side on our seats. We had a blast, quite a roller coaster ride it was!
We reached Kumily town past 7pm, if I remember correctly. We didn’t have a reservation anywhere but we got a room easily for less than Rs. 1000 a night. I don’t remember the name of the hotel, sorry, it’s been nearly 3 years ago and I don’t remember where I wrote down all the details.
We had our drinks from a bar near by and then ate hot dosas and fried eggs from the street stalls that appear in the market centre at night.
The next day, we woke up early and took an autorickshaw to the Periyar National Park and Wildlife Sanctuary. We wanted to get there as soon as it opened at 6am as we were keen on taking the very first boat ride on Periyar Lake, for a couple of reasons. One, a lot of guides said it was the best time to see animals and the other being, the morning calm in the air. Plus, if we got the very first boat ride itself, we could have left for Ernakulum today itself.
We bouight our tickets (Rs. 150 for the upper deck) and got on our boat.
The reason you see tree branches sticking out of the water is because Periyar Lake is an artificially created lake, flooded when they built the Mullaperiyar Dam in 1895The morning calm surely made for awesome reflections in the water
The boat ride is extremely smooth... and very relaxing
The skies looked good too
We may have woken up real early for this, but the morning ride was well worth itYou could make up for lost sleep here if you wanted to. It's a perfectly quiet environment.This island looked like it belong to a private hotel or resort
Drifting peacefully on this lake, I did wonder what this forest must have looked like before it was floodedThis being a wildlife sanctuary, there are supposed to be animals, even tigers. But all we saw were water buffaloes.Oh well, something better than nothing
Our boat was full of tourists from all over India and abroad
Saw a lot of these birdsDucks?We saw a large variety of birds. Too bad I didn't have a super-zoom lens back then.
An hour into our journey , we spot a few elephants grazing high up on the hillsBut the rest of the time it was bird watching
Here’s a video I took:
After a pleasant journey, we returned back to the banks from where we began our ride
What was a pleasant journey for us ended up being a nightmare for other tourists a few weeks later. On September 30th, one of the tour boats operated by KTDC capsized and over 40 tourists died. It was a grim day for Thekkady’s tourism and one that woke up officials to address passenger safety. It wasn’t even until this incident that the boat operators insisted on life jackets for all passengers. Appalling, when you think about how they wait until some lives were lost to understand the value of certain basics.
We took an auto rickshaw back to our hotelThe wildlife sanctuary is pretty big and you even have a tiger reserve nearbyYou have elephants rides here tooThis being Kerala, you're bound to see a lot of them
We checked out of our hotel, had lunch and got a KSRTC bus going to Ernakulam, Cochin from the town bus station.
This would be a good opportunity to see the sights we missed last nightMan, did we miss some sights alright!
I took all these photos from inside the bus while it drove back down the narrow hill road
Needless to say, the journey was beautiful
The Western Ghats of India are really beautifulThere were quite a few small waterfalls I spottedThe bus even rode past a fewIt's no wonder Idukki district is such a popular tourist destination
We passed a lot of rubber plantations on the way
We reached Ernakulam (Cochin’s main city) just past sunset. After a tea break, we took an autorickshaw to Fort Kochi, where we would be staying the next two days. (Photos from Fort Kochi in the next post)
