---Kettuvallam

-- Motor Launch

-- Chinese Fishing

-- Society

-- Village Procession

-- Coir

-- Copra

-- Market

-- Kochi (Cochin)

-- Dance

-- Kovalam

-- Fish Dinner

-- Watertravel Home Page

-- Copyright © Don Douglas
-- http://www.dondouglas.com

Maybe it’s because I like to cook, but I can’t resist a trip to an open-air market — and this one on Kochi’s Cheralai Street is no exception. They might be squatting on the pavement, but the ingredients were as fresh as or fresher than anything found in Europen or American supermarkets. In this case I was shooting, not shopping, and can only imagine how the chala (fish) would have combined with the vegetables and spices sold nearby. Of course Kochi has indoor markets too, not so different from those in Europe and America. However, as with the other continents, the freshest foods are often at the farmer’s market.

Cheralai Street is in the Mattancherry area of Kochi/Cochin on the peninsula, the old section which many travelers find to be the most interesting section of town. It is not far from the Chinese fishing nets on the beach where Vembanad Lake opens into the Arabian Sea, the old Jewish Synagogue and “Jewtown,” the Dutch cemetery, the Sree Janardhana Hindu Temple, several very old Christian churches, and other attractions.