Fort Kochi

Fort Kochi

I visited Fort Kochi for 5 days to experience Kochi Biennale

My initial plan was to spend 2 days exploring the festival and then do some sight seeing around Kochi.

However after just the first day I decided to just explore fort kochi.

I enjoy walking around. Discovering little things. Pretty streets.

Fort Kochi has plenty of them.

Even though houses are modern and contemporary, they still show beautiful aesthetic taste of people.

Every street had its own personality.

Some feel like you are in old Calcutta. Some feel like a peth in any old Maharashtra city. Some feel like Fontainhas in Panajji, adorned with artwork. Some feel like a high street in a small Italian village.

It is a very walkable place, except for the heat. Most streets do not have tree cover.

Garbage problem has been mostly solved. At least it is way better than most cities.

There are few curious book stores, run by knowledgable people. Almost every cafe is an art cafe.

It does not offer much nightlife, except for Francis and couple of other spots.

I was too tired to party after having walked 10km everyday!

Things to do

  1. Jew town - rich history, beautiful shops and cafes, especially Mocha Art Cafe.
  2. Chinese fishting nets - Slightly overrated, but still worth checking out. Sunsets views from there are gorgeous.
  3. Kathakali performance - I attended the one about Kichak vadh. Extremely well produced.
  4. Local food - highly recommend Seagull restaurant. Kingsih curry! Make a booking in advance if you want seats with good view.
  5. Walk around, explore streets.
  6. Spend an evening in Francis, most people who come there are friendly, easy to meet new people. Gets superbusy on Saturday nights.

Biennale Festival

Highlight was to see screening of movie We are Faheem and Karun and listening to Onir talk about making the movie.

The art installations were quite good, especially student biennale.

The venues are spread all around Fort Kochi, and requires lot of walking around.

I had bought a weeklong access for Rs 1000. Only 3-4 venues require entry fees.

All performances are free to attend, but you do need to acquire a token due to limited seating, available 30mins before start time.

Fort Kochi is worth visit if you are interested in exploring vibrant cities that are culturally rich. Worth visiting during Biennale festival.