Lorsque nous avions passé un mois en Inde en 2019, nous savions qu’un jour nous y retournerions. Nous avions été enchantés par ce pays unique, ses couleurs, son intensité et, surtout, sa population si accueillante. C’est donc avec bonheur que nous sommes revenus en février pour explorer, cette fois-ci, l’Inde du Sud. Et comment ne pas débuter cette série de billets par les beaux sourires de ces dames croisées à Kochi et le chauffeur de tuk-tuk!
Rapidement, nous avons constaté que le sud de l’Inde serait différent du circuit que nous avions fait en 2019, principalement au Rajasthan. Tout d’abord, le passé colonial semble plus présent, autant dans l’architecture que dans la présence d’une assez grande communauté chrétienne comme en témoignent les nombreuses églises de Kochi. C’est aussi une région relativement plus développée que le reste de l’Inde. Le Kerala, l’état où se situe Kochi, fait bonne figure économiquement et du point de vue du développement social; la grande pauvreté, très visible dans le nord du pays, semble absente au Kerala.
Il y a donc un petit côté très relax à Kochi. Nous avons apprécié nous promener tranquilement dans les vieux quartiers et sur le bord de mer, où l’on peut apercevoir les fameux filets de pêches chinois, encore utilisés de nos jours. Ou encore dans le petit quartier juif où l’on peut visiter la synagogue Pardesi, toujours en activité pour les rares Juifs qui résident encore en Inde.
When we spent a month in India in 2019, we knew that one day we would come back. We were enchanted by this unique country, its colours, its intensity and, above all, its welcoming population. It was therefore with pleasure that we returned in February to explore, this time, South India. And how could we not start this series of posts with the beautiful smiles of these ladies we met in Kochi and the tuk-tuk driver!
Quickly, we noticed that southern India would be different from the tour we did in 2019, mainly in Rajasthan. First of all, the colonial past seems more present, both in the architecture and in the presence of a fairly large Christian community as evidenced by the numerous churches of Kochi. It is also a relatively more developed region than the rest of India. Kerala, the state where Kochi is located, is doing well economically and from the point of view of social development; severe poverty, very visible in the north of the country, seems absent in Kerala.
So there is a very relaxed side to Kochi. We enjoyed walking leisurely through the old neighbourhoods and along the seaside, where you can see the famous Chinese fishing nets, still used today. Or in the small Jewish quarter where you can visit the Pardesi synagogue, still in operation for the rare Jews who still reside in India.
Fort Kochi
Port de pêche / Fishing harbour
Mattancherry 
Quartier juif / Jewish Quarter
Autobus public / Public bus
Coucher de soleil sur la plage / Sunset on the beach
[Auteur/Author: Pierre & Suzanne]
Les voyages de Suzanne & Pierre 
You’re back with smiling faces, seaside fishing and doors. A great start for this new series!
Thanks Jacqui. Indeed, there will be a lot of smiling faces and colours. Glad you enjoyed this first post of a long series…
Merci pour ces images. Quelle coincidence: nous étions a Kochi pour le mariage d’une amie indienne/americaine de ma fille au mois d’août dernier! Que de bons souvenirs d’une fabuleuse cérémonie dans un tres beau cadre!
Merci Anne Claire. Une belle coincidence…et bien contente de ramener de beaux souvenirs. Nous avons beaucoup aimé le côté moins intense de Kochi. Une ville intéressante et différente des autres villes de l’Inde.
A great start to your latest journey already with so many colourful and atmospheric photos. I especially like the shots of fishing on the beach.
Thanks Mel. Glad you enjoyed the first of a long series (we were away for 6 weeks!). We truly enjoyed our time in Kochi, a very relaxed town compared to other India cities. It is also cleaner and less chaotic…
As usual, your pictures allow us to see this India through your discerning eyes. The colours and contrasts are wonderful to look at. Thank you for all your work.
Thanks Julia for coming along on our adventures. So glad to hear that you enjoyed this first post of our new long series. (Suzanne)
This reminds me of my trip to Kerala. I’ve only been to India once, and that trip was limited to the south. I’ve heard stories about how the south is more mellow than the north, and relatively more developed, just like what you said. Some of my fondest memories from Kochi include watching Kathakali and trying the local Syriac food (yum!).
Thanks Bama. Glad this post brought back nice memories of your own trip to Kochi. It is a very nice town. At least for Kerala, it is indeed a lot more mellow than the north. The other states we visited on this trip were a bit more intense but it never got to the North level.
As for Kathakali, we did attend a performance…more in the post of tomorrow.
I am delighted you are on the road again! Was is very warm and humid in South India in February?
Thanks for your note. It was indeed quite hot and humid. Temperatures around 30C most days with a high level of humidity. So we had to do activities in the morning and late afternoon. Mid-days were often used to travel between places.
We are actually now back at home after a 6-weeks journey.
How interesting – the second blog series on India I am reading at the moment. The other is (so far) around Delhi and I can already see the contrasts and what you mean about the south being more mellow. I think I would prefer it.
Thanks Anabel. The winter months are the best months to visit India so I am not surprised you are seeing other posts about India. We almost weren’t able to go because the government of India was angry with our Prime Minister who accused them of killing an activist on Canadian soil so they stopped processing visa requests from Canada. We put India on hold but while in the Arabic Peninsula we saw that India had reinstated the visa processing so we booked our trip in early December. We did enjoy the more mellowed atmosphere though in the end we think we preferred the North…but I would recommend the south if you are a bit intimidated by India as it would be an easier way to get introduced to the country.
Thanks for the good advice. I remember seeing reports about the activist killed in Canada.
J’ai adoré l’Inde du nord au sud et c’est un pays qui m’a vraiment beaucoup marquée. Très belle série et bien sûr je craque sur les magnifiques filets de pêche typiques de Cochin.
Merci Marie. Désolé pour le retard mais votre commentaire s’est retrouvé dans mes “spam” et je viens seulement de le retrouver. Nous adorons aussi l’Inde et il est certain que nous y retournerons un jour pour visiter d’autres régions. Bien contente que cette série ait su vous plaire.