Traveling Tolins 2

  We "jumped ship" in Cochin (Kochi) to begin our Taj Mahal journey.  Our first stop is an all day in Cochin to take in a bit of India life. Chinese fishing net and procedures We loaded onto large canoes powered by two men Laundry on Thursday "Cooley" hats to protect from sun More fishing nets The bare footed men used long bamboo poles to push from the water's bottom (low tide about a yard deep).  They walked about half way the boat's length, pushing on the side needed to steer. Broken camera - issue with selfies More Chinese fishing nets Basket making weaver Shredding coconuts to make coconut milk for cooking Separating coconut husks for making rope Taking a break in the shade and downing some water Pottery making Spinning wheel Back to the hotel for late lunch.  We leave in the morning for our flight to Delhi to continue our Taj Mahal adventure.

  Tea plants Young rubber trees Tea plantation manager's mansion Visit reception area; tea and cake Tea sample and sales hut Cannon ball tree Bamboo poles to keep track of picked plants Only two leaves are picked per day from each plant Freshly picked leaves Rinsing/soaking (4 hours) area Draining area Finished product We rode through Colombo to see significant sites on our way back to port Parliament building provided by Japan after WW II China embassy Colombo Town Hall Old Parliament Building Breakwater berm We left in a few hours to sail overnight to Cochin, India