Jew Town Adventures, Kochin

With the morning to spare, we decided to visit Jew Town and its many shops. One of the teachers immediately realized that she left her backpack in the back of the auto rickshaw – complete with her passport and money. Immediately a person offered her his bike. Although she pedaled fast, she wasn’t able to find the vehicle. Soon a crowd mobilized, all offering to help. Through the deductive work of fellow rickshaw drivers and the tenacity of a police officer on a motorbike, the rickshaw was finally located. The driver delivered the backpack and all its contents – a happy ending. Shortly thereafter a TV station arrived to report on the story – our second time in the news during our trip to Kerala.

Relieved, we spent some time going through some of the many shops in the area. Some of the salesmen were quite sleek in their pitches. Unable to completely avoid the lure of the dominantly northern-India crafts, we all emerged with shopping bags and fewer rupees.

For lunch the manager of the homestay cooked us a briyani rice dish with chicken and sauce. It was another example of the warm Kerala hospitality. As we sat on cushions on the hotel’s rooftop, it was hard to believe that our trip was drawing to a close.

Aware of the distance to the airport, we decided to "splurge" and take a taxi instead of trying to cram ourselves and baggage into a rickshaw. A wise choice. At the new-looking airport with Kerala-inspired architectural elements, we were disappointed to see our flight delayed. Not much to do but wait. There we met the French teacher at our school. Her animated conversations helped pass the time until we boarded the plane. An hour later, we were back to the bustle of Chennai.

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