Find Us On Facebook
Follow Us On Twitter
popular tags
Tag Archives: cochin
Bolgatty Girl
Photograph: this is a random portrait of a girl who lives in Bolgatty Island village, where we live. Just happened to be walking past her purple-painted house and she immediately posed for the camera, as is typical here in India. It has quickly become one of my fave street portraits.
Portrait Of A Banana Depot Worker
Banana depot worker portrait. The cloth on his head is for carrying bananas, huge bunches of them.
Decay Theme – Life On Bolgatty
A submission for the theme Decay. Rather than go for an old, battered, black and white decayed look, I took a photograph of a decaying sign just on my doorstep (the Bolgatty ferry pick-up point) and brightened it up.
Two Beach Birthdays
Our autumn series of followtheboat posts take us to the Himalayas. It’s an exhausting trek into the moody, cloud-covered mountains, but before we head north we’re going to take two weekend breaks on the beach in Kerala. Stupidly we booked our driver through the same company who arranged our fateful Western Ghats adventure. And guess who our driver was? Yep, the very same chap who claimed never to have had an accident in 21 years of driving, forgetting the accident Liz and I were involved in within 20 minutes of jumping into his car on our first trip (I think the definition of an accident in India has to include at least one fatality)
Ricky Ticky Tavi
My Mum and Dad have been on at me for not writing anything since we left Turkey, but I’ve been busy, and they write so much there’s nothing left for me to write about. They even stole my favourite topic, FISH, and wrote about all their fishing successes. What they failed to mention, of course, is how I actually lure the fish to Esper with my witchy, feline, telepathic senses, so all their successes are really mine. Anyway, here are my initial impressions of India. Damn snakes.
Kids Of Kerala Are Certified!
A few weeks ago I received an invite to attend the Kerala Watersports Sailing Organisation Certificate Awards. I’d already met Captain Jolly Thomas who is the man responsible for teaching young children how to sail their little, second-hand Optimist dinghies. In a country that has no real sailing heritage and with next to no funds Jolly has achieved the near-impossible by creating a small but successful sailing club for children. Set up as a charitable organisation the least I could do was attend the ceremony and maybe invite a couple of other western sailors to join me. Terry of ‘Roam II’ and Brian and Maureen of ‘Suryana’ came along to give their support.
The Sooner These Miserable Sods Leave, The Better
A number of boats have turned up recently, heading west. Never before have I met such a miserable bunch of sailors. I thought it was just me but this morning a friend of ours who was cleaning her boat asked “What is it about these people?” They simply cannot bring themselves to say ‘hello’.” She is a cheery lady who could make even Scrooge smile. What do you think? Let us know.
Folding PortaBote – Our New Indestructible Tender On Video
Boating is about pleasure but if there is one thing that gets me down it’s having to repair yet another puncture in my dinghy. The coral beaches of Eritrea gave our Tinker a real thrashing and quite frankly I got fed up with lugging this huge weight on and off Esper every time we wanted to go ashore. Liz and I decided, therefore, to treat ourselves to an unsinkable, indestructible, lightweight, folding Portabote. It stows like a surfboard, commissions in minutes and is fast! Check out the first of two reviews of this boat, including a video clip of the assembly. Worth every penny? Quite possibly. Strangest looking thing on our boat? Very definitely…
Divanty Has Left The Building
On an overcast and mildly blustery New Year’s morning there were tears on the pontoon as Antony and Davina of s/y ‘Divanty’ left for the Maldives. Not including Lo of ‘Mistral’, who leads another Vasco Da Gama rally back up the Red Sea, this now leaves just Roam II and Esper from the original gang of adventurers who left Turkey in November 2009.
It is a strange feeling and a little sad too, what with spending the last few months having a giggle with the Divanty crew, but we’re happy that they’ve slipped their lines with some favourable winds and are heading somewhere new and exciting.
Good luck, Ants and Div.
Christmas At The Taj
Not really for the general public but a few shots of our Christmas Day, which was spent at the Taj Palace Hotel, Wilingdon Island, Cochin.
Liz and I were joined by our friends Mike and Gabi, who were effectively on their honeymoon, and the usual suspects of Terry and Fiona of Roam II and Ants and Div of Divanty.
It is a real pleasure to be eating turkey, brussel sprouts and stuffing whilst supping on a nice glass of Chianti, in India where all of these things are hard to find!
A Festive Message From The Esper Gang
Christmas is a’ coming and the nuns are out in force. Yep, you can tell it’s the festive season here in Cochin because the ladies in grey habits are running amok in the Christmas decoration shops. Clearly believing they have the blessing of The Lord Jesus Christ these little old ladies barge their way through the masses, desperate to purchase the most gaudy of decorations. There’s definitely some perverse pecking order going on in this predominantly Catholic part of India. Using their elbows as weapons these sinister old birds have complete disregard for the poor local children unfortunate enough to walk into their paths.
Pre-Onum Festival In Cochin
Onum is a festival celebrated in Kerala, India and it lasts two weeks. There’s no big culmination, it’s just a period of rest and reflection and for many life goes on as normal.
Captured here are people at work and hanging out around Cochin during this period.
Commonwealth Baton Passes Through Bolgatty, Cochin
Is this the fastest post ever? Just half an hour ago the Commonwealth Baton passed through Bolgatty Island in full ceremony. One moment I was an observer, the next I’m in amongst the local press snapping away at a famous Indian ex-athlete I’ve never seen before!
The Times Shortlists FTB AGAIN!
I wonder if the picture editor of The Times is as bored as we are of seeing Jamie’s photos? Apparently not, as he was runner-up again this week with one of his recent images from Fort Cochin. Just kidding, Jamie, keep ‘em coming, I’m so proud of you.