Royston Ellis, a travel writer presently living in Sri Lanka, delivered a talk on the history of tea with samples of his subject. This, like his previous lectures, was delivered in a wonderful and dramatic British accent. His accent and manner were so British that, there is no doubt from now on in anyone's mind who attended the lecture that, civility and good enunciation will forever be associated with tea. In the end, I think that was his point.

Dinner with Loren and Judy on the aft deck was the perfect end to the day.

The approach to Cochin at dawn in a light mist.

The commuters from the suburbs in their version of the Long Island RR.

The harbor approach was lined with several hotels.

The sunrise in the mist (read smog?) was a little bit from another world.

Our welcome wagon was pulled by the local pachyderm.

One of the several churches we passed. The christians comprise about 17% of the population.

Some of the residences were pretty nice.

This cemetery's cornerstone read "1704".

All the finer residences were surrounded by high walls.

This was the oldest church in Cochin. It was originally Portuguese and followed the history of the city by changing to Dutch, then British (Anglican) and is now Protestant. It was considered very modern when it was first built because it had these large pieces of fabric which were swung back and forth by workers located outside the sanctuary to create a breeze for the congregation.

LEFT.....The original grave site of Vasco DeGamma. The first european to round the southern tip of Africa.

RIGHT....Our guide shows Donna how to operate the ceiling fans so that I am cooled while touring the church. This is sooo cool!!!

The harbor at Cochin is lined with these contraptions called "Chinese nets". They are used to catch fish almost exclusively in guess what country? Yep!!!

Donna and I try our hand at it. We are told whatever we catch is ours and we'll be able to sell it in our own stand.

Donna poses with our new partner.

When the net is raised, the crew is amazed by the size of catch we just scooped from the bountiful sea.

Actually the haul was somewhat modist. A quick calculation of time and capital requirements vs sales potential and market penetration resulted in our conclusion that this may not be as lucrative as first thought.

We decided that our net was just in a bad area and immediately opened negotiations with the lessee of the adjoining net. This fishing thing, we decided, was a real gold mine if only we could get a good location.

We took our entire haul to this wonderful high end establishment but were told they didn't have a pan small enough to do a proper job. Unlike us, they obviously don't think small enough.

My newly purchased fisherman/fish monger outfit. Look familiar?

Donna decides to shortcut the process by investigating what the pros were doing.

Now that's a "shrimp" and a great example of an oxymoron. I'll have a small shrimp cocktail please, with just 6 shrimp, thank you!!

The crowds were gathering as word of my fishing prowess spread through the monger community.

Hey babe want fish?

The homes adjoining the harbor were very nice, maybe time shares!!

We then went to a local hotel for a quick stop (read bathroom).

Another one of the larger Catholic churches dating from the early colonial period.

Many of the original colonial buildings were in good repair.

The facade of the local medical facility was a little scary.

There were many small restaurants but we decided to return to the ship for lunch. I was having enough problems with a bad cold.

The streets were narrow but during midday quite passable for both vehicles and pedestrians.

An example of the intricate designs typical of traditional Indian architecture.

We searched for a small carpet at some of the better shops. Sadly the wanted more money.

We visited the local Jewish cemetery.

We stopped at a beetle nut factory. Even though it was brutally hot in the street, it was quite cool in this building.

Looking down "Jew Street".

This synagogue on "Jew Street" dates to the 1500's.

Jew Street.

We bought this carpet in a small shop on Jew Street.