Fort Cochin

This morning we took the 6:55 train to Cochin, a six hour ride. We rode in the first class air-conditioned wagon this time. The countryside of Kerala is truly magnificent. Kerala is appropriatly called the land of the coconut trees as we see millions of these beautiful trees everywhere and there are so many rivers, marshlands with bird life, rice paddies and canals.

I was reading in my guide book about the agricultural problems India has had in recent years. It seems the much touted "Green Revolution" contributed to a growing disparity of wealth and has driven many poor farmers to give up and move to the urban slums or even to commit suicide. Free trade agreements (pushed by both Clinton and Bush) have limited government provided help for farmers who find it hard to pay for the seeds and chemicals required. There have been many protests. In Bangalore, I was reading in the papers about an upcoming conference of organic farmers. 50,000 was the expected attendance.

Cochin is a very old city and there is quite a bit of tourism in the area known as Fort Cochi. The Portuguese established themselves here and had two churches built in the 16th century. Then the Dutch took over, followed by the British until India's independence.