Cochin is one of the leading cities in the state of Kerala, a name that supposedly means land coconuts, a steamy tropical coastal metropolis with a diverse blend of cultures. By most measures Kerala is one of India's most advanced states with highest income and literacy rates, something apparent in Cochin's large port facilities and skyscrapers. The cosmopolitanism is a result of hundreds of years of trade with the Arab world, early proselytizing by Christians, and colonization by Portuguese, Dutch, and British, giving the state more religious and cultural diversity than many other parts of India. Cochin even had a substantial Jewish population before emigration to Israel and is home to the oldest synagogue in the British commonwealth.

Physically Cochin consists of a main urban center on the mainland called Ernakulam and several peninsulas and barrier islands on the ocean side of the harbor and inland waterway - think of a geography similar to that of the Miami area . The historic areas of touristic interest, the Dutch colonial area called Fort Cochin and the old Jewish neighborhood of Mattancherry are located near the Indian Ocean on one such peninsula and require a trip by ferry from the urban core to visit.

Although a pleasant tropical colonial town overall, I didn't find Cochin's historical attractions - several churches, a synagogue, a Dutch cemetery, a few small museums, and quaint streets to be too impressive. I managed a really good lunch at a swanky boutique hotel named Malabar House and enjoyed watching fishermen use the s-called Chinese fishing nets along shore to catch seafood, called such because the age-old technology allegedly came from China.

 Kerala's best known art form is Kathakali, a dramatized presentation of a play based on Hindu epics like the Ramayana and Mahabharata with preachy themes about righteousness and good prevailing over evil. Drummers accompany the actors who tell the story through precise movements, particularly hand gestures and eye movements and specific makeup. We went to an evening Kathakali performance, one that was interesting but somewhat lost on someone like myself who doesn't know the stories the dancers were supposed to be representing.