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Bob Winning

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Cochin

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  • Cochin Airport, location to the 1/100-second!
  • Kerala (pronounced Ker'-ella), is a state of India, hugging the extreme southwest coast. It has a long history of international trade, and to this day its population is split among Syrian Christians, Jews, Hindus and Muslims. Portuguese traders were an important influence. The tradition of valuing education above all has resulted in the most progressive state in India and a large Middle class. Its dominant political party is the Communist Party, but in spite of the occasional hammer and sicle poster, the economy is apparently pretty much free trade and there is no government health care and little welfare. In practice, it seems to fall to the right of, say, California! It is the cleanest, most prosperous of the three states we visited on this trip, and more prosperous and cleaner than any of the six states we visited previously (years ago).
  • Good roads, but hair raising traffic with traffic hugging the center of the road, impatiently, i.e., blasting away on the horn, awaiting the opportunity to pass the vehicle in front.
  • This bus collided head on with a compact car while passing, and then it veered off to the correct side of the road and was further creamed by a big tree. Four fatalities, all in the car.
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  • One of thousands of roadside fruit stands
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  • German bicycle tourists, the only cyclists in India wearing helmets, but suicidal nevertheless.
  • Our first Hindu temple (left and next picture). The tall structure is purpose-built for a festival and will be removed after a day or two.
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  • Beautifully decorated by proud owners, who nevertheless drive like maniacs, with one hand on the horn and the other holding a cell phone.
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  • The lobby of our hotel (the Dream) in Cochin (formerly Kochi and still referred to as Kochi by many, if not most, locals).
  • A "Dancing Shiva," (stomping on a demon), one of the most common versions of Shiva.
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  • Preparing body makeup for a Kathakali performance. Kathakali is a 16th Century dance/drama with elements of folk and martial art, in spite of which it is eminently watchable, partly because it is mercifully short. It was one of the high spots of the trip, and the painted faces, especially the green one, appear everywhere in India, in ads, religious pictures and posters, in short, anyplace depicting Indian culture. The performance's story is too convoluted to recount here (or anywhere).
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