Kerala - Ernakulam & Kochi!

 

On third day, 11th November morning at 10, we reached Ernakulam. While porter carried our luggage, we walked to the hotel as it is hardly a couple of minutes from the station. Shalimar Residency was the name of the hotel where we stayed while in Ernakulam.

After freshen up, we served the breakfast and as well as lunch by 1p.m. We decided to take small nap which was much needed after 46 hours journey but we have to venture out at 3 for Kochi city. After driving through the marine drive by a bus our sightseeing in Kochi mostly was done by boat on Kochi Lake. The boat was

Ernakulam

Ernakulam widely referred to as Kochi constitutes the eastern, mainland portion of the twin cities of Ernakulam - Kochi in central Kerala. The city is the most urban part of Kochi and has lent its name to the Ernakulam district. Ernakulam is called the commercial capital of the state of Kerala. The Kerala High Court, the Office of the Corporation of Cochin and the Cochin Stock Exchange are situated here. Initially, Ernakulam was the headquarters of the Ernakulam District but was later shifted to Kakkanad. Ernakulam was once the capital of the Kingdom of Cochin.

Marine Drive

The marine drive is the place which situated Kochi Lake and the adjoining Arabian Sea to its west. In the 1980s, started the Kochi Marine Drive project (following from the Mumbai Marine Drive) and thus the whole of the present Marine Drive (part of the Kochi Lake, west of the Shanmugham Road to the present Marine Walkway) was claimed from the Kochi Lake.

Kochi

Kochi is located on the southwest coast of India. The city straddles the backwaters, encompassing the northern end of a peninsula, several islands and a portion of the mainland. To the west lies the Arabian Sea, and to the east is the urbanized region in the rest of the mainland area. Much of Kochi lies at sea level, with a coastline of 48 km.  Ernakulam district, in which Kochi is situated, ranks first in the total number of domestic tourists visiting Kerala, and thus contributes to the economy of the city. The tourist enclave at Fort Kochi and presence of several historical monuments, museums etc. as well as natural attractions like the Vembanad lake and the backwaters attract large number of tourists to the city. Presence of several leading hospitality brands have been a major source of employment for locals.

!!!The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page. - Saint Augustine!!!