"Welcome to God’s own country" .

Kochi is a major port city by the Arabian Sea in the beautiful state of Kerala. It is also known sometimes as Ernakulum which is the main part of the city. Kochi was an important center for spice trading in India and it was the first European colonies in India ruled by Portuguese. Kochi is the best city of Kerala and ranks 6th among the best tourist destinations in India. The city experiences a tropical monsoon type of climate and at times high level of humidity is seen. The city is mainly known for its spice trading activities and be it were Chinese, Arabs, Portuguese, all came here to trade in spices and till today Kochi has the best spice in the country as well as in the world. Most of the people speak Malayalam over here. There is a good number of Christians and Muslims residing here as the result of Portuguese and Arabic invasion over here.

The markets in kochi are full of life and energy. Fort kochi which houses the maximum number of historical monuments in the city also has excellent markets to shop on. Jew Street in this area is a big shopping hub. Mattancherry is famous for its antique items like brass items, wooden jewellery boxes etc. You can also fetch spices, coffee and tea from here. As Kochi is a port city so the costal food are available in abundance over here. Famous south Indian Fish curry and rice is the best choice in a restaurant named ‘The rice boat’. Street food mostly comprises of chicken and beef which is being sold here by Muslims and Christians. Rest all the leading food joints are present in the city but I would prefer being desi and Traditional.

It is a major promenade in the city of Kochi and is always occupied with people. It is built facing the backwaters and at the time of evening it is very picturesque. The walkway is from High court to Rajendra Maidan and it is most economically sound place in the city. It has best of the shopping malls and skyscraper buildings.

It is a church in fort kochi area and it is said to be one of the most impressive churches of India. Along with the place of worship it is seen as monument of historic significance and colors which remind us of Gothic Structure. It was originally erected by Portuguese but later in 1887 it was reconstructed by the British.

This church is also located in Fort Kochi area and it is the oldest European Church in India. The dead body of Vasco da Gama who died in the same city was buried inside this church for fourteen years. But after wards it was moved to Lisbon. Still you can see the gravestone of Vasco da Gama on the ground at the southern side.

This temple is known as the city temple of Ernakulam and worships Lord Shiva as its main deity. The temple is situated in the downtown of the city and was one of the 7 royal temples of Kochi Maharajas. The Lingam of Lord Shiva which is situated in the main sanctum of the temple is said to be Swayambhoo which means it emerged by its own and thus holds a greater importance.

This is a international stadium situated in the city of Kochi and it was built in the year 1996. It has a seating capacity of around 60000 spectators which makes it one of the biggest stadiums of India after Eden gardens Kolkata. It was originally made for football but these days Cricket has completely got hold of it and the stadium has hosted a number of international cricket matches. The stadium has a unique lighting system and when they are put on during the matches they provide the full support for the HD telecast of the matches which is one of its kinds in India.

This is another Beach in the city of Kochi and is located 25kms. away from the main city. It is situated in Vypin Island and I must say it is a best place to hang out with your loved ones as there is not much crowd over here like Marine Drive and the atmosphere is very quite. The beach is very clean with its blue waters and most of the visitors are the children of the nearby schools who come here to swim and have fun as there is adequate level of security for the public in the beach.