Where have the spices gone....

I am fascinated by Kochi.....It has an old world charm. It speaks of Vasco da Gama landing and swooning with the aroma, redolent of spices.
It speaks of the gracious Raja who not only allowed Jews to settle in his kingdom but permitted them to build a Synagogue.
The antique shops always a pleasure for a quiet afternoon of browsing.
What intrigues me however are these majestic doors, beautiful doors leading to once prosperous warehouses laden with spices of such a variety.
What stories do these doors speak off? Surely they must be narrating tales of those glorious days when the spice trade was at its peak.
On one of my walks around, I stumbled upon an open door leading into a vast courtyard, which touched a river. The courtyard had its own wharf and I could imagine, coolies staggering under heavy sacks, crossing a plank, dumping those sacks laden with precious spices bound for distant shores.
On that day however, there was hardly any activity, the air was warm, scented with the smell of drying ginger did it have the spicy tinge of cardamom, it did.
On a wooden bench slept an old man and on the arm of a chair slept a tabby cat, what a picture of contentment a picture of peace....

Mattanchery and its magnificent antiques......

One thing you can always be sure of in Mattanchery are the antiques, so many shops and such a variety. Whether an antique lover or not there always will be something for you.....Sadly much of the stuff is hardly of a good quality and the prices are well, sometimes very expensive.
But one place that really has very good stuff although expensive is the  Crafters Antique store.  A huge store it has practically any article you are looking for, ranging from huge wooden columns and intricately carved doors to tiny lamps and metal statues.
Browsing through its well organised rooms you are lost in time, the rear of the showroom overlooking the sea, women polishing wooden articles and everywhere you are enveloped with the smell of wax polish.
So much to see......Out of those thousands of articles what really caught my eye was this lion trying to look oh so ferocious, did he succeed maybe he did, it is after all in the eye of the beholder 





Another article which never fails to amaze visitors is a huge Varppu, now a Varppu is generally used in Kerala to cook rice  and this one could have fed an entire village. Made specially for Crafters Antique it has a diameter of 12 feet and weighs 3184 kgs.
No do not try to buy it. It is not for sale !