Kochi has changed, like all other cities in India. It has expanded and has also become busier. On reaching Kochi during peak hours, I realised how difficult it had become to commute through the busy areas. It took me a very long time to get to my hotel. Kochi has grown very fast in recent years. Even a few years ago, things looked quite different.
This time, I planned to approach my Kochi travel differently—to visit places where I had not been before. But yes, I still kept Fort Kochi on my itinerary. Some places are familiar for a reason, and Fort Kochi, with its old-world charm, is one of them.
Starting with the Churches of Kochi
I started with my list of churches. As I mentioned earlier, I will cover all the churches in a separate post. (Read my previous post.) After that, it was time to visit the same old Fort Kochi, where I have been many times before.
Fort Kochi has always attracted me with its old-world charm. No matter how many times I visit, there is always something that makes me look at it a little differently.
Mr Bahanan advised me to take the Kochi Water Metro to reach Fort Kochi while he would drive to the jetty there. (Read my previous post to know about Mr Bahanan.)
A Cool Ride on the Kochi Water Metro
At the ticket counter, I was told that the next Water Metro to Fort Kochi would leave in another 45 minutes. If I was alright with the waiting time, they could give me the ticket.
I had no problem waiting, so I purchased the ticket and settled into the clean, cool waiting area. The neat, well-lit, temperature-controlled and almost empty waiting hall offered me welcome respite from the hot and humid climate outside. I relaxed there until my air-conditioned Water Metro arrived.
The Kochi Water Metro is a sustainable, eco-friendly and efficient mode of transportation for the people of Kochi. Various parts of the city are connected through waterways by battery-powered electric boats manufactured by Cochin Shipyard Limited. Kochi is the first city in India to be connected by Water Metro services. The project aims to reduce traffic congestion sustainably and innovatively by making use of the city’s intricate network of waterways.
The Kochi Water Metro also has a beautiful tagline—“Think Blue, Go Green.”
For me, it was also simply a pleasant way to travel. Instead of sitting in Kochi’s traffic, I was sitting comfortably on a boat, watching the city from the water. A short and very comfortable ride took me to Fort Kochi.
I found Mr Bahanan waiting at the jetty with his car. Keeping the car parked, I decided to explore Fort Kochi on foot.
Walking Through Fort Kochi
After having a hearty gelato from a newly opened gelato place and chatting with the local owner and his Italian wife, I made my way to the gorgeous Santa Cruz Roman Catholic Cathedral. From there, I went to the small Jail of Freedom Struggle.
Beside the Fort Kochi police station, the Jail of Freedom Struggle is one of those places that can easily be missed while wandering through the more familiar sights of Fort Kochi. The small colonial-era prison is believed to date back to the 19th century, with eight tiny cells, each fitted with a simple concrete sleeping platform. It was later associated with the freedom movement and is said to have been used to hold political prisoners before they were transferred to other jails.
The building was restored and opened to visitors as a heritage site, offering a glimpse into a less glamorous side of Fort Kochi’s colonial past.
For me, standing inside those narrow cells was more evocative than looking at a conventional museum display. The bare walls, iron-barred doors and cramped spaces made the idea of imprisonment feel surprisingly real. Something is sobering about remembering that places like this were once part of the machinery of colonial rule, while today they stand quietly amid the busy streets of Fort Kochi.
A Traditional Kerala Sadhya
After a quick visit to Fort Kochi, I asked Mr Bahanan to take me to a traditional sadhya place. Who could be a better person than a local to guide me in such cases?
He took me to a restaurant where he said he comes with his family to have Onam feast. I was overjoyed to see the traditional spread served on a banana leaf, with a variety of items ranging from pickles and curd-chilli to palada payasam.
I enjoyed every item on the spread. There is something special about having a traditional meal at a place recommended by a local, rather than simply choosing a restaurant from a list.
After a sumptuous meal, I headed to the nearby church, the details of which I will share later. After spending some time there, I headed towards my favourite location—the Vypin Island Lighthouse.
Vypin Island and Its Lighthouse
Vypin, or Vypeen Island, is one of the largest of the Goshree Islands. It is connected to the mainland by a series of three bridges starting at Kalamukku. Vypin Island was formed after the major floods of 1341.
The island is known for many attractions, including Cherai Beach, Kuzhuppilly Beach, Puthuvype Beach, Munambam Beach and Munambam Fishing Harbour. There are also many temples, such as Elamkunnapuzha Subrahmanya Temple, Cherai Temple, Palathankulangara Devi Temple and Azeekal Varahamoorthy Temple.
Among all these places, I had already chosen mine—the lighthouse.
There are two ways to reach Vypin Island—one by road and the other by waterway. By waterway, there are two options: the normal ferry and the modern and sophisticated Water Metro.
I travelled to Vypin by road and reached the 46-metre-tall lighthouse at Puthuvype on the green and serene Vypin Island. The lighthouse has ridged sides that make it quite different from the other lighthouses I have visited before.
This lighthouse is relatively new and has an elevator facility. This reduces the climb considerably, leaving only about two or three storeys to climb at the final tapered top of the lighthouse.
The Story of the Puthuvype Lighthouse
Now listen to the story of the lighthouse from the horse’s mouth—or rather, read the history of the lighthouse from its own website.
The history of the lighthouse goes back to 1839, when the first lighthouse was established at Fort Cochin. Over the years, the structure and its lighting system went through several changes. A taller tower was eventually planned, but since suitable land was not available in the Fort Cochin area, the lighthouse was shifted to Puthuvype and commissioned in 1979.
The lighthouse continued to be upgraded over the years, including improvements to its lighting system and the installation of an elevator in 2015.
The deck of the lighthouse offers an astounding view of the surroundings. I was the only visitor at that time of the day, and I enjoyed my own lighthouse moment in this beautiful place.
I took multiple shots, enjoyed the breeze to my heart’s content and stayed there for a while before deciding it was time to come down.
From the Lighthouse to Kadamakudy
Mr Bahanan then drove me to the Kadamakudy backwaters.
The Kadamakudy backwaters feel like stepping into a much quieter Kerala. Spread across a cluster of fourteen small islands, the region is a beautiful mix of shimmering waterways, green Pokkali paddy fields, coconut palms, mangroves and little fishing villages.
What I loved most about Kadamakudy was that it did not feel like a place designed solely for tourists. Life here seemed to follow its own unhurried rhythm—fishermen going about their work, birds skimming over the water and villagers moving between the fields and islands.
As I watched the reflections of the palms ripple across the backwaters, Kochi’s busy urban landscape felt surprisingly far away. For me, that quiet, unpretentious beauty is what makes Kadamakudy such a special part of Kochi.
A Different Side of Kochi
Kadamakudy is also connected via the Water Metro. I was very impressed to see how the Water Metro network has beautifully connected different parts of Kochi. It was interesting to see how the same mode of transport that had taken me to Fort Kochi could also take me closer to these quieter islands.
I waited there to watch the sunset. After the heat, traffic and bustle of the city, sitting beside the backwaters and watching the day slowly come to an end was a perfect way to finish my Kochi travel.
Then I returned to my hotel.
The next day, I was supposed to visit the Thattekad Bird Sanctuary. I have already written the blog post on it at the very beginning of this series on Kerala.
Looking back, this turned out to be quite a different way of experiencing Kochi. I had visited some of these places before, but travelling by Water Metro, walking through Fort Kochi, spending some quiet time at the Vypin lighthouse and ending the day at Kadamakudy allowed me to see a side of the city that I had not really noticed before.
Read about my previous visit to Kochi.
Read about Thattekad Bird Sanctuary.
Read about Thiruvananthapuram.
Looks wonderful!
Thank you 🙂