We landed in Cochin, the capital of the Indian state of Kerala (pronounced Carrolla). We had gotten up at 5:00 am to face Indian Immigration at 6:00 am. The plan was to be on board our buses by 7:00 for a quick tour of the city and then off to the airport.
Our first stop was at St. Francis Church which is the site of the oldest Catholic church in India. St. Francis has been rebuilt and renovated several times. So, the current structure is several hundred years newer but still dates back to the 17th century. St. Francis is also the site where Vasco Da Gama, the explorer was buried, although his remains have since been moved.
Our next stop was the beach on an island section of Cochin. There we watched the operation of giant Chinese fishing nets.
From the beach we were taken to the airport for our flight to Delhi. Upon our arrival in Delhi, after a four and one half hour flight, we were presented with a marigold lei …
Then we were taken to the Lakshmi Narayan Temple. This Hindu temple is dedicated to the god Shiva and his consort, Lakshmi. We were allowed to wander through the temple but not to take pictures.
Next we were driven around the diplomatic enclave in Delhi but it was getting quite dark.
Finally we were taken to our hotel, fed an Indian buffet and off to bed …