From Cochin to Murmagao/Goa India - April 5h

We have sailed from Cochin to Murmagao/Goa India and are about to go out to see THE HURCHES OF GOA.  St. Francis Xavier is buried here and his remains are supposedly uncorrupted.  I’ll let you know.

In Cochin, we took a late afternoon cruise and saw a lovely sunset, colorful fishing boats and the Chinese style fishing nets still in use here. 

I have tried to include photos of these as well as one if people attending Holy Thursday Mass and listening to a loud speaker as the church was so full they could not fit in to sit. 

The fishermen are almost all Catholic (Kerala Province or State is 20% Christian, the highest of any area in India). Then we went to a lovely old hotel (I cannot imagine what you would do there after a two night stay because the area around it is very poor)  and had a very Indian dinner.  Of course, that means I did not eat much as once again, the spices were too much for me. 

We were entertained before dinner with some Kalakhali (spelling?) dancing.  It is a mime type presentation if a story set to drum and cymbal with chanting throughout.  One performance is probably enough. 

We were told these could go on for hours but half an hour was quite sufficient.

Last night we attended a Seder Dinner with the small contingent of Jewish people on the ship.  A rabbi came aboard at the same time as the priest and Father Alan told us at Mass that we were invited to attend and so many of us did.  The rabbi had said they really needed a few more participants to make it more festive, so we became honorary Jews.  I did not think to take my camera because I thought of it more as a religious service, but it turned out to be only partly so. The rabbi’s wife told me (with a wink and a nod) that the wine was much better than they would usually have because the ship had no kosher wine.

Happy Easter to all.

Love, ME