Start with the visit of the famous Chinese Fishing Nets of Cochin. The huge cantilevered Chinese fishing nets that droop towards the waters like oversized hammocks have become a hallmark that represents Fort Kochi on every postcard. Next stop at the Steam boilers, standing harmlessly at one end of the Kochi Beach. They were once the powerful boilers that pushed a ship across the ocean in Cochin Dry Dock for twenty years from 1956. It used coke, coal, and firewood as fuel. Head to the nearby Fort Immanuel, a bastion of the Portuguese in Kochi and build in 1503, it was a symbol of the strategic alliance between the Maharajah of Kochi and the Monarch of Portugal. By 1806 the Dutch, and later the British, had destroyed most of the fort walls and its bastions. Today, remains of this once imposing structure can be seen along the beach. The next visit is to the St.Francis CSI Church, the oldest European church in India built in 1503, where the Portuguese explorer Vasco de Gama was originally buried. Pass by the Santa Cruz Basilica, one of the finest and imposing churches in India. Follow your local journey with a tuk-tuk ride – the most popular mode of transport among the localities, go along with your local tour and stop at the Dhobi Khana (laundry station), established by the Dutch in 1720 for washing their army uniforms. A group of washer folk continues to toil as they have done for more than half a century. Continue through the small streets of Mattanchery, and arrive at the Fruit market on Palace road where locals get a variety of fresh and organic produces at bargained prices. Don’t miss a stop at the Spice Market too, where the exotic odor of the finest ginger, cloves, cardamom, turmeric, and pepper emanate from the spice warehouses lining the street. Make a pause and have one “meter tea” at one of the tea stalls. Later on, take an opportunity to interact with a Brahmin Family in their home. The Brahmin is the highest of the four Hindu castes of priests and scholars of Vedic literature, their traditional occupation is to conduct rites at marriages, births, and other auspicious occasions. While there, you will observe a Kolam demonstration and find out about this traditional custom of drawing in the entrance of the house with sparkling powders or fresh flowers, to invite the Goddess Laxmi to bring luck and prosperity. You will also be invited to a Konkan family in their house to try out some squiggly lines drawn on your hands.