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Sri Lanka and India Day 6: To India

22 February 2016 • 694 km / 431 mi (map)

We said goodbye to Sri Lanka this morning and flew across the Gulf of Mannar to Kochi, India. Our driver took us from the airport to our hotel by way of a short ferry ride, which was quite the experience as you will see shortly.

But first … we loved the people on today’s safety video.

Bandaranaike International Airport, Columbo, Western Province, Sri Lanka

Driving in India is “anything goes.” Somehow, it all works out, but it can be a bit hair-raising.

Anything Goes · Aluva, Kerala, India

Some of the scenery as we drove along the waterfront at one point.

Waterfront Drive · Ernakulam, Kerala, India

And now, waiting in line for our turn to board the ferry in Vypin. We had some time to get out and walk about.

A waterfront road in Vypin, Kerala lined with parked vehicles including a silver Toyota SUV with a yellow Indian number plate and white vans, with people and motorbikes gathered near the shore in the late afternoon. Lush banana plants and leafy trees frame the scene, and a yellow building marked “Hotel” stands on the right with the sea visible in the distance.
Vypin, Kerala, India
A weathered Indian street scene outside Hotel Sealand, with peeling yellow and red building facades covered in posters and blue ‘HOTEL’ signs. People stand and walk along the road past parked motorcycles, with a blue street-food cart and a vendor cooking on the right, beneath leafy trees in warm late-afternoon light.
Vypin, Kerala, India
A waterfront scene in Vypin, Kerala, where a woman in a purple and pink salwar kameez stands on a rocky embankment beneath a large leafy tree on the right. An orange ferry crosses the calm water in the distance, with a large cargo ship and a hazy shoreline visible under a pale sky.
Vypin, Kerala, India
An open paved square in Vypin, Kerala, with large spreading trees lining the far side, where cars and rows of motorbikes are parked. A few pedestrians cross the empty foreground lot, with low shops and signboards along the left edge under a hazy late-afternoon sky.
Vypin, Kerala, India

We didn’t make it onto this ferry, but it was fun watching the “loading process.” A little bit different from what I’m used to back home with the Washington State Ferries.

Ferry Loading · Vypin, Kerala, India
An orange ferry marked “Cochin Service IV” crowded with passengers crosses calm harbor water near Vypin, Kerala, with low buildings on the far shore under a hazy sky. In the foreground a concrete boat ramp leads to the water, and a large tree, posters, and a man in a white lungi stand along the embankment at right.
Vypin, Kerala, India
A yellow fishing boat moves across a wide expanse of calm blue-grey water under a hazy pale blue sky, with a distant low skyline of buildings on the horizon. A bird flies low over the water in the foreground, and a red navigation buoy floats to the right.
Vypin, Kerala, India
A weathered wooden and bamboo structure of poles tied together with rope stands in calm backwaters, with a tiled-roof pavilion on a jetty to the left and a low green shoreline with a fishing boat in the distance under a hazy pale sky at dusk.
Vypin, Kerala, India
A crowded orange ferry marked “Cochin Service” carries dozens of passengers and several vehicles across calm water under a hazy grey sky, with a low town skyline of buildings and palm trees on the far shore and a tree branch overhanging from the upper right.
Fort Vypin, Vypin, Kerala, India
Three men ride in a small open boat painted green with red, yellow, and white stripes along its hull, motoring across calm water at Fort Vypin in Kerala, India. One man stands at the bow while two others sit near a cardboard box; a larger white passenger ferry and a tree-lined shore with tall light poles are visible in the hazy background.
Fort Vypin, Vypin, Kerala, India
A green wooden fishing boat named “Alister” moored near the shore in calm water at dusk, with a large tree overhanging it on the right and Chinese fishing nets and a white passenger ferry visible in the hazy background.
Fort Vypin, Vypin, Kerala, India

Once we did get underway, the views across the water during this hazy sunset were spectacular. I especially enjoyed the cantilevered Chinese fishing nets.

A passenger ferry crowded with people glides across hazy water at sunset, with the sun a soft pale disc low in the orange sky. On the right, traditional cantilevered Chinese fishing nets are silhouetted along the shore, while a large container ship and smaller fishing boats sit on the horizon.
Vypin-Fort Kochi Ferry, Vypin, Kerala, India
A hazy orange sun sinks toward the horizon over the sea off Vypin, Kerala, silhouetting a large container ship emitting smoke and several smaller fishing boats. A seagull glides across the pinkish sky on the right while other birds dot the distance.
Vypin-Fort Kochi Ferry, Vypin, Kerala, India
Cantilevered Chinese fishing nets silhouetted against a hazy pink sky at sunset, with the orange sun setting behind them over the water at Fort Kochi. Small boats and distant figures dot the calm sea on the right, and the sun’s reflection shimmers across the water.
Vypin-Fort Kochi Ferry, Vypin, Kerala, India

So much to explore; we’re excited to check out more of Kerala over the next several days.

Hikkaduwa, Sri Lanka, to Kochi, Kerala, India · 694 km / 431 mi
(Mouse over or tap on the markers to see the photos there. Use the button to adjust the map’s position and zoom.)

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