Sunday, Mar 1st, Calicut, India

Greetings!

In 1498, Vasco de Gama landed three ships full of soldiers near here intent on routing the existing Arab, Chinese, and Jewish settlements, and securing the sole authority to buy fabrics which he would trade in Indonesia for spices grown there.  Eighty years earlier, Portuguese ships had sailed around the coast of Africa establishing trading rights for gold, ivory and pepper.  Extending their control during the time when Europe was devastated by the Black Plague, they added slaves, tobacco, and tea to their cargo.

India proved to be Vasco's last journey, and he died on his third voyage here in 1524.  But the Portuguese occupation lasted 150 more years, and Portugal provided the formula for the Dutch East India Company in 1663, and the British East India Company in 1814, to spin local materials into what the world knows now as Calico.

But though we saw textile-making (Tasara Weaving Center), and boats and ships today, our journey led us north along the Kerala coast by train.  Calicut is Kerala's second largest city, and is its economic engine.  After being supported by our wonderful set of drivers in Kochi, we reunited with Bijou at the Calicut train station, and picked up Nirmesh Kumar as our guide for the day.  His knowledge of Calicut helped us grasp the complexities of its multi-cultural/religious/linguistic communities, and he and Bijou navigated quickly through the crowded Sunday traffic and shopping districts.

We just finished dinner at The Raviz Hotel, and saw some of the many beautiful eagles from our 11th story window (a little too dark), but will try again tomorrow morning before we leave.

To see the rest of the photos taken today, click on Sunday, Mar 1st, Calicut, India.