Expats in Kochi?

Coupled

Hi there,

My fiance and I are moving to Kerala in a few weeks. We are two young Londoners seeking a different lifestyle to the London life!

We don't know anyone out there and would so love to get involved with the local culture and having people to meet would be so awesome!

We hope to settle around Cochi renting somewhere but initially we want to book a resort for 2 weeks to get acclimatized.

We love our yoga, healthy living and have a hungry sense of adventure!


Any help will be gratefully received!

Ben and Yos

Dimitrz

Hi Ben & Yos

Welcome to India and Kerala.

Ideally resort is the last place that you would use to get acclimitazed in India. Plus Hotels and resorts in Kerala tend to be a bit on the expensive side so do your home work.

Kumarakom is a Lake near to Cochin or Kochi if you are planning on staying in a resort for a while this would be a good place to go

http://www.thepaul.in/
http://www.kumarakomtourism.org/

Try these links and the resorts ?(rates and so on)

I have personally nevr stayed in the above resort so no comments on that aspect.

If you are planning to be in the Cochin city then you can try Le-Meridian hotel in Cochin (its a hotel and not a resort) but price wise wont make much of a difference

When it comes to renting a house / apartment get the help of your Indian collegue to act as the front end to avoid the rent getting steeped up


Cheers

On second thought skip www.thePaul.in its freaking expensive irrationaly

Sephi

Hi guys,
we've been living in Delhi since 2002 and have recently decided to move to Kerala/Cochin.
we have just come back form Cochin yesterday and am looking at moving into a house on the back waters within a few months.

we are married with one daughter and expecting twins this summer so we are not exactly in the same place in life :-) but let's talk and try to help each other.

my email is sephi.bergerson@gmail.com
would love to hear from you soon.

indiaprof

Coupled,

If you stay with Mr. and Mrs. David at Delight guest house, on the Parade Ground, they can help you quickly gather a wealth of information about other ex-pat settlers in Kochi, houses, local contacts, etc. The ex-pat community in Kochi has grown considerably in recent years, and quite a few foreigners have opened up thriving businesses.

They're a very friendly couple themselves. Mr. David used to be a stockbroker, but retired to turn his old Portuguese-era house into a hotel. Flowry (Mrs. David) is also a font of information.

Frangipani

if anyone knows of a club for expats to meet up - or keen to form one?

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machadinha

There is in fact a Kochi Meetups thread. Don't think it's very active, but it would just require a member to revive it by calling for a meet to hopefully make it so

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Twinkle

Hi Ben and Yos

Did you move to Cochin? Did you find any expats? I am a 30 year old NZ woman who has just moved to Fort Cochin in early March (I have also escaped the London rat race).

Let me know if you are here and want to meet up sometime! Im keen to make new friends so send me a private message with your email/phone if you would like to meet!

Chloe :-)

Raghu.Kumar

Hi Sephi,

Have you guys moved to Cochin ? Please tell us about the place and the house you have choosen on the backwaters. I guess it should be exciting to reside there.

Raghu

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S.Raghu Kumar
sahana_kumar@yahoo.com

armartin

Hello all,

Can't believe I found this thread! We are expats from the U.S. and have been living in Kochi since December 2007. We have no children. It's been very changeling for us, specially recently when trying to move in to another flat. We would love to meet others and get together! We live in a highrise apartment complex in Edapally. Please email me at hoosierh3@cfl.rr.com. Also, if I can be of any help regarding Kochi, please let me know by email.

Looking forward to hearing from Kochi Expats!

Angela and Steven

ithin

Is Kochi still have that mosquito problems? Especially being closer to back waters. I lived in Kochi for sometime ago. It was a bit tough.

If you move little more to Angamaly or near the airport, it might be better I would think. Rent will be cheaper too. But you may need a transportation of your own.

armartin

Yes, mosquitos are a problem. Most houses and apartments are not air tight and have openings which allow mosquitos in. We have asked for screens to be put the open areas.
My husband works in Kakkanad. We moved to Edapally so we wouldn't be too far from his work and from town. We have to get taxi's on our own which has been a problem in the year and half we've been here. One because of the language barrier and two they tend to overcharge us a lot.

ithin

I would say you engage one Taxi man and get his contact number etc. Usually they will make arrangements for you even if he cannot make it. This loyalty thing always work there. Make friend with one of them at least.

I have noticed some educated guys also doing the Taxi service. Unemployment is very high. Also there are some private car owners who provide this service. In Thrissur, we used to have some car companies who rent cars and drivers. I am sure Kochi will have plenty of them. If you need anything in thrissur area, let me know, I may be able to help.

armartin

Thanks ithin! Went to my dentist appointment yesterday and my doctor said he knows someone who has a driver for us. yeah!!

jot20

Hi all,

We are another London couple after a different life. I will be coming to Kochi in October. I am a clinical psychologist so am looking for opportunities to get involved in projects or organisations where I can utilise some of my training. I would love to know how all of you who are there have been getting on - if you are happy with where you live, and what kind of work you do?

I cant wait to come!

Jo

niajane

Hello all,

Wow Jo, it looks like we have the same idea. My partner and I (ages 30 and 28) are also thinking of moving from London to Kochi in October. I'm involved in human rights law and will hopefully intern at an organisation based in Kochi for a few months. My partner's a teacher and will be possibily be working online.

It's early days and we're still not 100% decided. I'd also be very interested to hear everyone's stories - why you moved, what it's like to live there, the best places to live etc etc. And Jo, I'd be interested to know more about your plans, and maybe we can help eachother out!

I'm currently at my desk in london, whiling the hours away dreaming of india....!

Nia