a series of travel images from India, Kerala, Kochi (Cochin), known locally as the "Queen of the Arabian Sea". Kochi was an important spice trading centre on the west coast of India from the 14th century onward. Trading with Arab merchants it became a Portuguese colony in 1503. Kochi was the first of the European settlements. The city was later occupied by the Dutch and the British. After exploring some of its colonial past we visit Periyar Wildlife Sanctuary and tour the backwaters near Alappuzha (formerly Alleppey).