Portuguese Touch Throughout Nehru Park for Children

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What I had to pay attention to was the feeling of heart that wasn’t satisfied yet in witnessing the busyness of the local fishermen who were absorbed in taking care of their catch.

The sun had begun to slip from its highest point, slowly losing its sting, bowing to the twilight that begins to rule the day.

Meanwhile I, with a heavy heart, got up from my seat under the tent that was set up a few fathoms from the beach. A while later I had joined myself in the increasingly bustling currents of River Road. The flow of travelers seemed to refer to the preparation of natural attractions which were none other than the setting of the sun on the western horizon, all of which would occur in the next few hours. The clear sky seemed to be fully supporting the natural attractions later that afternoon.

Not only tourists, but the decline of the sun from the highest throne combined with the calm coast of Fort Kochi also made a flock of crows land on the ground and enjoyed the atmosphere. That black animal seemed to dissolve in joy by busily scavenging for food from the leftovers that had fallen from the travelers’ grasp, one or two of them seemed busy collecting fallen hanging roots which I suspected would be used to make nests and the rest were just busy chirping in thanks for the cool afternoon.

Then I was stunned at an inscription on the side of the road. I nodded reading stroke after scratch inscribed on the inscription. Meanwhile, other travelers joined in following my actions. Of course, they also wanted to understand the important information contained in the inscription. Let’s just say, the travelers and I understood it pretty well in the end.

Do you understand an inscription like this?….. Hahaha.

Let’s forcibly conclude that the inscription is the token of endorsement of the garden plot in front of me. Inside, residents seemed to be enjoying the coolness of the park by leaning on the available benches, some others were seen sitting on concrete benches scattered at several points.

City parks……Why do I like presenting myself in that type of landscape?

Guys…..To find out the life atmosphere of the lower middle class, then looking at the city parks in the area concerned could be the most effective step apart from visiting the traditional markets. Therefore, a city park is a type of destination that can’t be separated from my stopover goals wherever I explore.

Entering it, at all points, fish sculptures seemed to dominate the park architecture which according to my observations had an area of no less than two hectares.

Fish?…..

Of course, a conclusion can be drawn…..Fish is a symbol of the main livelihood of the people of Fort Kochi who inhabit the Malabar Coastline.

The age of the trees that shade the entire park from the sun could probably describe how old the park was. And somehow the joy of the park in the night because of the presence of lampposts in all directions.

The concept is intended for children, of course, children’s playgrounds are installed massively throughout the park’s area. Slides, swivel chairs, and swings are standard rides.

Northside park gate.
There are so many fish statues….Why is that child peeing carelessly?…. Hahaha.
Look at those locals!
The children weren’t yet present….Maybe soon.
Well, Let’s play the swivel chair!
Green Cochin Mission Post.
A typical Portuguese building that dates back to the 1800s.
Wow, I wanted to go crazy, I was going to ride that bike….Tired of walking grandiose.

Taking a seat on one of the benches, I casually enjoyed the authenticity of a row of typical Portuguese historic buildings across to the south. These classic buildings stand elegantly along Tower Road even though they have been converted into four-star inns.

The classic style of the Portuguese buildings seemed to transport me into the 19th century. For example, the red-dominated Koder House and the white-dominated Old Harbor Hotel represent a European touch on the coast of Fort Kochi.

While on the west side of the interior, I could see the existence of a post in the form of a large tent with the title Green Cochin Mission. This is the program promoted by the city government as the main movement to liberate Kochi from the city’s garbage disaster. It turns out that not only in Indonesia, in India it’s the same, garbage has become a complicated problem that has never been completely resolved.

Meanwhile, on the north side, River Road looked busier with souvenir shops and local snacks. Then to the east of the park was the beginning of the legendary street….Princess Street.

Come on, let’s explore Princess Street….What’s going on?

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Chinese Fishing Nets: Fort Kochi’s version of Anco

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The long wait to be present on the coast of Fort Kochi had paid off. In one jump down the orange KURTC Bus, I stood in the city built on mangroves. For a moment I stood motionless looking around, quickly adapting to the boisterous travelers at that famous destination in the State of Kerala.

Starting from a corner of KB Jacob Road, I was aligned with the Kochi Corporation Zonal Office, a government office tasked with managing the city of Fort Kochi, which had a population of seven hundred thousand people.

It was still Thursday….I didn’t know why?…. In the middle of the day, the two-story government office with cream-colored walls had its front gate tightly closed. It managed to make me look away and stared straight at the stretch of KB Jacob Road which was perpendicular to the shoreline.

That afternoon I wouldn’t follow a structured agenda. Without an itinerary, I would let my feet go as to enjoy the charm of Fort Kochi.

Just stepped out….It didn’t feel like a beach area, that was because the streets of Fort Kochi presented a shady situation with old tree decorations shading all along. Even paving blocks were chosen as the base for the streets, which were arranged very neatly.

Coupled with the crowds of local and foreign tourists, it made me feel less lonely even though I was far from home. After all, many European tourists seemed to be walking alone as solo travelers like me.

Just setting foot a few steps on the streets of Fort Kochi, my heart was amazed because I was transported to the past when I saw models of local buses chasing passengers along the side of the road. The buses seemed to have come from the past….Old, but they make the atmosphere of the city more classic.

Kochi Corporation Zonal Office at the confluence of River Road and KB Jacob Road.
River Road atmosphere.

Toward the first destination, I decided to pull over to the beach. From the tourist photos of Fort Kochi that I often find on search engine pages, Chinese fishing nets were always the ones that appear most often on that page. Then, I wanted to find its whereabouts, if I was lucky I would look closely at the activities of the Indian fishermen in the vicinity.

The shoreline wasn’t longer far, only thirty meters parallel to the River Road that I was currently crossing. I immediately got out of the flow of the street and decided to move closer to it. Within a few steps I arrived at the edge of the beach and as far as the eye could see the blue expanse of Malabar Beach was quite pleasing to the eye.

The beautiful scenery was added to the routine of the fishermen along the coast. A group of fishermen seemed to be relaxing enjoying coffee in a food stall, another group seemed to be just taking shelter from the hot sun and several others were seen busy anchoring their boats and unloading their load from the sea to then transfer the load to cold barrels.

Another sight on the shore was the activity of several small groups of fishermen catching fish using Chinese fishing nets…Fishermen in Indonesia (my country) called it “anco” or “tangkul”. Because it was installed on the shoreline, the catch from the operation of that fishing gear was mostly small fish.

Let’s talk with the Indian fishermen!
Well, the fish were coming….Let’s see how big the fish were.
They started to unloading.
India’s version of Tangkul or Anco.

Fresh and large fish from the sea were immediately transported using pick-up vehicles to be taken out of the beach area. Meanwhile, several medium and small-sized fish were immediately sold at fish stalls along the coast.

Mingling with the local community had indeed become a favorite activity. Sometimes even a little smile that was thrown on their faces made me feel like I was still close to home. That was what made me feel at home sitting with them for a long time and reluctant to move from the beach.

Fort Kochi indeed depicts a high economic movement, in any place, tourists could be seen thronging.

In the waters, tourist boats went back and forth along the coast carrying various multi-national tourists. Of course, the tourist ships offered sea cruise services along the coast to enjoy the exotic Fort Kochi.

Meanwhile, on the mainland, there weren’t a few tourist buses parked along the streets of Fort Kochi. As if Fort Kochi had been sovereign as a tourist city in the State of Kerala.

Tourist Boat….Boat tour around the west coast of Kerala, maybe as far as Vembanad Lake?
Chartered tourist buses in south India.

Even so, for one hour I put myself on the beach and was satisfied to enjoy the activities of the local fishermen.

I have to leave soon….

Let’s follow in my footsteps again….The next place wasn’t far from the beach.

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KURTC: Cochin International Airport to Fort Kochi

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After eating light snacks of Appam, Elai Adai, and Samosa, I completed my breakfast by slowly sipping hot Chai which kept my body warm after being exposed to the cold of the airport air conditioner all night.

Chai’s last sip indicated that I had to get ready to head to the main destination of that day….Moreover, if it wasn’t Fort Kochi, an area where four cultures blended: Dutch, Portuguese, British, and Indian.

Leaving Cafe Sulaimani, I headed back towards the roundabout around the main gate of Cochin International Airport. When I got there I felt lucky that there was a police officer on duty.

“Sir, where is the bus shelter which can deliver me to Fort Kochi?”, I ventured to ask.

“Just wait there, the bus will come in fifteen minutes”, he looked at his watch and pointed to a street corner.

“Thanks, sir”

“Welcome”

I immediately crossed the road and waited right around the corner. There wasn’t a bus stop on that side of the road. It was just that the police officer’s instructions convinced me that the bus could be stopped at that corner of the street.

Fifteen minutes of waiting was a calming period, how could I not, the police officer always seemed to be paying attention to me when directing traffic around. He seemed to be making sure I was caught by the bus at the nearest departure.

It was true, in exactly fifteen minutes, an orange bus with the KURTC (Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation) logo came out from the airport. I quickly caught its presence, and so did the police officer. When the bus slowly approached, the officer looked at me from a distance and pointed his finger at the bus while smiling. I gave a thumbs up and smiled back at him.

“Thank you, kind police”, I cheerfully thought.

I entered the bus from the front door and took a seat in the middle. Exiting the airport, the rows of bus seats still looked empty. Not long after sitting down, a female conductor with an EDC machine came up to me.

“Where will you go?”, She asked a question.

“Fort Kochi, Mam”, I answered smiling.

“88 Rupees”, the conductor shook her head.

It was half past eleven when the bus slowly headed west leaving the Aerotropolis Nedumbassery. The bus pushed through Airport Road, the main road with sidewalks between the two sections.

Slowly but surely, the bus picked up its passengers one by one along the way. Some were picked up at the bus stop and some were picked up outside the bus stop.

In fifteen minutes, my curiosity paid off when the bus passed by an MRT station.

“That must be Aluva Station”, I thought to myself.

In my surfing in cyberspace, I found that Kochi is a city that has MRT facilities. That day I found the trail and I was determined to try Kochi Metro even just once. Maybe when I was coming back from Fort Kochi that afternoon.

Leaving Aluva, the crowds of residents began to look massive when the bus entered an industrial area, the Kalamassery area. Big industrial trucks seem to fill the streets, while other types of city buses were crammed with residents who were busy with their activities.

Then leaving the Kalamassery area, I began to see apartment buildings. I guess that most of the workers from the industrial area live in apartments built up around the Ernakulam area.

Aluva Station is one of the stations in the Kochi Metro network.
The atmosphere of HMT Road in an industrial area of Kalamassery.
TBPL GK Arcade (front right) is an apartment building in Ernakulam district right on the side of Ernakulam-Thekkady Road.

After 45 minutes of the journey, the bus arrived at a terminal in the Vyttila area. Most passengers got on and off at that terminal. This was a large bus hub in Kochi. Buses from and to other areas in Kerala seem to stand by at that terminal.

After picking up passengers at the Vyttila Hub Bus Terminal, the bus returned to the streets. Farther west, large rivers began to acquire views. I understood that the bus I was on was getting closer and closer to the west coast of Kerala. The rivers branch off and split the land. As more and more land was separated by water, I started to find lots of bridges at the end of the journey to Fort Kochi.

One of them was the longest bridge in Kerala, the Kundannoor Bridge, which connects two areas, i.e. Maradu to the east of the bridge and Thevara to the west. Those vast waters make the panorama as far as the eye could see cooler and bluer.

After crossing the longest bridge in Kerala, the bus spun its wheels along Willingdon Island, which was a stretch of land surrounded by water, making it separate from the mainland of Kerala. Meanwhile, the Fort Kochi area itself was part of mainland Kerala which was located in the far west so buses must once again cross a bridge to get there.

It is the Gateway of Cochin BOT Bridge that facilitates the connection between the island and the mainland.

Vyttila Hub Bus Terminal on the banks of the Kaniyampuzha River.
The scene on the bus after leaving the Vyttila area.
View from the top of the Kundannoor Bridge.
The Gateway of Cochin BOT Bridge connecting Willingdon Island with mainland Kochi
Bustle in the Thoppumpady area around eleven o’clock in the afternoon.
Another scene of the Thoppumpady area around AK Xavier Road.
Cemetery in the Fort Kochi area.

And in the end, even after an hour of journey, the bus started to enter the Fort Kochi area. At that time the crowd around was more dominated by tourism activities. Both local and foreign tourists mingle in every corner of Fort Kochi.

It took half an hour for the bus to push its way through the crowded streets of Fort Kochi until it arrived at the last stop of the KURTC bus which was located not so far from the west coast of Kerala.

Okay….Time to explore Kochi for the next few hours.

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Hotel Royal Wings: Tasting the Appam, Elai Adai, and Samosa

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Darkness was still overshadowing Kochi’s sky when the time pointed at six. Making my guts shrank for stepping towards the inn which was only one and a half kilometers away. I decided to still seated in the arrival hall’s waiting room at Cochin International Airport Terminal 3.

But it turned out….

I was so sleepy, I even sat asleep while hugging my backpack….

A few minutes after eight o’clock, I jerked awake. The bright light had penetrated the airport’s glass walls. I walked past a soldier armed with a long barrel who had faithfully guarded the airport’s exit door since early morning.

I walked across the drop-off zone, passed the edge of the car parking zone, crossed the bustle of Chili Restaurant, and then arrived at the main gate of Cochin International Airport which was beautifully adorned with the sun on the eastern horizon.

After passing through that exotic gate, I stood at a very busy roundabout with vehicles which going in and out of that main airport in Kerala State. Standing on a side, I could see the existence of a row of modern buildings on a side street.

“There’s no mistake, my inn must be there”, I thought.

“Very close,” I happily smiled.

Now, I was right on the south side of the straight road and getting ready to cross to the modern building complex. The crowds of vehicles that morning made me difficult to cross. Being on the streets of foreign countries has always been something that I always pay attention to, I don’t want to do silly things and endanger myself, because half of my journey wasn’t over yet.

I trudged across Airport Road to arrive on its north side and then started looking for the whereabouts of the accommodation which I had booked through leading travel e-commerce for 800 Rupees.

Yiiaaiiyy, I found it….

I’ve left the main gate of Cochin International Airport.
A roundabout on the west side of the main gate of Cochin International Airport.
Rows of modern buildings on the north side of Airport Road.
This was the Royal Wings Hotel, where I was staying that night.

Back again in advance of my backpacking departure, it was so difficult to consider the location of the inn which I would choose. My desire was so strong to stay around the beach which would certainly provide many opportunities to enjoy the exotic west coast of Kerala for a longer time.

It was just that, the next morning to Dubai was a limitation for me not to be too far from the airport when choosing a lodging. Finally, I decided to stay at the Royal Wings Hotel and decided to just spend the whole day enjoying the situation in the Fort Kochi area.

“Hello, Sir. Can I put my backpack here?”….I asked a male receptionist.

“I have booked a room in this hotel. This is the e-confirmation”, I added information.

Receiving the confirmation letter, he started surfing on his desktop and checked the whereabouts of my inn order.

“Okay, Sir. I have checked your order. You can put your backpack here and you can check on at 1 pm…Come!”, he started to direct me to a small room behind the reception desk. The room was specifically used to store the belongings of the inn guests.

Half of my backload had been deposited at the inn, then I would step away to start exploring.

But before going any further, I decided to look for breakfast around the hotel.

Smelling the sweet smell of a cafe, I was intrigued to approach it, seeing the tempting Indian-style breakfast menu, I decided to enter and took a seat.

“Cafe Sulaimani …”, I read the name of the cafe on a wall.

I decided to buy a simple breakfast like the locals did in the cafe. This was my breakfast menu that morning.

Appam, Elai Adai, and Samosa and a glass of Chai for 55 Rupees….Hhmmhhh looked delicious too.

After breakfast, I rushed to the roundabout near the main gate of Cochin International Airport to find a bus to Fort Kochi….I would tell you how I got there later.

Still regarding Hotel Royal Wings….

I was only able to enter the hotel after exploring Fort Kochi.

I arrived back at the hotel by taking the airport bus from Aluva Station. Towards six o’clock in the evening, I immediately asked for the key from the hotel owner who was at the reception desk.

After getting the key, I was escorted by a room boy, I carried a backpack to the room upstairs to immediately bathe. Oh God, the last time I took a shower was 30 hours before I arrived at the hotel.

Want to know how the hotel I stayed in, here it is:

Reception desk.
Lobby.
Double bed.
Bathroom.
Look at that old TV….Hahaha.

Accessibility

Remembering the location of the Royal Wings Hotel which is close to the airport, of course, this hotel is very close to various public facilities that make it easy for its guests.

At least I could easily go to Fort Kochi using the KURTC bus that departed from the airport. Apart from that, it was also easy for me to get halal restaurants, money exchange, and minimarkets around the hotel.

The distance which could be reached in fifteen minutes from and to the airport, makes it easier for me to catch the next morning’s flight on time than when I had to choose accommodation around Fort Kochi.

Reasonably priced restaurants around the hotel.
Kerala Urban Road Transport Corporation (KURTC) bus bound for Fort Kochi which runs on Airport Road in front of the hotel.

In the end, visiting India was always fun because that country has hotel facilities and a wealth of culinary delights at very affordable prices for a backpacker.

Therefore, never hesitate to travel to that Sub-Continent Country.

Come on, visit India.

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Second Chance to India: Air Asia AK 39 from Kuala Lumpur (KUL) to Kochi (COK)

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Air Asia flight route AK 39 (source: flightaware).

Going to India always has a thrill in a side of my heart. The provocation of irresponsible information sometimes succeeds in making the guts tremble.

Gusts of news ranging from security factors, culinary hygiene, scam variations, and other gripping things began to cloud my mind that afternoon.

Therefore, before leaving for India, for five days I warmed my guts in Kuala Terengganu and Kuala Lumpur, hoping that by leaving them I would be able to carry courage. But that afternoon it seemed as if I was still building up the courage from zero again.

In the continuation of my adventure, India would be the prelude to my main destination, i.e. the Middle East. Why was that?…. The only reason was that India was always giving many chances to get cheap tickets to the main tourist city in the Arabian Peninsula, i.e. Dubai. In addition to tickets, India also provided a variety of starting points to jump into that city.

As for my adventure history, after New Delhi and Agra two years earlier, this time I chose another point of departure, i.e. Kochi, an exotic tourist destination in southwest India.

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I enjoyed the soft texture of white rice at Quizinn by RASA after 24 hours of not tasting this idol’s food. The white rice at that time also represented the last Ringgit I had, starting the next day I was using Rupees.

Five minutes before the Air Asia Ak 39 check-in desk opened, I finished eating white rice with the last piece of fried egg.

As I stated above, instead of getting excited, my chest was beating fast…” Oh India, please make peace with my adventure this time”, I calmed my heart.

Rising from my seat in a corner of the food court on the 2M floor, I carried my favorite blue backpack. Stepping up to the Departure Hall on the 3rd floor.

“It turned out that the queue was long….”, my confidence to become the first queue fell.

The contortions of the queue, which was dominated by Indians, kept me in the bloated queue. After all, I remained calm, there was still a long way to the flight, still four hours away. I started taking out the zipper bag to prepare documents, i.e. passports, hotel booking confirmations in India, tickets to and from India, and free Indian e-Visa sheets.

“Do you have a Visa?”, the check-in desk staff firmly asked me.

“This is Miss”, I handed over all the documents I had prepared.

“Was Indonesia to India enough with e-Visa, Sir?” That female officer asked her senior colleague.

That senior staff confirmed and that female officer finally printed the boarding pass for me.

The first stage was over, I rushed to the International Departure Gate which was heavily guarded by several Aviation Security. In the front queue, there weren’t a few prospective passengers who were being held back due to carrying too much cabin baggage. In addition to Aviation Security, several Air Asia airline ground staff closely monitored passengers who cheated by carrying excess cabin baggage.

For me?….. It was easy, I pass through the gate without checking. Even with the inspection, I would still pass, because I had weighed the entire load of my backpack before heading to the check-in desk….Easy, only 6.5 kilograms.

“Where is the direction to gate L14?”, I asked myself.

I continued along the long corridors until I descended an escalator which at the bottom was already blocking several columns of the screening gate.

As usual, I always took off my shoes when I pass through the screening gate, it was all because I would feel lazy if I had to repeat the screening process when my shoes rang the screening door.

I easily pass it….

Now I only needed to continue through the remaining corridors to reach gate L14.

Let’s hunt for boarding passes.
Thanks, God….
One of the corridors in the International Departure Hall is KLIA2.
Those are the directions to the Air Asia AK 39 departure gate.

A little after seven in the evening, I arrived at the gate in question.

“Hhmmmhhhh….An hour and a half to boarding”, I sat on a chair outside the waiting room which was still tightly closed.

I decided to perform the prayer and filled up drink bottles at the free water station. And in the remaining time, I just sit waiting until the waiting room door opens an hour before the flight.

Luckily while waiting, my boredom was dampened by the cute behavior of a little Indian toddler whose behavior was so adorable.

—-****—-

Waiting in the waiting room, I was again stunned by a large group of Hindu congregation. From the all-black uniform worn, I could identify the congregation as coming from the Sabarimala Ayyappa Temple, located in the State of Kerala, India.

The peculiarity of the Indian Hindu congregation was that they do not use footwear. Some Hindus in India believed that not using footwear was a form of respect for the Gods.

Dressed in black and Lungi*1) was also the religious appearance of the group. I had to sit mingled in the waiting room with their group.

While the view in the glass window was a perfectly parked Airbus A320 Twin Jet aircraft, dominantly white with a blue-red color combination and bearing the tourism promotion jargon “Sarawak More to Discover”.

Waiting patiently for it to end…

Boarding calls for Air Asia flight AK 39 filled the airport ceiling.

I immediately got up and prepared my passport and boarding pass to pass the final inspection of prospective passengers before entering the cabin. Ahhh….I couldn’t wait.

At half past nine I started boarding…..

Inside the waiting room Gate L14.
That’ was AK 39.
Passing the aerobridge to the aircraft cabin.
My favorite Airline.
Cabin situation while hunting for a seat.
Look at those Indian citizens…..Do you want to go to India or not?

Entering the cabin of the small-body aircraft, I looked for seat number 11E. On the next 3 hours and 40 minutes of flight, I would sit in the middle column, making it difficult for me to capture beautiful portraits of the earth.

When the boarding process was over, in my row there was only me and one of the Hindu congregation. Therefore, I decided to move to an aisle seat to get relief from the 3,000 km flight.

—-****—-

To my surprise, when I opened the Travel 360 inflight magazine, I found a self-portrait of a travel influencer that seemed familiar to me. I was very familiar with his surname….Groves.

I made sure it was a beautiful traveler from Aussie whom I had known a year earlier in Samosir, Eloise Groves. He once told a story under the Naisogop waterfall that he had a brother named Jackson Groves who was a travel influencer. Seeing the similarity in the facial expressions of the figure in the inflight magazine I was reading with the figure that often appears on Eloise’s Facebook page, I’m 100% sure it was her big brother.

And it was true, later I would get confirmation from Eloise that it was her sibling after sending a short message through the Facebook messenger application when I arrived in India.

Trying to close my eyes after flipping through Travel 360, I tried to sleep. But I didn’t sleep. That was how I was, never completely fell asleep every time I sat on the plane.

That was Jackson Groves in Air Asia’s Inflight magazine.
Arrive at Terminal 3 Cochin International Airport.
Let’s explore the airport!

Finally, the awaited time has arrived….

At one o’clock in the morning, Air Asia AK 39 landed at Cochin International Airport, a magnificent airport in the State of Kerala in southwest India.

Thank God….

Now I was even further away from home.

Kochi which was nearly 9,000 km from Jakarta.

Let’s explore….What was in Kochi?

To get flight tickets from Kuala Lumpur to Kochi, you can search for them on 12go Asia Asia with the following link:  https://12go.asia/?z=3283832

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Description of the word:

Lungi*1) = A long piece of cloth that is wrapped around the waist and is a typical Indian dress.