Dr. John Crabtree
Hailing from the County of West Yorkshire in England, Dr. John Crabtree
is a trained family doctor, who has worked in Germany, the Middle East
and Russia.
In between his busy schedule in Kochi, John found some time to share with us his thoughts about his passion ? sailing and also on Kerala. John?s association with Kerala started during his days in the Middle East, where he became familiar with lots of Keralites. Incidentally, it was also the time that John decided to set up his own business in sailing. He explored the possibilities of launching his business in the Middle East and Russia, but eventually decided on Kerala.
With his Indian partner, John launched his yachting service ? Kondo Syokai Leisure India in July 2001 with an interest to develop yachting in India for tourists and for the local people. Soon, ROSA, the first yacht was launched and it became the first yacht ever to be registered on the Indian Merchant Fleet.
According to John, Kerala is immensely interesting. With lots of history, and an interesting milieu of culture and religion, Kerala is also noted for its family-oriented society. It is also a land of great food and with a diverse geographical setting, he feels.
When asked to pick the destination of his choice in Kerala, John had this to say, ?Hard to say, because there are many faces to Kerala, but I particularly like Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. These are very old and fascinating places.?
An aspect that has struck John in Kerala has been the school children here, who according to him are so well presented in their uniforms, unlike their counterparts in many other places in Asia.
And among the food delicacies, John has a variety of options and likings. The most favourite food item without hesitation for him is Mutton Biriyani and that too prepared at Kayees Hotel in Mattancherry. Next in line are the Indian tea and halwa. ?And of course Cochin is one of the best places to enjoy seafood. Several places on the sea front serve freshly caught prawns and fish and these are excellent. Also the local hotels serve superb curries, ? says John.
Sharing his thoughts on the yachting service being done in India with Kochi as the base, John feels that at this time yachting is in its early stages. ?However, like every other place in the world, as leisure time increases so will the desire for people to enjoy activities on the water, including yachting. The thing about yachting is that it is not just one activity, but a whole spectrum of activities that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. Yachting can be an extreme sport or a family day out. For many, yachting is a chance to get away from the stresses of daily life and enjoy a few days relaxing on the water with family and friends with good food and drink. We are now providing an opportunity for Indian people to experience the activity and I am sure that many will want to learn more about it after their time with us,? he adds.
And before we let John carry on with his yachts and cruise schedules, this is what he said about Kerala as a travelers? destination ? ?Come with empty bags and load up with spices, shirts, suits and maybe get a new pair of glasses! You will save double the cost of the airfare.?
In between his busy schedule in Kochi, John found some time to share with us his thoughts about his passion ? sailing and also on Kerala. John?s association with Kerala started during his days in the Middle East, where he became familiar with lots of Keralites. Incidentally, it was also the time that John decided to set up his own business in sailing. He explored the possibilities of launching his business in the Middle East and Russia, but eventually decided on Kerala.
With his Indian partner, John launched his yachting service ? Kondo Syokai Leisure India in July 2001 with an interest to develop yachting in India for tourists and for the local people. Soon, ROSA, the first yacht was launched and it became the first yacht ever to be registered on the Indian Merchant Fleet.
According to John, Kerala is immensely interesting. With lots of history, and an interesting milieu of culture and religion, Kerala is also noted for its family-oriented society. It is also a land of great food and with a diverse geographical setting, he feels.
When asked to pick the destination of his choice in Kerala, John had this to say, ?Hard to say, because there are many faces to Kerala, but I particularly like Fort Kochi and Mattancherry. These are very old and fascinating places.?
An aspect that has struck John in Kerala has been the school children here, who according to him are so well presented in their uniforms, unlike their counterparts in many other places in Asia.
And among the food delicacies, John has a variety of options and likings. The most favourite food item without hesitation for him is Mutton Biriyani and that too prepared at Kayees Hotel in Mattancherry. Next in line are the Indian tea and halwa. ?And of course Cochin is one of the best places to enjoy seafood. Several places on the sea front serve freshly caught prawns and fish and these are excellent. Also the local hotels serve superb curries, ? says John.
Sharing his thoughts on the yachting service being done in India with Kochi as the base, John feels that at this time yachting is in its early stages. ?However, like every other place in the world, as leisure time increases so will the desire for people to enjoy activities on the water, including yachting. The thing about yachting is that it is not just one activity, but a whole spectrum of activities that can be enjoyed by a wide range of people. Yachting can be an extreme sport or a family day out. For many, yachting is a chance to get away from the stresses of daily life and enjoy a few days relaxing on the water with family and friends with good food and drink. We are now providing an opportunity for Indian people to experience the activity and I am sure that many will want to learn more about it after their time with us,? he adds.
And before we let John carry on with his yachts and cruise schedules, this is what he said about Kerala as a travelers? destination ? ?Come with empty bags and load up with spices, shirts, suits and maybe get a new pair of glasses! You will save double the cost of the airfare.?
