Portuguese woman hails Fort Kochi, Alappuzha as safe compared to North India: Here's why

A globe-trotting Portuguese traveller is raving about Kerala’s safety on social media, giving top marks to Fort Kochi and Alappuzha. Having spent two months in the state, Rita says Kerala stands out as remarkably different from the rest of India. After spending nearly two months in the state, Rita says both Alappuzha and Fort Kochi have truly won her heart. In a reel shared on her Instagram profile ‘She is lost around the world’, the 33-year-old traveller opens up about her affection for Kerala.

“In Fort Kochi, I feel safe walking alone not only during the day, but even at night. I’ve walked back to my hostel several times at 10 or 11 pm, and even on deserted streets, I’ve always felt completely safe,” Rita writes in her post. Rita notes that when compared to North India, walking through Kerala’s streets at night feels safe and reassuring. In another reel, she rates the safety of the destinations she visited in the state, giving Fort Kochi and Alappuzha a perfect 10/10, while Thiruvananthapuram and Varkala are given 7/10.

Train and autorickshaw experiences
In other reels, Rita narrates her experiences travelling by train to Alappuzha, taking an autorickshaw in Fort Kochi, and encountering the occasional unwanted stare. She states candidly that some men look at women as if they’ve never seen one.

Born in Portugal, Rita first discovered the thrill of travel when she moved to Switzerland for her studies. In 2015, she embarked on her first solo journey, a three-month trip across 12 European countries. She often says no one warned her that travel would become an `addiction that can never be stopped'. She is now on an ambitious mission to visit every country in the world and has already travelled to 60.