Diu

I reached Diu on 31st Dec morning at 10 and headed straight to the hotel I had booked via makemytrip.com But when I reached the hotel, Vinayak Guest House, the owner denied me the room. He told me that all rooms were booked for New Year. I told him I had booked a good 20 days in advance, but he just would not listen. So I called makemytrip and told them the situation. After a few rounds of phone calls from me to the company and the company to the hotel, I was finally given a hotel room in a better hotel named Alishan. I must mention that makemytrip did a good job there.

As the ride to Diu had been quite a boneshaker, I took a nap before going out and discovering the city. The autofellow who took me from the bus stand to the hotels showed me a ratecard for a trip all around the main tourist attractions of Diu for Rs. 350. It sounded like a good deal, so I got onto his Auto. Our first stop was Diu fort. A sturdy 16th century Portuguese fort by the sea. It consists of three bastions overlooking the sea with bronze cannons. The fort had a couple of well laid out gardens and a light house at one end. But one of the best spectacles form the fort was a sea turtle that rose from the sea for a second and went back in. The second best spectacle was a structure in the middle of water, known as the Pani Kotha.

After spending a good amount of time at the Fort, the autofellow, Anand took me to the next destination, the church of St. Paul. A big imposing white European structure. It was good to see a Gothic structure unlike many others from that era, well maintained. Once out of the church, Anand took me to Chakratirth beach. We then got chatting and as we were out of the church, religion was a starting point. He said he was a muslim and people were surprised that he was a muslim after hearing his name. He then told me that the muslims in Diu were different from those in Ahmedabad and Mumbai. On asking him to clarify if it was a difference in faith or custom, he told me they had a different way of celebrating their festivals.

He told me that on Eid, they prepared large quantities of food and everyone gathered together. That did not seem one bit different to me. But then came the big difference, a bit of a shock in fact. Once the food is ready, everyone starts popping beer bottles, he said. I had a long laugh as Anand added that muslims elsewhere get shocked on learning about the custom. They call it 'najayaz'. Anand also told me that in Diu it's hard to say what faith a person belonged to. Hindus, muslims and christians lived next to each other, unlike say Ahmedabad where there is a clear demarcation of the muslim side of the town.

Anand's autorickshaw was also covered by stoles with Portugal written on them. He had put them up during the Euro cup 2012 in support of the nation that once ruled the island. He told that people in Diu could go to Portugal and live there, but the economy was low. To put it in his words, there were no jobs there, as everything was made in China. He pointed to the stoles and said, these stoles say Portugal but they are also made in China, so obviously all the jobs will also go to China. Pretty impressive statement, I must say.











By the end of the conversation, we were by a hillock. I climbed a few steps to see a round flat surface overlooking the sea. The area is known as the sunset point for obvious reasons. In addition, there is a memorial erected there for INS Khukri with a long list of sailors who had sacrificed their life while the naval vessel sank during the Indo-Pak war of 1971. On one side of the hillock was a small stretch, known as the Chakrateerth beach. It is one of the less crowded beaches.












From Chakrateerth, Anand next took me to the Gangaoshree temple, a cave temple by the sea. Anand told me that 5 shivlings were discovered there washed by the tidal waves. The temple had an interesting structure to it. It was located by the sea. You had to walk a few steps down to reach the shrine where the idols are partly submerged in the sea.

Our next stop was the Nagoa beach, one of Diu's most famous beaches, via a seashell museum. The museum was started by a retired naval officer with sea shells brought from all over the world. It also had interesting aquatic species in formaldehyde solutions. They were kept in jars and on the lid of the jar was a huge lens so one could see the marine beings in detail. Photography was not allowed inside, but the museum sure has some interesting specimen on display.

Next was the Nagoa beach. It was filled with people. Anand told me that 'Gujjus' from all over the state come during holidays. The beaches and cheap alcohol, or for that matter, alcohol are a big draw for people from the dry state. The beach is quite big, very crowded though. There's also a lot of water sports one can enjoy at the beach. Watersports did not seem so appealing as I was alone so I've saved it for another time.

From the beach, I went to this small resort called Hoka resort. Hoka, another interesting and unique Diu feature is a palm that branches out from one main trunk, like mythological monsters with many heads. It bears a fruit known by the same name. Hoka was brought to the island from Africa by the Portuguese. In India, the tree is only found in Diu and the neighbouring Kathiawad region of Gujarat. I bought a couple of hokas from the Nagoa beach and I still have no idea how to eat them. They are hard as wood. I was probably sold bad ones, but then, Anand told me that they never go bad. So i can try different ways to have the Hokas. 

Back to the resort, my friend, Shraddha told me about it. She told me the interiors are well done and that the place serves good food. And she was right to the t. Resort is too big a word for the quaint little place. With a very European look to it and the shade of trees, the small hotel made for a relaxing atmosphere. The food too was praiseworthy. I had grilled fish with rice for Rs. 350. Even though it was not very filling, it did justice to the price. Highly recommended.












Being 31st Dec, I asked them if the place would be open at night. The waiter told me that there would be a small bonfire and music. And so at night, I made my way back to the resort. With some good food, I welcomed the new year, chatting with random tourists at the quaint place. I was glad I had chosen the place for New Year, because the rest of the town was bustling with Himesh Reshammiya and people drinking and driving all over the city painting the town red.

The next morning, I caught my train back from Veraval, the nearest station to Diu which was actually farther than I thought. It took a good 4 hours by a share auto to the neighbouring town of Una and a bus to Veraval.

All in all, it was fun discovering the town of Diu. The town though very similar to Goa and Pondicherry has its own charm. It's not a great party place and is frequented more by Indian tourists. But then, there's sun, sand and many interesting monuments, besides of course cheaper alcohol, which to be honest, is not all that cheap too. Would highly recommend the place also as it has many things unique to it, Hoka to begin with. There's also a good bird sanctuary which i could not visit for lack of time, but I did see pelicans and flamingoes on my way.