Diu - The island of breeze, serenity and sun

From one Portuguese occupied territory we come to another one. Daman and Dia are parts of the same UT, however from administrative point of view they are different. Most of the people including me think they were co-located. Only afterl I started researching for this road trip of ours, I realised that they were far apart. Goes to show how little we know about our country. Anyways isn't it better to be late than never??

After a day's drive from Ahmedabad we reached Diu by around 7 in the evening and checked into Hoka Island Villa.A small but well maintained resort close to Nagoa beach, one of the most popular and probably the most crowded beach in Diu. 

The Colorful Hoka Island Villa

The island of Diu has a unique charm of its own, in addition to the sea,sand and serenity. Places with a unique history like Daman, Diu etc interest me a lot. Curious to see old buildings, churches, the Portuguese population etc. 

Fortim-do-mar

The Portuguese built a fort here in Diu too, as in Daman, however the fort here had a vantage point as Diu, being the southern most point of Gujarat assumed importance from the trade point of view. In addition to the fort on the sea shore (near jetty), there's one more in the water too. It is still known as Fortim-do-mar or the Pani Kotha. You can hitch a boat ride to the fort. 

The fort is made of stone and is quite an imposing structure and makes you wonder how the entire structure including the cannons are built out of iron. A lighthouse is located within the fort giving you splendid view of the sea.

Many of the areas in Diu are still known by their Portuguese names like Fudam etc. The town is basically an extension of Gujarat because of its location. 

A bell in the fort !!

Mighty Cannons !!

  

Potato Pesto, Portuguese fish stew, Pasta and fried prawns

Around 60 odd Portuguese families still reside in Diu. I was very sad to find only one restaurant serving Portuguese cuisine. It might not be called a restaurant in the true sense, its just a home based eatery. The husband wife couple manage the whole show at 0'Coqueiro. They have a combination of basic Indian dishes like Rice Dal, some Italian stuff like Pastas and the Portuguese food. But the specialty definitely is Portuguese cuisine. Few items on the menu have to be pre-ordered as all the ingredients are sourced fresh. While you wait for your food, you could pick up some of the books from Mr Kailash Pandey's collection, chat up with him or relax with your drink and listen to some good music. They are open all through the day, choose to visit for breakfast, lunch or dinner. The location and the restaurant itself is not very prominent. It is located at main Diu Island in Firangiwada. There is a nice heritage building just at the end of the road near O'Coqueiro. The house where the restaurant is located is some 100 years old Portuguese house, which Mr Pandey wants to maintain as it is. There is a whole row of Portuguese houses on that road. 

The city was intended to be a walled town and there are many gates for entry into the main town. One such gate is the Zampa gate, a massive gate painted red looks magnificent with paintings and the cross.The remains of the original wall built by the Portuguese can be seen at different places. 

Zampa gate at the western end of the city

Once you enter the city from this gate, you encounter narrow streets of the town and somewhere on these roads is the Nagar Sheth haveli, the beautiful and ornate 3 storied building. Carved balconies, huge carvings on the doors. The architectural style is said to be Indo Sarcenic. Walking along the road we found many such buildings in a dilapidated condition bearing paintings and carvings. A trip along the Diu that once was!! It clearly demonstrated the influence of Portuguese. Even to this day, all business establishments in Diu follow Portugal timings ie., open by 8 in the morning, close by 12 for a siesta and open after 3.

Nagar Sheth haveli in all its opulence

An old door , look carefully for the painting above the door

An interesting place to be explored near the Zampa gate are the Naida caves, a maze of interconnecting caves of myriad shapes often making symmetry. It is said that the building materials for the forts and gates were taken out of these caves by the Portuguese. There are 10 caves on one side and a big 11th one on the other side.

The maze 

While talking about Diu, one can't really miss the beaches. Nagoa beach, as said earlier, is very popular and crowded, with lots of activities like water scooters, hot air balloon, para sailing, quad biking etc. However we liked the Chakratirth beach better, being less crowded and providing great views of the setting sun. Also located at this beach is the INS Khukri memorial. This is great place just to sit and relax and hear the waves of the sea lashing at the rocks. Other popular beaches being Ghogla, Jallandar and Gomtimata.

The sun sets over the peaceful Chakratirth beach

At the St Paul's church, one of the oldest and most elaborate of the Portuguese churches in India

Diu market near the main road by the jetty is an interesting place where goods from Kandla and Mundra port reach here for selling (export surplus I suppose). Clothes, belts, jackets, quilts, watches, chocolates everything can be found here. A bargain pick would be the spices and dry fruits. Good quality cashews often sell for as less as Rs 300 per kg.

3 days in Diu had me captivated beyond my imagination and wished to go back again to enjoy the laid back nature of this island. No wonder it is called the Goa without hippies and the crowd.