Blogs from Diu, Daman & Diu, India, Asia

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Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu November 15th 2018

The Portuguese came to Daman and Diu in 1535 and formally established it as a colony in 1537. It survived independence in 1947 and was only annexed to India in 1961. It was the longest surviving colonial rule by any European power. The historical centrepiece is the Diu fort, about 15 minutes from Nagoa beach where our hotel is. It was completed in 1547 and is a formidable structure, with double walls on the landward side and a moat, and the sea on the other three sides. It is seemingly not curated in any way, and there are no signboards or any explanatory boards, just a useless map at the entrance. Form the moment we enter the fort, we are assailed by “hello one photo please”, all requested perfectly politely by respectful youths, polite young girls ... read more
St Paul church Diu
Naida caves Diu
Diu museum

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu November 14th 2018

We’re kept awake till midnight or so by the wedding guests heading in and out of each other’s rooms, noisily, but eventually they all head off to the wedding and we’re able to sleep at last. It’s no surprise there are very few people at breakfast next morning at 7.30! The satnav tells us it will be a five hour drive to Diu, but in the end it takes six. The quality of the roads slowly but surely deteriorates as we head deeper into the countryside. The two lane highway turns to one lane each way, then the roads narrow, and eventually the smooth tarmac breaks up. At times our average speed drops to just over 20mph.We pass through a series of small dusty towns where we crawl through traffic. To either side of the tarmac ... read more
Gujarati man reading his paper
Black and white kingfisher
Local Kartawari dress

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu February 20th 2014

“In order to taste my cup of water you must first empty your cup. My friend, drop all of you preconceived fixed ideas and be neutral. Do you know why this cup is so useful? Because it is empty.” Bruce Lee I am on the empty beach 3 minutes walk from the guest house. It's 7.30 am, the rising sun is just gaining heat, and I find a flat piece of sand to do my morning hatha yoga. The sea is calm with only the slightest soft sound of lapping waves. I take a swim past the rock outcrop and begin to feel my sea legs once again. Diu, with Goa, was a Portuguese outpost for over 450 years. It took until 1961, 14 years after India's independence from English rule, to be incorporated into the ... read more
Sunset at Diu
Diu coastline
Naida caves

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu January 11th 2014

Brutto affare l'inverno qui nell'India del Nord, quando la nebbia e lo smog rovinano giornate che gia' vedono ben poche ore di luce a disposizione, ed il freddo complica ulteriormente la vita, facendomi sognare disperatamente le calde ed assolate spiaggie del Sud del paese; ed allora che fare? prendere un treno, farsi 30-40 ore di viaggio e lasciarsi alle spalle tutto quello che il Nord ha ancora da offrirmi?? Niente di tutto questo grazie a Diu, una minuscola isola al largo delle coste del Gujarat che promette di offrire tutto cio' di cui l'esausto esploratore degli stati settentrionali ha piu' urgente bisogno: sole, mare ed una ampia disponibilita' di birra a basso costo! Colonia portoghese fino al non lontano 1961, questo piccolo territorio basa la sua economia essenzialmente sul turismo e sulle entrate derivanti dalla vendita ... read more
La chiesa del villaggio di Fudam
Il porto del villaggio di Vanakbara
La spiaggia Chakratirth

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu January 23rd 2011

So New Year had come and gone, and it was time to give Northern India another go. Because the flights were way too expensive, we resigned ourselves to a nightmare overnight bus journey to Bangalore, 5 hours waiting on a train platform, and then 25 hours cross country to Mumbai. After not sleeping on the bus, we wanted a nice quiet train journey but no, instead the locals decided to play cards next to our bunks, while simultaneously practicing their English skills and trying to make conversation. Its frustrating sometimes - at least in China nobody had the ability to talk with us; now its impossible to have any time to yourself - people have no compunction about tapping you on the shoulder while you're listening to your ipod...and the conversation is always the same - ... read more
The Taj Hotel, well out of our price range!
Sarah trying to learn about cricket
the slums

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu December 31st 2010

"Well that was 'fun' wasn't it!" Our night in the big ass sleeper bus, in my eyes, was fun: People walking up and down the outside whenever we stopped, banging on the windows trying to sell us everything from kitchen utensils to bottles of water and so much chai. The speed bumps. The heat from all the passengers. The constant beeping of the buses horn and all the other vehicles. The swerving of the bus to miss animal, mineral, vegetable, vehicle or the wild lesser spotted pothole slamming us from one side to another. After a certain speed, the entire vehicle would try and vibrate itself to pieces. Every indian on board was playing songs from bollywood movies on their phones. The smell of feet, urine, shit, vomit, sweat, tobacco and animals mixed in with masala ... read more

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu November 28th 2010

It's been a while since I've written in my blog and a lot have happened since then but I don't feel like going into details. Suffice to say that things have considerably improved after leaving Rajhastan. the state of Gujarat is so much nicer. I enjoyed the Kutch province, with its unique handicraft, and the island of Diu, where I am now, with its quiet beaches and fishing villages. Despite all this I've been suffering from mood swings and had a lot of down moment. I've been trying to understand why. Of course it could be the rubbish scattered everywhere, or the noise, or the smell, but I believe there is one more important element affecting my mood and it is the one thing I thought would not cause me any problem: Indian food. Back in ... read more

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu January 15th 2010

After our unplanned stop in Ahmedabad and the hiatus of Jaipur it was good to finally reach the welcoming palm trees and the promise of a coconut prawn curry after we had freshened up. Finally some warmth. We shed our scarves and blankets with glee and prepared to kick off the shoes and get some sand between our toes. Beaches were for the most part pretty deserted, Australian beaches spoil you but we were lucky to spot a very large turtle on one which was obviously putting out the feelers for a nightly egg laying foray. Two days we sat around with the occasional short walk to the beach. Graeme doing a lot of reading and swimming in the pool, Meryl of course spending most of the time on the laptop. Sightseeing withdrawal symptoms on the ... read more
Old Haveli
Indian family swimming
Schoolchildren

Asia » India » Daman & Diu » Diu December 19th 2009

Leaving the fort city Junagad behind at threeish, we left towards the GIR National Park - only Home for Asiatic Lions. The road towards GIR was good with different shades of green farms of wheat and coriander/parsley. Saasan village looked to me more developed as compared to Tala village from where we have entry for Bandhavgarh National Park. It was 7 pm by when we reached GIR. First thing to do was to attend the Light and sound show offered free by forest department at 7 pm. Government Forest Lodge is recently renovated and so in good shape. It has all range of stay available. They also have tents available. Next day we got up early and were at the gates by 6:00 am. There were not many visitors as compared to Bandhavgarh and Kahna ... read more
Gir Lions
Gir Lions
Gir Lions




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