We left for the airport early on Friday the 13th March. Our flight to Rajkot scheduled at 10 am was getting delayed, and we would not have been able to catch the connecting train to Somnath. I asked Jet Airways to book us on the 1 pm flight to Diu since it's closer to Somnath, and to my surprise, they agreed. We landed in Diu at 2:30 pm. We had secured our reservation at Hotel Palms, located by Khodidhar Beach. Diu, also known as Isla De Calma or Isle of Calm, is not exactly an island but a 40 square km area of pure delight. I am sure you have seen the outdoor and TV ads and perhaps in a rare case, the ads are really close to reality (www.visitdiu.in). The letters DIU are emblazoned on a small rocky island and visible when you land during the day and are lit up at night.
The hotel itself is a no frills place with decent rooms, and we took a short walk on Friday evening to the main Nagoa beach and the cliffs overlooking the sea. The hotel receptionist mentioned that a gentleman stayed for 10 days and just watched the sea from the beach through the day... and I really had no reason to disbelieve him. The hotel food is average, but it's great that they serve alcohol, which is rare in Gujarat. Some IIMA students also showed up on the weekend.
Diu gives a new meaning to the word 'Calm'. It means peace, serenity, joy and beauty all in the same breath. The walk on the cliffs and the beach are an experience itself. We admire the cliffs when we see foreign locales in videos and movies, but we have them right here. The Hoka and date trees form a dreamlike boundary around the beach. Having seen quite a few beaches in India and overseas, this combination of cliffs, sea and beaches was truly enchanting. In true Indian style, you will find glass bottles and plastic strewn about on the cliffs. Some of the plastic bottles were getting washed ashore on the beach when you step in the water.
On Saturday (14th March) we decided to do some local sightseeing, and we were in for a pleasant surprise. The sea shell museum was closed, and our first stop was a small temple in a cave close to the sea. The beautiful Fudam church in Diu lies abandoned and the Jalandhar beaches were clean and largely empty. We saw the memorial to INS Kukri which was lost in the 1971 war and visited St. Paul's Church and the adjacent school.
The surprise was the Naida caves!!! Ajanta and Ellora overwhelm you with their size and the artistry done centuries ago. Naida caves are just the way nature set them out to be. Every nook and crevice has been shaped by nature and the interlocking pathways are amazing. The caves open up to sunlight at a few places and the roots of trees hoping to grab some soil are left in suspended animation. The caves were far too many for us to count and at one point, we had to retrace our steps to ensure we didn't get lost. Maybe it harboured animals in the days gone by, but a few Indians had left their usual imprints recently.
Our last tourist stop was the Diu fort built and held by the Portuguese for a long period of time. This magnificent fort overlooking the sea is over 500 years old and was a strong defence against invading armies. Diu was economically and strategically important but lost its significance with the rise of Mumbai as a trading centre.
Diu is truly a land of calm, sea and fun. Put it on your list, and it will surprise you like it did to us.
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