This week, The Musafir Stories speaks with a very dear listener - Geo Sebastian, a rural development professional who takes us to the quaint town of Diu

Today's destination: Diu, Union territory 

 Nearest Airport: Diu Airport, DIU

Nearest Railway Station: Veraval Railway Stn, VRL

Prerequisites:  N/A

Packing: Pack light and carry extra liquids as it can get hot during the day in the summers

Time of the year: October to February is the best time to visit

Length of the itinerary: 2-3 days

Itinerary Highlights: 

• We start off by locating Diu on the map, a union territory on the western coast of India close to Gujarat. Diu is a part of the Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli - one of the union territories in India. 
• Geo also talks about the historical context and significance of Geo, the history with the Mauryas, Chavdas, Mughals and Portuguese. The Portuguese ruled Diu for over 400 years and established Diu as one of the strongholds of its operations in India. We also discuss the iconic battle of Diu and the siege of Diu fort that established the Portuguese as the undisputed rulers of the Diu. 
• Diu is popular for its beaches given its strategic location and also offers a welcome destination to crowds from Gujarat who seek to get away from the dry state. 
• Important beaches in Diu include 
• Nagoa beach: most popular and commercial, adventure activities like parasailing, speed boats, water-ski; Hokka trees; close to hotels 
• Ghoghla Beach: watersports, dolphins
• Jallandhar Beach: Jallandhar shrine - a demon slain by Krishna, On a hillock stood the shrine of Jallandhar, a water demon slayed by Vishnu’s discus, lending its name to the Chakratirth beach
• Chakratirth Beach: more like a lagoon, watch tower
• Gomatimata Beach: western most corner, gulls, birdwatching
•  Besides the beach, one should also make a visit to the Diu fort and learn about the history of this iconic fort, including the battle of Diu. While here, don’t forget to check out the massive Paanikotha fort that served as a first line of defence. 
• There are also important churches, temples and Parsi places of worship  in Diu with notable mentions for St. Thomas Church, St. Paul’s church, Gangeshwar temple, Tower of slience of the Parsis
• Other places of interest include the Naida caves - natural rock formations; old city, Zampa gateway, Fudam bird sanctuary
•  We also spend some time discussing some popularly available foods of the region including Farsan and seafood.                                                                       

Links:

Link to Geo’s Instagram: 

https://www.instagram.com/asocialscientist/?hl=en

https://www.instagram.com/khanabadoshtraveliving/?hl=en

https://www.linkedin.com/in/geo-sebastian-52542011/?originalSubdomain=in

Photo by Jenish Patel on Unsplash

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