Having lived with the threat of several consecutive days of sobriety, we decided to flee to the little quiet island of Diu. Though off mainland Gujarat, it is governed by Delhi so alcohol is legal here and sold everywhere, giving the place a really laid back feel.

You have to cross a beautiful waterllily swamp full of buffalo and birds to get to Diu…. and it STINKS!
It had been taken over by the Portuguese for some time way back when so the architecture is all colonial southern European style. The invaders also brought Christianity with them and built big white churches all over Diu city. The locals aren’t too convinced though and have converted most of them into things like the city hospital and Diu museum. The latter has a hostel round the back, with rooms and a one-table restaurant on the church roof. Of course that’s where we stayed 🙂
We wanted to explore the town, but first things first…. BEER! A dutch guy relaxing on the roof as we moved in, had recommended his friend’s restaurant O’Coqueiro’s, a garden restaurant with a shelf of second hand books and cold Kingfisher. Sweet! We ended up spending the whole afternoon and evening here, sipping beer, reading books, swapping travel stories with a seasoned India-traveler and indulging in giant super fresh roasted prawns.
When the restaurant closed, we joined the other travelers outside the church hostel for a few more beers, determined to drink into the early morning…. The next day was my birthday, so we may as well party into it 🙂 I made it till five past midnight and passed out as soon as Aidan said happy birthday.
You know you’re really traveling when you’re spending your birthday in an unexpected place far away from friends and family. At least to me it feels that way. It’s exiting! I’m really doing it. I’m living my dream! Well, sort of… I woke up feeling decidedly older. The day begun with a giant hang over, so bad, hair of the dog wasn’t an option. Whoops! Even spotted a few tiny wrinkles! That’s it folks, I am 30…. I’ll never be younger or prettier looking….. pressure is off 🙂
A late breakfast cured the headache, if not our tummy. So we made a lazy day of it, strolling around town with its multi-coloured temples amongst shops and houses in various states of decay. Down by the water the fishermen were getting their boats ready for that night’s catch, crushing ice and loading it onto deck to keep the fish cool.
- connecting a house to the mains? no problem!