Amber tint of Diu in Ambipur's Fragrance

           “The World is a book, and those who do not travel read only a page.”

So to read a few more pages of this book, we set out on our weekend trip and this time we targeted reading the unexplored pages of the beautiful island DIU. We soon sketched our road map from Ahmedabad to Diu.

Distance between Ahmedabad and Diu : 354 kms  
Time taken to travel : 6 hours 15 mins



Ahmedabad-Diu road map

As said "A journey is best measured in friends, rather than miles". So we, a muckle of twenty friends, geared up to measure this distance to dabble in the colourful hue of Diu.

 

Since we all could not get accommodated in a car, so we decided to hire a bus. Yeah! a Volvo bus to fix all the twenty monsters under one roof. To sweeten the trip, we also took an    Ambi Pur air freshener so that the driver always feels fresh and we can breathe in pleasance.

We started on Saturday morning at around 8 a.m. much later than the scheduled time of      6 a.m. How can the nocturnal beasts like us get up early on weekends. Anyhow after umpteen calls to each other, finally the gang occupied the bus. 'Asli majaa SAB ke sath aata hai' . All were in the party mood to set the bus floor on fire. 

   

Capturing every tangy and spicy moment is a must-do for every trip so that the trip remains vivid and fresh forever whenever you flip back. I was all set with my camera to flash and wink at everyone.

The monsters had gone crazy in Ambi Pur's fragrance. Everyone wanted to be clicked as if Anurag Kashyap was looking for the next Barfi. Some were sitting still because they still couldn't overcome the past night's lullaby. Some were poking the still idols to get them into motion. Some were looking for their Jhilmil. Some were flaunting their new branded glares. Some were flaunting their new attires. In short everyone was occupied with the silliest of the tasks the world has ever seen. The old melodies in the air added to the mood and all the crazy fellows sunk in the madness. 

The flock  babbled...

Zindagi ek safar hai suhana
Yahan kal kya ho kisne jaana

Boys pitched these at the loudest.... 

Yeh dil na hota bechara, kadam na hote aawara

Jo khubsurat koyee apana humsafar hota

gaadi vaale gaadi dhire haank re
 jiyaa udaa jaaye lade aankh re hoy

All my bags are packed, I'm ready to go
 I'm standin' here outside your door

All were pointing towards the only jumbo in our group.... 

Chal chal chal mere haathi, O mere saathi
chal le chal khatara kheench ke

This time the girls were in action...

Yeh ladka hai allah kaisa hai divana

Kitna mushkil hai tauba isko samjhana

Again awakening the only desire of boys...

Mere sapnon ki rani kab aayegi tu
Aayi rut mastaani kab aayegi tu

The gang hummed ...

Zindagi ke safar mein guzar jate hain jo makam,
woh phir nahin aate

The guys were on their knees... 

Hume Tumse Pyaar Kitna Yeh Hum Nahin Jaante
Magar Jee Nahin Sakte Tumhaare Bina

The guys and girls were in the field...

Ladki kyon na jane kyon Ladkon si nahin hoti
Sochti hai zyada, kam wo samajhti hai

The song jazzed up the sphere...

Hum jo chalane lage, chalane lage hain yeh raaste
aa ha ha ha manjil se behtar lagane lage hai yeh raaste

It was really romancing with the wheels. The wind in the hair, the trees passing by silently, the people gurgling with laughter, the changing colour of hills, the music falling into ears, and the eyes tracing the long unwinding beautiful country roads made me fall in love with the journey.                   

How fast did the time fluttered no one noticed until the driver honked loud saying, "We have reached Diu". On reaching there, few of us went to book hotel for such a huge crowd. Rest of us stayed back looking for something to feed the rats in the stomach. Luckily we got rooms in a nearby hotel at affordable price. All were asked to take some rest and gather in the evening. After such lively hours, each one of us fell dormant for a few hours. In the evening at around 5p.m. we steered the bus towards Diu fort. It took around 20 minutes to reach there.

Diu Fort is located on the coastal side of the of Diu Island near by the Arabian Sea. The fort offers a kaleidoscopic view of Diu town, which is located very close to it, and its adjacent areas. It is noteworthy that this fort of Diu lies in the strategic complex that comprises of Passo Seco Fort, Nagoa Fort, Gogola and Barra. The fort was built by the Portuguese during their colonial rule of the Diu island. The fort was built in 1535 subsequent to a defense alliance forged by Bahadur Shah, the Sultan of Gujarat and the Portuguese when Humayun, the Mughal Emperor waged war to annex this territory. The Diu fort and the Basilica of Bom Jesus in Old Goa were chosen as the two wonders from India, among the seven from across the world, out of a list of 27 monuments built in 16 countries during the Portuguese rule.



We explored every corner of the fort for the next four hours. We decently completed the photo-session ceremony with every historical mark. Digging into every crook of the fort, we went back to the hotel. In the night, we again searched for some restaurant to feed twenty hungry storks. It was a very nice experience to sit together on the dinning table, deciding the menu for half an hour and after much discussion ordering some plain food. It was really fun to be together.

Next day, it was decided to leave by 9 a.m. so that no one has to compromise with their sleeps. But still the lazy lizards made it half an hour late. So on Sunday morning we left for Nagoa beach. It took 20 minutes to reach there.

Nagoa beach in Diu is horse shoe shaped bordered by palm hoka trees. It has clam water ideal for swimming, sailing, boating, and water skiing. Nagoa beach is well known for 'hoka' and 'rukhada' trees which are originally African and brought to India by Arabian traders. We all dunked into the waters and had lots of fun.We even lazed in the sea beach enjoying the balmy breeze and the sight of swaying palm trees.

After gulping enough of the salty water, we moved towards the sunset point. Sunset Point is a small beach in Diu, which is famous for watching the sun set. There we saw a serene sunset, waves attacking the coast, and heard the soothing gurgle of Arabian sea. It is the one of the amazing place on island.

 

The setting sun ,the serene waves and the calm breeze gave the most solacing experience we ever have had. I felt like sitting there forever in nature's lap. It seemed as if every wave babbled something into my ears, the cold wind gently kissed me each time it breezed past me and the setting sun gave the message of hope, after every sunset the sun rises to spread the amber hue.

After spending almost two tranquil hours beside the Arabian sea, we boarded the bus back for Ahmedabad. The calmness of the breeze was hovering everyone's mind but soon all got up from their seats to groove to the music. We had already taken a good number of rocking tracks with us. So, on the way back, the peppy people leaped and bounced to some shaky-wavy tracks.

 Pehli baat to yeh, Jo tu tik-tok tik-tok chalti hai
Maana ye saari teri high heels ki galti hai 

Chikni chameli chhup ke akeli

 pawwa  chadha ke aayi 

 Ooh la la…Ooh la la…
Tu hai meri fantasy..

Mundeyan nu chardi thaari thaari thaari ohdi heat te
Marjani paundi bhangra Angrezi beat te

Hua chhokra jawaan re
Hua chokra jawaan re,Hey hey

Subah hone na de, saath khone na de
Ek doosre ko hum sone na de
Tu mera hero ...

 Battiyan bujha lo jee, Jinde kunde la lo ji
What I say just follow ji, This party getting hot

Char baj gaye lekin party abhi baaki hai

We all wished that this 'Perfect Road Trip' never ends. Still having the hangover of this beautiful journey and finding it difficult to concentrate on what the person standing on the podium trying to explain. I'm just humming.

Chalte Chalte Mere Yeh Geet Yaad Rakhna
Kabhi Alvida Na Kehna ...

Hioy'oy Hoi Polloi

JJJ

This post is written for the contest 'The Perfect Road Trip' organised by AmbiPur India in association with indiblogger.in.