Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
India. After that, Diu was merged with India and became a centrally administered Union
Territory.
We approached the Diu Fort between fort walls that are still partially surrounded by
a moat. The former Portuguese jail of Fortim-do-Mar could be seen offshore, peacefully
floating in the sea. Visiting is not allowed. An active prison within Diu Fort has outside
windows visible during the approach, with more seen inside the fort itself. Detailed photo-
graphs are not allowed.
A zigzag entrance into Diu Fort made it possible for one person to control the entrance
along with an elephant/ camel gate with spikes. I'm calling this an elephant/camel gate due
("Diu"...get it?) to an explanation by Niru. "Elephants were expensive so instead of having
an expensive elephant ram the door first, the elephant pushed the camel into the spikes and
then continued ramming into the fort." Poor camel.
Once through the elephant/camel gate and arches, Diu Fort spread out in all directions.
A new lighthouse topped one bastion while other tourists clambered up and down ruins of
an old church. The place is humungous with approximately 9 kms/6 miles of walls sur-
rounding the fort. Diu Fort has been neglected and is slowly collapsing with more sections
becoming off limits every year to tourists. I'd hate to fall into one of the many tunnels un-
der the fort that were once used to escape. It is said that one tunnel may have even led to
Nagoa Beach where Radhika Beach Resort is located.
Cannons and cannon balls litter the bastions. A tourist could spend the morning just
investigating bastions but one was enough for us. A walk up the ramp to St. George Bas-
tion (all the bastions had a name and a chapel), looked at the old cannons and admired the
views. Niru also showed how a trough would be filled with water for soldiers to jump into
after they lit the cannon fuse. Otherwise, they would go deaf from the cannon report. You
learn something new every day!
Ramparts, Churches and Local Interaction Inside Diu Fort
Tourists can walk ramps up to all seven bastions, and/or ramparts for different views. While
making the slow trudge up, look down the ramps, and take a moment to reflect how men
struggled to pull these heavy cannons up the ramp. (Sure hope they had mules to help.)
Below all the bastions/ramparts were more ruined old churches inside Diu Fort. St. Tiago
was the main chapel with ancient tombstones so weathered, it was difficult to make out the
year, and engravings inside and out.
Our absolute highlight inside Diu Fort occurred when a group of 10-year olds, on a
school field trip mobbed us. Western tourists and readers of Travels With Sheila may won-
der why all the commotion and emphasis on picture-taking when locals see us? For the ma-
jority of people in developing countries,
this
is their first sight of a "foreigner" in the flesh.
They've watched television, movies, seen magazines and newspapers, but have never
met
a "foreigner.” That's why all the excitement.
