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Para-sailing in DIU: A #TravelLoveStory

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To everyone who thinks that Travel is all about exploring and finding yourself…well, it is also about romance, meeting and being with that someone special, and little love stories! Heard about those dreamy kind of 5-second love stories on the Subway? Or, bumping into someone on the road, only to never travel apart since? Or drooling over the guy/girl sitting next to you on the airplane? Travel is filled with love in all sort of ways and this series – #TravelLoveStory by StreetTrotter will feature how people experienced ‘love’ on their trips. Here is one from DIU…

Schools had closed for Dusshera vacations and we were eager to travel… We started with many options including Diu and Gir National reserve. Almost all other options like Lakshdweep Islands, Sikkim, Alleppy fizzled out because flights and hotels were already teeming with tourists. Being busy with work, we were late in making our travel arrangements. And this is the story of how DIU happened…

Traveling all the way from Thanjavur, Tamil Nadu to Diu and Gujarat was a task in itself even if it was air travel all the way. The nearest airport from Thanjavur is at Tiruchirapalli, an hour’s drive. We drove to Trichy, ate at Pizza Hut and left our car at a friend’s place before boarding our flight to Chennai. Another flight from Chennai, took us to Mumbai. A night halt at a hotel in the city, and another flight in morning later, we finally disembarked at Diu.

Irritated with so many hops that we had to go through, me and my husband had a ‘biiiiig’ argument at the Mumbai hotel and when we reached at Diu, we were not talking to each other. Our daughter became the medium for exchange of our thoughts and concerns.

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We got out in the evening, when there was just enough daylight for an evening coffee and a stroll down the beach, before calling it a day. Our hotel Kostamar Beach resort was right on the Nagoa beach, one of the most popular spot for adventure sports.

Tourists were engaged in jet skiing, riding the speed boats and having fun playing at the sea-shore. At a distance, some people were busy with para-sailing over the sea. Excited, we inquired at the information kiosk…We were still not talking to each other though. 

A fighter pilot himself, Aby, my husband dear, was neither much interested nor impressed by the activity but generously paid Rs.2000 for two rides, one for me and the other for our daughter. Off we went in a jeep that dropped us at the para-sailing venue down the beach. There were already three more enthusiastic tourists waiting for their turn, so we waited…. But we still did not talk. 

When it was time for our turn, my twelve-year-old eagerly strapped on the parachute first…. taking in all the instructions by the crew on ground. Soon the speedboat roared and tugged at the strings. In a few minutes, she was air-borne floating in the sky above the Arabian Sea.

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The sun had already begun its descent and the sky was washed in a golden hue…perfect for a photo-shoot. And Aby began his experiments with aperture, focal length, light, exposure and captured some beautiful shots of our daughter, sailing away in the dim-lit sky.

Then it was my turn. While I was strapping up…a sudden naughty glint showed in Aby’s eyes.He asked the crew, whether two people could be strapped onto one larger parachute. Since it was quite windy and there was one spare larger parachute readily available, the crew agreed. Aby promised them that he would pay for the third ride as soon we reached back to the information kiosk.

I was quite surprised by this sudden change in plans, but secretly was very glad. Who wants to not talk for so many hours after all. But then who wants to give in either? So there we were strapped together in one big parachute while our daughter handled the camera excited to take pictures of us in air. As soon as we were high up in air, the ever romantic husband held me oh-so-delicately for a few minutes and a quick peck on my cheek too….I blushed realising…..We were romancing in air!

The moment was disturbed by a shrill whistle from the ground crew, who were instructing us to tilt our parachute and prepare for landing. We landed safely, although I forgot to place my legs as instructed and bumped my bottom.

This little adventure had melted away the frostiness between me and my husband, and of course we were talking again to each other, laughing and shooting pictures. Later, Aby and kiddo played for some time in sea while I sat on the clean sand smiling to myself, observing my two favourite people catching the waves and reliving the beautiful, although brief, romantic moment we just shared.

DIU: Facts and Information

Stay: Diu is a small town with everything within a reach of twenty minutes. Beaches popular with tourists are Nagoa and Ghoghla Beach. Most of the resorts are along the Nagoa beach and cater to budget as well as a luxury stay. We stayed at Kostamar Beach Resort , one of the three best resorts in the city, and loved our stay, service and the helpful staff.

Food: Almost all resorts have a separate restaurant with sea-food being the speciality. Being vegetarians we loved eating at Cat’s Eye Restaurant of Hoka Island Villa Resort which was almost like a wonderful home-cooked meal, at affordable prices.

diu-island

Adventure Activities: Nagoa beach has all kinds of activities and adventure sports for all age groups. There are family boat rides for plain and simple fun but for those who are more adventurous and enthusiastic, options like jet skiing, banana boat, speed boats, scuba diving, water skiing, dolphin trips, parasailing and hot air balloon rides, are conducted at different times stretched over a period from October to April.

Following are some per-person charges for each ride:
Speed boat : Rs 200
Water Ski: Rs 250
Banana Boat ride: Rs 250
Couple Ring ride: Rs 250
Jet Ski: Rs 400
Family boat ride:Rs 500
Jeep parasailing: Rs 600
Parasailing: Rs 1000
Scuba Diving:Rs 1500
Hot air balloon ride (November):  Rs 1500
Dolphin Trip: Rs 2500

P.S. The beaches are clean and the crew conducting the activities are quite helpful and know what they are doing, so it is safe and certainly a happy experience.


About the Author: Shoma Abhyankar is a blogger, poet, history, architecture and travel enthusiast, book lover, amateur photographer, quite a good cook, who bakes and makes chocolates at home, a staunch supporter of women rights and an ex-architect and interior designer, who is a Stay-At-Home-Mom, but not regretting it even a wee bit. Give her books, travel and an honest friendship and she is your friend for life. She blogs at www.astonishingindia.net

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STREETTROTTER

StreetTrotter is a Travel, Culture & Lifestyle blog, inspiring people everyday with real stories to look good and travel even better. Founded in 2012 by Shraddha Gupta, Founder & COO, this space is all about experiencing new things in life, be it a daring mountain trek, a frugal backpacking trip, a runway look made local, or simply anything that scares you enough to live a little more deeper.

  1. Pingback:Two days in Ilaha-de-Cama | Astonishing India

  2. Very beautifully written. I feel like visiting this place right now and go para sailing. It is written straight from the heart. Would like to read more.
    Also it’ll be great if you would visit Caliedoscope.in which is a cultural magazine that intends to collect interesting experiences and unique information on niche subjects.
    http://www.caleidoscope.in/

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