We were planning on going to Goa. However, it just didn't make sense leaving this place we love so much, just to spend three days traveling to get somewhere that is really quite similar. So we canceled our train tickets south and in Diu we will remain. Having a great room makes all the difference when traveling and we now have probably the best room we've ever had in India. It is also the most expensive, but for $10 a night who can complain. The guest house is owned be a guy named Francisco(Yo calls him San Francisco). Every few days Francisco and his family cook up a huge meal: fish, calamari, shrimp, for the guests staying at his place(see photo in gallery). Yesterday of the 18 people in attendance we had people from 12 different countries digging into the family style meal. It felt like the United Nations.
In the nearly 3 weeks we've been here we've done just about everything there is to do. We've been to the fort, the seashell museum, the fishing village, the Alcatraz-like former prison on an island in the bay, all the beaches, the bird sanctuary, the caves, the waterfall. We even went to the tiny airport two days ago just to see the one and only flight arrive and then depart again. The only thing we haven't done is paid a visit to the infamous Footloose Disco. For some reason this seems really scary.
I've finished three books since we arrived and it makes me nervous to be down to my last two. One of them is Primo Levi's Survival in Auschwitz, not exactly a beach read. Yo arrived with only one book left. Instead of savoring it like I would have, she inhaled it in a single 36 hour session. She was hoping to trade with other Japanese travelers, but we haven't seen any in weeks. So she is now bookless and has started to try to learn to read and write Hindi.
Every morning after breakfast I walk into town to pick up an Indian English language newspaper. I remember the advice my father gave me right after college when I worked for a mutual fund company. He said read the newspaper cover to cover everyday and you will have something to talk about with everyone you meet. Still following this advice I've learned the names of all of India's big movie stars, the most popular cricket players(though I still struggle with the rules), all the prominent politicians, the names of all the states, and all kinds of pop culture trivia. It makes it easier and so much more enjoyable to chit chat with with all the locals we interact with everyday.
We fly out of Mumbai(Bombay)in less than three weeks, but it's going to be tough to pull ourselves away from Diu. Our favorite ice cream shop here, Ram Vijay, has begun soliciting Yo's opinion on the development of new flavors. She is now working on mint chocolate cookie crunch. She says its always been her dream to work in the ice cream industry. I'm worried that I may be returning home alone.
-Shawn

this is crazy and one of the reasons why i love traveling.
i met this guy at a night club in mexico city 9 months ago. we danced and had a lot of fun then.
a couple days ago, when shawn and i were leaving a restaurant after breakfast, somebody called my name, i looked at the person and i couldn't believe who he was! i met him in mexico which totally on the other side of the world from india. he said that he remembered the gold cassette tape belt buckle i had on that day. i remembered him because he's from malta. he's the first maltese i've ever met. malta island is in this book by haruki murakaki, my favorite writer, so i thought it was so cool to meet somebody from malta.
so we took a snap shot again like we did in mexico 9 months ago. he made my day for sure.

yoshimi

Well, it's been 12 days and we are still in Diu. We've covered a lot of ground on this trip and it feels good to unpack our bags for a bit. It really is a wonderful place to stay for a while. I feel that this must be what its like to live in a small town. There are only a few dozen travelers on the whole island and since most, like us, have been here for a while we've gotten to know quite a few of them. So, everyday we bump into each other about town. We'll ask about each others plans for the day, maybe recommend a restaurant, or make plans to get together later for coffee or ice cream. And speaking of, there's a place called Ram Vijay thats been around for 75 years that has the best homemade ice cream. It's definately a part of our daily rounds. They also make their own soda. Yo and the owner are always discussing crazy new combinations for ice cream floats. Today was lime soda with mango ice cream.
The island is only 7 miles long so it's easy to bike around in a couple of hours. Yesterday while I was biking through some of the island's villages, kids would chase after me, helping to push my bike up hills or trying to race me on their own bikes. There's a traditional fishing village on the other side of the island. I felt like I had gone back in time as I sat there watching them mend their nets, dry fish, and repair their wooden boats.
Every morning on the way to breakfast we check in on these newborn puppies to see if they have gotten any bigger or cuter. Every evening a family of four peacocks climbs up a hill behind our guesthouse. Life is good here. The only time the peace of the island is disturded is on weekends when the Indian tourists arrive. It's the only place in the state where its legal to drink alcohol and without a history(nor a tolerence)for alcohol use, it's not always a pretty sight.
We had an incident the other day that could have ruined the whole trip. We were visiting the old Portugese fort that's surrounded by water on three sides. Yo was of course taking photos of her teddy bear, Kumako. She had Kumako sitting on the end of a cannon when a gust of wind knocked Kumako off and over the 40 feet wall. I've never seen Yo so upset. She ran out of the castle. A female employee chased after her, probably wondering what could have happened. We were able to climb over a wall and access the outer castle wall. Luckily it was low tide so Kumako didn't fall into the water. She wasn't hurt, but was not happy. Yo said afterwards, "I was so paniced, I didn't know what to do. My mind turned to white." It's never boring traveling with Yo.
-Shawn

one night, he appeared to my dream and he sung a love song in hindi for me and we ate sushi together on the moon shaped like a banana. he smelled like a young papaya on the tree. since then he is my own fantasy world's prince. is that wrong?

yoshimi

I know it seems a bit ridiculous to complain about people being too nice, but I've never met people as friendly as those here in Gujarat. Usually in India if I'm approached with a hearty, "HELLO!", I get the feeling that this is someone hoping seperate me from my money. However here people are just generally interested in talking to us, knowing our names, where we're from, telling us about their relatives in the States. They always want to know how Yo and I met, being from different countries. And always laugh when I tell them that Yo was one of my students when I taught in Japan. The other day I hiked up to an old fort overlooking Junagadh city. Once inside I was surrounded by a huge group of school kids on a field trip. The principal pushed his way to the front, polished off his English, and explained to me that they were from a rural school a few hours from the city. He introduced me to the other teachers and then had all the students line up(boys in one line, girls in another)to each have a chance to shake my hand. They were really sweet. One of the girls screamed when I tried to shake her hand and after that all the rest of the girls were too scared. Afterwards the principal pulled out a notebook and asked for my autograph. He then held it up in the air and everyone applauded. It was a surreal experience.
The problem is that Indians often have a very different sense of space and privacy. At a restaurant we might have a small army of waiters, busboys, cooks, and dishwashers staring at us(mostly at Yo)while we are eating. At an internet cafe the guy sitting next to me will spend the whole time there staring openly at my screen, even going so far as to ask me questions about the emails I am reading and writing. Unless we are in our hotel room there is no escape from the masses. We both needed a break. That is why we have come to Diu.
Dui is a small island(only about 7 miles long)off the southern coast of Gujatat. Like Goa, it is a former Portugese colony, so the beer and wine flow freely(unlike the rest of the state, which is dry). Except for a bottle of wine we had at Christmas, this has been the first alcohol we've had since we left Egypt 5 weeks ago. There is a small town here and hardly any traffic. The people and the place in general is super mellow. The food is excellent(Indian with a Portugese twist), especially the seafood. We've met some great travelers who's trips have come to a screeching halt here at Diu. I have a feeling that we might be joining them for a while.
-Shawn