Diu & Gir :)

Reason to Smile: Free yourself from the burdens of negativity and Say yes to happiness !! :)

... So did I. When I heard of the plan randomly from someone I have known from just one trip, a friend's friend ideally, of Diu and Gir, I was pretty much excited to explore the beach and the wildlife at Gir which is so very popular in India after Jim Corbett at Nanital. 

They say what you do on the new year day is what it follows through the year. So back then if it was the Tigers, this time around it would be the Lions !! ;) :D LOL :P

Except Shailendra I knew nobody. But then does one even care? :P People who love to travel are so like-minded that they are never unknown from the time they meet. They just click and ROAR together ;) Like us, Nikhil, Shrey, Manan and Phaneendra are equally Dangerous :P  All we know is how to welcome madness throughout the trip and maintain it calmly ;)

Needless to mention, it all started from the "introductions" :P We were all so scattered in different areas of geography that Baroda is the place we finalised to gather and continue for our first destination - Diu. 

Early in 1535, the Portuguese Governor De Cunha had led his expedition for the capture of the town in Diu, but was defeated by the Sultan. However, around that period, the Gujarat Sultan Bahadur Shah's kingdom was overwhelmed by Mughal invasion. Pressed by Mughal king Humayun on one side and the Portuguese at the gates of Diu, Bahadur Shah entered into a treaty with Nuno De Cunha on October 25, 1535 who agreed to assist Bahadur Shah against his enemy by land and sea. In turn he received permission to construct a fortress at Diu and a site was granted for this purpose in the harbour. After the Mughal danger was receded, the Shah of Gujarat realised his mistake in allowing the Portuguese to construct the fort. Finally Diu was conquered by the Portuguese in 1546 who ruled there till 1961. Liberated on 19th December, 1961 from Portuguese; became a part of the U.T. of Goa, Daman and Diu under Government of India. After Statehood of Goa on 30th May, 1987, Daman and Diu became a separate U.T. 

The port is located at the rear end of Gujarat. Amazingly picturesque and solicited with untouched waters and well maintained Portuguese forts, the place is a mini Goa for people who love beaches and wine :) The clean and curvy roads of Diu are surely worth having ones footprints on. We walked miles and miles to explore the scenic beauty around The St. Paul's Church, the Diu Fort and some of the beaches - Chakratirth, Nagoa, Jalandar, Diu Museum, all close to our Guest House - about 10 kms. 

The next destination close to Diu was Gir National Park. About 2 hrs drive from Gir, our first safari was at 6 am. The last night was meant for some wine to dine :P So under the guidance of our very own expert, and a bar tender for the night (Nikhil), we were offered a few cold drinks, some hard drinks and juices with weird yet tasty combinations to select our own high :P It was obvious that a few hours from then we had to put our feet firmly on the grounds to hit the roads for Gir :P 

The 2 hr nap in the car and the booking of the safari got us to our next adventure - Spot the Lion ! Sasan Gir is a forest located 65km south east of Junagadh. It is the sole home of the Asiatic lions and is considered to be one of the most important protected areas in Asia due to its supported species. Gir National Park and Sanctuary does not have a designated area for tourists. However, to reduce the tourism hazard to the wildlife and to promote nature education, an Interpretation Zone has been created at Devalia within the sanctuary. Within its chained fences, it covers all habitat types and wildlife of Gir with its feeding-cum-living cages for the carnivores and a double-gate entry system.

Our 3 hour search came to an end when we spotted a Lion nicely sitting on its legs neatly folded to its stomach and weirdly sensing the flash of the photos that it was targeted on. Making an eye contact with the lense of that 'Gun' (pretty close to our Jeep), some of the our professionals have clicked beautiful and unbelievable shots of the poses he gave us. We learnt that he was absolutely in a no-attack mode since he had just made a kill and eaten it all ! All he wanted to do now was to relax and sleep. But then... His eye contact with our jeep made us a bit jittery.. And then he suddenly woke up and walked two steps towards us. Completely excited, all we got astonished to see is the bold look, wide open mouth with those sharp teeth and the golden hairs around his face that got us totally caged to his beauty. He stood, he sat and he rolled in that dust and sand with some heart throbbing moves he made in a fraction of a second as if he was asking us to click him for some wildlife magazine ! :D Woow ! 

Unfortunately since we had spotted him at the end of the safari time, we couldn't get much time to finish satisfying ourselves with our very cute looking devilish CAT ;) :) But we have surely got some nice and unbelievable moves captured in those lenses and our hearts for years to come ! :)

If you like all the selfies, it is all totally all thanks to our Selfie Stick - Nikhil :P 

If you like all the portraits, it is all thanks to the sunlight Diu gave us :P and our Mr.Funny man (Phani) :P

If you like the faces that looked totally drunk and sleepy, it is all thanks to Shailendra who did not drink at all :P only captured us right ;)

If you like some brave shots at a cliff we all are waiting to be clicked on kinda poses, its all thanks to our secret place we thought would give us some thrilling pictures near the Fort :P 

Do check out the pics and share your comments on the album. 

Back to civilization, one remains meditated to such magnifying glory that our memories offer :)

All pictures uploaded on FB.. Keep Roaming, Keep Roaring, Keep Smiling :)