An Island Frozen In Time....

Back to the Goa chronicles.

A visit to Divar island.....an island said to be 'frozen in time'.

For knowing of this, I owe full thanks to Swaroop. He told me to visit even the last time I went to Goa, but then I couldn't. This time round, being there a whole week, plus a car with us, it had to be a now or never kinds. Luckily for us it was now.

It was such a quaint and atypical Goan experience.

Lonely Planet says of Divar island:

Stepping off the ferry from San Pedro onto beautiful little riverine Divar Island, you have the distinct feeling of entering the land that time forgot. Surrounded by marshy waters and crisscrossed with sleepy single-lane roads, the island makes for lovely, languid exploration, and though there’s not much particularly to see, it’s a serene and seldom-visited place to take in the atmosphere of old-time rural Goa.

That's exactly what we felt. Nothing particular to see or do, but just go around the island, stopping for neembu soda or an occasional picture when we felt like it. I was fascinated by the old time look and feel of the houses there.

Went to this old Gothic church on a little hillock...... the sea in the distance....an old banyan tree....not a soul in sight, just birds chirping....and we sat under the banyan tree for god knows how long..... it really was one of those 'time stood still times'. 

The only way to the island is by ferry ( needless to say...it's an island :). But I mention it as we're using google maps, and at one point it said 'straight and now left', and this was the left, straight into the river....

ofcourse, it then said 'now take a ferry' :)

From on the ferry

also from the ferry

the car on the ferry

an interesting looking anchor....and I have a fetish I think, I'm strangely attracted to anchors

Onto the island....it's a few kilometers of straight empty road with just barren land on either side until you reach the village in the heart of the island

as we drove into the village......I was totally mesmerized by the houses there, so there's lots of those

The church. It was sadly closed

The view of the Mandovi from outside

A simple but austere looking graveyard by the church

Under the banyan tree..... 

Leaving the island

Swaroop, many many thanks. When Sujata asked "why Divar island, what's on it?", I could only say "don't know, I only know Swaroop said "smitha akka, you should go" and I fully trust that" :)