Bandra Terminus à
Vapi Station (train) à Daman (auto/cab)
On
a beautiful rainy afternoon of August, three super-excited ladies skipped ½ a
day of work to rush to Bandra Terminus. Our train, the Paschim Express, was scheduled to depart at 12 and we were
terribly afraid that we’d miss it. Luckily for us, there was hardly any traffic
on the streets and we arrived at the Terminus with almost half an hour to
spare. Once parked comfortably in our seats, we let out a whoop of
excitement because our little, hastily-planned vacation had finally begun.
Our destination of choice was Daman, a Union Territory on the West
Coast of India. It’s just around 176kms from Mumbai (by road) and seemed most
suitable for us as we didn’t really want to spend too much time on travel. There
isn’t a direct train to Daman, so we had to go first to Vapi from where plenty
of autos and cabs could be hired to take us to Daman.
The 2-hour train journey to Vapi Station
was spent admiring the monsoon scenes passing outside the window and talking to
each other. We might have indulged in a little too much of the latter, me
thinks, for as we were preparing to alight at Vapi, a senior gentleman seated
beside us stated that he had had a most entertaining time listening to all our
ceaseless chatter. He then added that he would have gladly presented me with a
trophy for being able to prattle away as much as I had in the past two hours.
He said all that with a great big smile and laughter in his eyes, but I’m still
not certain he meant it as a complement.
At Vapi Station, we spent some time
trying to haggle over the auto fare before finally agreeing on the sum of
Rs.180. A 25 minute auto ride later we arrived at our accommodation of choice that was booked via Airbnb. (https://www.airbnb.co.in/rooms/22620192)
The apartment, located on the 6th floor on Niketan Kinaara was spacious enough to
accommodate 8-9 people, and every room provided us with great views of the
ocean just a few meters away from the building.
Daman
is divided into two parts by the river Daman Ganga. Nani Daman (or Small Daman)
is physically larger in size and holds more of the major hospitals, residential
areas, hotels and commercial areas of Daman. Moti Daman (or Big Daman) is the
smaller of the two parts. It is the old part of Daman and is comparatively
quieter and more rural than Nani Daman across the river.
Our apartment was in the heart of Moti
Daman and we were mighty thrilled about that. We were right in the middle of a
very picturesque cluster of Portuguese-style houses. Pretty walled patios,
cottages with tiled roofs and tiny gardens and even a chapel nestled between
the cottages. Inside, there were dining tables with lace tablecloths and old
wooden altars decorated with candles and flowers. It was like stepping into a
world so different and yet so familiar. For me, it brought back memories of my
beautiful Goa.
Walking through the narrow, but clean
and pretty lanes, we headed to the market square where we had a late lunch of Pav Vada, a savory snack made with
potatoes, chickpea flour and bread. It’s very popular in Daman and all you’ll
get by way of street food in Moti Daman.
The fort of St. Jerome is the twin of
the fort at Moti Daman – the one we now began to explore. The construction of
the Moti Daman Fort started soon
after the Portuguese conquest of Daman way back in 1559. There is also a
lighthouse constructed by the Portuguese to guide their merchant ships that
came to the port of Daman. We walked around the outer perimeter of the fort
before heading back inside to see what we could see before the sun had set for
the day. Many Portuguese buildings inside the fort now serve as hospitals and
government offices. They are all painted in bright Mediterranean colours of
brilliant blue, sunny ochre and dazzling whites & reds.
What caught our interest most was the Church of Bom Jesus, first consecrated
in 1603. It served as the parish church during the Portuguese rule and it is,
today, a beautiful example of architectural skill and craftsmanship. The church
was shut for the day and we were quite disappointed about that, but walked
towards the grotto where, by Heaven’s grace, a side door had been left ajar. In
the blink of an eye, we slipped in and entered what I believe to be the most
silent place I’ve ever visited. It was in this church that I actually heard the
silence. It was almost like being in a vacuum. Standing there, with just the
fading light of day slanting in through the windows, we were held in awe by the
gold painted wooden altar, the lofty ceiling and the exquisite woodwork. What
an amazing experience that was!
We headed next to Daman’s famous Jampore Beach. In tourist season, this
beach boasts of huge crowds from the neighboring Mumbai and Gujarat. One can
indulge in parasailing and jet skiing as well. Thankfully, very few people
visit Daman during the monsoons (we couldn’t understand why) and the beach was
fairly deserted except for a few families sitting around in some of the many
beach-side shacks and a couple of drunk young men frolicking in the water.
There are no restaurants worth mentioning anywhere around this beach.
We did
find one that seemed like it might serve up something decent, but we had to
pack the food to go since the last auto leaves around 7.30pm and if we missed
that we might very well have had to spend an extremely cold & uncomfortable
night on the beach.
After dinner in the balcony and a nice,
much needed bath, we were ready to call it a day. Loving the sound of the waves
and the cool sea breeze, we dragged a mattress out into the hall and curled up
for the night.
The next morning, we were up very early
and walked down to the absolutely deserted beach and spent a glorious hour or
two collecting shells and smooth pebbles. How we enjoyed that! In Mumbai,
solitude is extinct. The moments spend walking along the shore were some of the
most blissful moments we’ve experienced in years.
Post a delicious breakfast provided to
us by our host, we decided to go to Valsad (in Gujarat, an approximately two
hour bus ride away from Daman) and trek up 148 steps to reach Parnera Fort, famous for its historical
temples in honor of Lord Shiva and Goddess Ambica, Chandica, Navdurga and
Kalika. The tiny fort atop the hill was built by Shivaji Maharaj. There is a
little moat like thing at one side of the fort that is filled with pink lotus
flowers. It is said that this moat was once filled with crocodiles.
 |
| Boarding a bus to Valsad from Nani-Daman |
The bus journey to Valsad and the trek
to and from Parnera had taken up a lot of our time. We did have an enjoyable
experience, but we were now hungry and it was already early evening. Taking the
bus back to Daman, we alighted at Devka. Here, we stopped for a good Parsi meal
at Duke Hotel. The food was good and
the ambience, excellent. We were seated at a table out on the lawn with nothing
but the sea and the wind for company.
By the time we got back to Nani Daman, St. Jerome’s was already
shut for the day so we just enjoyed watching the waves as we stood on the
jetty. This was a memorable experience as well. You see, it had begun to rain
and everyone who was standing around had fled to take shelter in a nearby
temple. We were so engrossed in our fun and laughter that we hadn’t even
noticed that we were the only ones left on the jetty.
 |
| Fort of St. Jerome at Nani Daman |
That must have been a rare sight for the people of Daman – what we
realized during this trip was that women travelling without the company of men
was not the thing to do. Everywhere we went, we had people staring at us or
asking us ‘Sirf aap ho?’ (is there nobody
else with you?)We had to ignore the stares and backward glances of almost
everyone – locals walking by, shopkeepers, rickshaw drivers, even our host who came
to deliver our breakfast. The most amusing thing that happened was when we
stopped at an ice-cream van. As we waited for our ice-creams, the vendor, a
fairly young chap, refused to look us in the eye. Thee we were, loudly chatting
about our day and the many flavors of ice-cream available, when he asked us, “Aap
akele aaye ho?” (Are you travelling alone?)
We looked up at him and said, “Akele kahan hai? Hum teen hai.” (We’re not alone. We’re three of us.) I
guess that must have been too bold a reply for him, for he blushed and couldn’t
do anything but smile in utter embarrassment.
The people of Daman are simple, but very decent. Rickshaw drivers,
too, were helpful and, seeing as we were ‘travelling alone’, they were quick to
offer directions and ensured that we were dropped right outside the entrance of
whichever place we were visiting.
Day Three. Our last day in beautiful and serene Daman. Once again,
we spent an hour or two collecting pebbles on the beach. I was looking for the
round, flat ones for I planned to paint on them. By the time we walked back to
the apartment, I think I was lugging around almost 3 kgs of rocks and pebbles.
We also paid a quick visit to what used to be the Governor's Palace at the far end of the fort. As we sat in a cab taking us to Vapi Station, we wished we could have spent more time exploring Daman. We had yet to visit St. Jerome's at Nani Daman, and the beautiful churches and temple within its walls. Maybe next time.
This has been a very enjoyable and relaxing holiday for us &
we’re mighty glad we made it happen.
Just one bit of info before I sign off….
There isn’t any Uber or Ola service
anywhere in Daman. If you do not have your own car, you’ll have to make do with
public transport – busses, cabs or auto-rickshaws.
As stated earlier, the people of Daman
are simple but very decent. Don’t haggle much over prices or travel fares. Fares
are very reasonable but, if you’re willing to share the ride with strangers,
you’ll get a further drop in price.
Pics by Misha
