Travelogue: A Sunday In Daman

Sometimes, all you need is a reason to pack your bags. And when that reason happens to be the birthday party of one of your friends, you are already ready with a bag full of stuff for that extreme weekend within a blink. Now I won't bore you with the details of the party, rather, I'll simply jump to the part (I think?) you all are here for- The travelogue.

The Journey

Honestly, it was a very rushed trip whose details were etched out in the last minute. The night before embarking on the adventure, the group was abuzz with cancellations. It took our host exiting the group in rage for us to get our act together! True story. Anyway, due to crowd concerns, we decided to play safe and we reserved train tickets for travelling to Vapi. Post a dreadful lunch of Triple Fried Schezwan Rice, we were on our way to Nani Daman bus stop in the share-taxi. The drive was a pleasant one; something which I could truly appreciate once I saw the usual path through the concrete mayhem and utter chaos on my way back to Vapi station. The first thing that hit me as soon as I set foot out of the taxi at Daman was: How hot it was! No kidding. The sun rays felt sharper and fiercer!

The salty Chinese lunch

Soon our ride arrived and as we moved away from the hustle-bustle of the City Center area, we began getting a sense of Daman's actual laid-back vibe. Our host, who is a local, happens to be one of the people of the Portuguese descent. So our accommodation for the weekend was this lovely Portuguese-style bungalow which happens to be a stone-throw away from the beach! Sadly, the beach isn't any beach lover's dream. Thanks to it being disgustingly dirty due to the garbage strewn all across and the turpid sea water.

The Dirty Beach

One could mistakenly assume of Daman having the same feel as Goa, courtesy the Portuguese. But that is not that case. Yes, it is unhurried and laid-back; at the same time, the presence of Gujaratis lends this Union Territory a very shabby exterior. No offence but that is my observation. 'Why?', you'd ask. Well, there is this part of Daman which is so clean that it feels outlandish, and then there is a part of Daman which is supremely exploited. According to what I could grasp, the exploited sections were Gujarati-dominated areas.

Look at that foliage-dripping roof!

Continuing with the travelogue theme and not wanting to make this a rant against a particular community, I'd like to draw all your attention towards the walk I took along with two other friends to get hold of some essentials. Now, the main bazaar area was an utter mess, but somehow, navigating through the alley-ways, we ended up on this meandering street lined with exotic houses in bright colours. Lack of another soul in sight made the entire experience much more enchanting! 

A random chapel we came across on the walk

Although I didn't get to do much exploring apart from the above-mentioned trysts, I can safely say that Daman is a different kind of weekend getaway for us Mumbai folks. If chaos sprinkled with moments of enchantment is what you seek along with cheap booze, this destination is not to be overlooked.