Daman - The Boozlegger territory

Place of Conquest - Daman

Location - Daman & Diu, India

Prologue - Daman is the quintessential Union territoty you can visit in India. It is one of the countable erstwhile Portuguese colonies in India. Located 12km from the Southern town of Gujarat - Vapi. Well accessible by road and rail from Mumbai(from Vapi). I toured Daman in 2010 with 9 of my friends from office. The occasion was special - 2 bday celebrations primarily, some road hitting to do and a quest to take a rejunevating break from our routines.Lets see how.

The highlight - Known as a coastal destination, the first thing that will strike you about Daman is not its beaches but the ubiquitous liquor shops spread across the place. Due to excise free duty, liqour is dirt cheap and hence is the key business here. People flocked from distances in quest of cheap liquor (that does not mean any compromise, it is the same bottle sans the tax) and revelry.

The travel - We stuffed our arse into a Qualis at around 3 AM early morning from Mumbai (western suburban) and quickly rode onto the Ahmedabad highway (NH 8). The ride from Mumbai to Vapi, which is a about a 3 hour journey in the company of trucks along the highway, was a bumpy one. Roads were not very ridable and sudden cuts and diversions made all the way. This is a heavy traffic route considering the volumes of inflow of vehicles into Mumbai from Gujarat and up north. All along  the road till Vapi, there were rocky terrains aside the highway. 

Enroute Vapi - Mumbai via NH8. Notice the spiky terrains along the road.

Liquor is banned in Gujarat and Daman being a union territory need not comply with the ban. So, i could see local people from nearby Vapi, Mumbai and surat come to Daman to stock liquor and sell at higher prices in other states, which is illegal and hence the presence of barricades and frisking at the Gujarat- Daman border was inevitable.
The union territory is bifurcated by the Damanganga, a river that separates Daman into two, Moti Daman and Nani Daman. Tourism, fisheries and distilleries seemed to be prime occupation in this coastal territory.

The main attraction of Daman are the Jumpore beach and Devka beach. The beaches here had mushy black soil which would not be a fall place to swim, yet you spot many tourists taking a bath in the sea waters considering that generally the tides are too low for waves to hit the shore.

A lot of tourism spectacles and entertainment options beckons you at Jumpore beach.

Amongst the many, you can go para-gliding shelling some good bucks at Jumpore beach. We indulged ourselves in some splendid beach cricket under the sun and on the sands.

It was tiring but worth every ball bowled and played.

 Devka and Jumpore beaches are not the ideal 'Waves on my feet' beach but gives you plenty of commercial stalls alongside the shore. You can lay your hands on seafood (the famous fish dish being paapli), chilled booze and snacks that sets the place for a perfect Picnic spot (with family also, if they dont mind the drinks).
Devka in comparison to Jumpore is a rocky beach but here also, the waves do not spread their wings ashore.

Joints @ Jumpore beach

Many invaders and rulers have come and gone to and from Daman. Daman being a portugese colony has some portugal architectural buildings and structures in Moti Daman. The Fort area being one. Built by the portugal rulers to prevent an invasion by the Mughals back around the 16th Century, the area is at present maintained for administrative offices and has two churches- the prime one being the Bom Jesus Church (Baby Jesus).

Fort road

Fort Area in Moti Daman. Houses administrative buildings, churches, catholic settlements, some ancient homes and a lighthouse.

We left daman the next afternoon enroute the same highway. I would like to make a note here that unlike common perception (where Daman & Diu are spoken in the same breath), Diu is quite a distance away by road from Daman. Diu is in Saurasthra and hence cannot be quickly planned in the same route while or to vist Daman.

Adios - Daman despite being a flocked destination for breweries has a tradition and sustained life of its own. People there are simple living and find their major source of income through tourism and business. It is a good weekend getaway from Bombay and adjoining areas of Gujarat but perhaps a lot more needs to be done on the tourism front to promote Daman not just for weekend parties and daaru-hunting but as a cheering coastal tourist venue as well. 

Till the time this wanderlust travels again, Bon voyage!!

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   sreespace

   Nov 2010