Like it is say in the movie Mashelkar ki raftar hi Mashelkar pechan he...... As covered 900 kms in 4 hours-5 hours as against 20 hours visited 3 different towns and cities and explored it fully
Amongst my travel tales and conquest.... I have decided to explore India city by city and state by state.... my Journey turns towards Gujrat in search of the remnants of Portugal colonies their history and cultural and working of union territories in Indian and to see and understand the Asiatic Lions at National Park which is the only place in the world outside Africa where a lion can be seen in its natural habitat...
Generally one takes 16-20 hours to reach Sassan Gir or dui from Mumbai as it is 900kms but there is a loop hole..... one can take a pawan hans helicopter which is just Rs2250 from daman to dui and same rate return which is reasonable rate with saves time.
Trip is divided into 4 Parts
(so there will be 3 or 4 articles)
Mumbai To Daman (180 kms 4-5 hours by car 2 and half hours by train)
Arrival at Daman
Our journey stars with a group of 5 people meeting at Borivali station Boarding the Saurashtra Exp(19015) Rs 125 PP staring at 9:15 am which reached around 12:30 noon just before our check-in timing at Vapi station, then we took a sharing cab for Rs.20 which dropped us at the Hotel Hotel Brighton Daman just near the beach and which is near to the main bus stand point....
Exploration of Daman....... Covered over 10 places
1)St. Jerome Fort,2)Moti Daman Fort, 3)Bom Jesus Church, 4)Dominican Monastery, 5)Moti Daman Jetty Garden,6) Jampore Beach & Water activities , 7)Devka Beach, 8)Lighthouse , 10)Arjungad Fort
1) 1:15 Pm- 1:40pm
We had booked a 8 hours CNG Cab for sighting.... after freshen up first we moved towards the Arjungad Fort which is at the outskirts if Daman..... according to local folklore, Arjun from Mahabharat kidnapped Subhadra from this place hence Arjungad.... This fort is said to be built by chimajiappa to keep eyes on the Portuguese .
2) 1:45 pm - 2:30 (Lunch)
we had amazing lunch at a local restaurant at the Daman Gujrat border at Manpasand Family Garden Restaurant And Bar where we tried local mutton sheek kabab.... chicken dish kown as roast special and local dara fish made in special local masala....
3) 2:35-3:00 Devka Beach
The after lunch we moved towards Devka beach which being the more popular beach is a bit muddy with semi-white sand and a bit a little rocky having great accommodation options as it has many hotels and resorts around.
4) 3:05-3:25 St. Jerome Fort
Then we moved towards the St. Jerome Fort or nani daman fort .... It is a small fort with high and elegant stone walls, three bastions and two huge gateways. Spread over an area of about 12,250 sq m, the fort boasts two magnificent human figurines. Deriving its name from St Jerome of the Catholic order, the fort is home to a splendid statue of the saint at the front gate and houses a Catholic Church of Our Lady of the Sea that is known for its refined panelling. It is just situated next to the river jetty and the fishing Boats with setting sun it amazing to view.
5) 3:30-4:30Pm Bom Jesus Church, Dominican Monastery & Our Lady of Remédios Church
Then we moved towards the churches where the father of the church told us about the history of the Bom Jesus Church & Dominican Monastery then told us amount an interesting part of battle between ottoman's and Portuguese....
Daman has a strong link to the Catholics owing to its Portuguese connection and Cathedral of Bom Jesus is among the most important religious monument for them.Built long back in 1603, the structure is still beautiful. The astounding design, expert architecture and fine craftsmanship surely reflect the passion with which the Portuguese built this cathedral...
Formerly a catholic monastery and a place of worship, Dominican Monastery is a representation of historic ruins bearing a testimony to its own glorious past... Apparently I lost some of my pics so cant show how it looks.... but one can google it
Then we headed to the The Church of Our Lady of Remedios which is 10 mins drive from Bom Jesus Church.... its a hidden location, basically it is a chapel constructed in 1607 by Ruy de Mello de Sampayo, Governor and Captain of Daman. it has some beautiful wooden carvings inside...
6) 4:45-5:30Pm Jampore Beach & Water activities
The to enjoy the perfect sunset we moved towards the beach and decided to do some water activates at Jampore beach...... where we did para gliding but it was attached to a Jeep which is just of 10-15 mins but worth doing it....
7) 6:00 pm - 6:45 Evening snack and a bit of rest
Then we moved back to the hotel and on the way we stopped at Daman Jetty Rolls
a wonderful where one gets amazing snacks and rolls.
8) 7:00 to 8:00 Moti Daman Fort, Light house and Local fair
The father of the church had informed us about a local fair and said to visit the fort in the evening as it is beautifully lit up..... and my God it was so beautiful there are lighting on the entire fort it really beautiful to look at......Exploring the fort is an opportunity to get a sneak peek in the history of Daman as you walk around it and scout through the comprising areas. Its walls encompass a large area of 30,000 square meters, which encloses the Administrator’s Secretariat, the Government House, Cathedral of Bom Jesus, Dominican Monastery, Bocage House (also known as the poet house), the old lighthouse, the convent school, government quarters, and several government organizations such as the public health centre, the district library, three gardens, the district court, Daman Municipal Council, etc. Most of the fort’s areas are accessible to the general public for visiting. To visit the old lighthouse and some other parts of the fort, the visitors can climb upon the fort walls using the stairs given at multiples points to take a walk around the 10 bastions....
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9) 9:00 Pm Dinner
Then after a chill evening by the fort and then on the beach we moved in search of seafood and came across an amazing seafood restaurant Daman Delite perfect place to have dinner .... it has seafood amazing veg starters. drinks and live music
10) Post 10:30
After having a wonderful dinner we where just wandering off on the streets of daman..... watching beautiful lighting of Moti daman fort from the jetty of Nani daman
While returning from the walk we stumble across a sweet spot know as the Bholenath Ice Cream And Juice Centre ....... ohhh my we had a tons of deserts there the pictures below are more than enough to tell the tail....
The we head back to the hotel to rise again and continue in the conquest..... the further trip will follow with another article........ The helicopter ride how it got cancelled and how we made it to sassan Gir.... in time...
The total expenditure of the day....... which is per person rates
1) Mumbai to Vapi train Rs.125
2) Vapi to Daman Share taxi Rs 20
3) 8 hours taxi Rs 300
4) Lunch at manpasand Rs 300-500
5) Food at jetty Rs 50
6) Parasaling Rs 400
7) Hotel Brighton Rs 860
8) Dinner at Daman deltie Rs 500
9) Desert shake Rs 100
10) Total Rs 2655-2855/-(aprox)
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