Daman, a exotic former Portuguese Colony.

Map of Daman.

Daman is a small tiny coastal land  of 72 Sq Km(28 Sq Miles) that is included in the  the Union territory of  "Daman ,Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli" of  India.It was a Portugal colony between 1539 to 1961 and is situated on the boundary of  Valsad district  of the State of Gujarat with  the Arabian sea providing the 12.5 Kms of  natural coastline boundary. Daman is approximately 170 Kms by road from Mumbai  and its main claim to fame besides the  colonial architecture and sea side landscapes as a fishing port  is the fact that it was a major "Gold and contraband Smuggling" sea route  during  the 20th century , Gossips and facts of Daman  gave rise to numerous Bollywood movies and crime journalism of the 1970's and 1980's until "terror gangsterism"  and air route   gold smuggling replaced  contraband/gold  sea smuggling in the news and movies. "Liquor" is duty free and cheap in Daman, akin to Goa and Sikkim.Gujarat is a "Dry state" where liquor is banned and Maharashtra has high taxation on liquor products and hence Daman is seen as a thirst quencher for liquor purists from these two neighbouring states !During the liberation war of 1961 against the Portugal colonies of Goa, Daman and Diu it was tiny Daman that the first wave of Indian 1st  Maratha Infantry Battalion regiment  troops captured on 16th December 1961.

 A novel as a journey companion during  solo travels.

                                                                             In  the 1970's Mr Homi.Contractor, a Parsee colleague of my Dad from the  Mombasa employment era    occasionally visited our house and  narrated tales of  his  frequent visits to Daman and Udvada .He was also a part-time  Parsee priest and hence visited Udvada frequently during his  Daman trips.It was  the 1970's  during the hey days of  "Gold and  textile/contraband " sea  smuggling  of  the Sukur Narain Bakhia /Haji Mastaan era ..He was  a graduate of Elphinstone college of  Bombay(Mumbai) and the highest qualified "Cargo Supervisor" of "Smith Mackenzie Co Ltd(Mombasa)" of his era and generation.Post retirement  he was a  total "Stock exchange"  player and a "Inside information" tip  he once gave me about the "Ambalal Sarabhai Family" business empire  still remains fresh in my mind proving that the "Big Players" only make money on "INSIDE INFORMATION". 21st century era celebrity  Big bull Rakesh.Jhunjhunwalla is what he is because of "Insider Information" as also a talent for "Stock Pickings".No wonder only 1 % of the Worlds population is involved in earning a living through speculation or direct investments in the Stock markets of their respective Country's.Remember the "CRASH OF 1929" ?

Train passing over "Vaitrana river bridge" on way to Vapi.

                                                                                                             He was instrumental in creating the "Stock market" interest in me as a impressionable teenager with  a zero family lineage of  business acumen in  stock and money market investments. . Sadly, he died a lonely death  in the 1980's,having no relatives and   his palatial flat  in Grant road  as also all his personal wealth just vanishing   along with his death.It seemed that Mr Homi.Contractor just didn't exist after his death, rarest of rare cases for a educated Parsee gentleman .It was presumed that he was in his 90's at the time of his death and his case points to the fact that there are a few destitute Parsees in India  although considered the wealthiest and most charitable community in the country. His  bachelor wealth was  squandered in medical expenses or pilfered as my parents would later tell me.As we humans  move on in life certain common people besides celebrities and historical icons  do make an impression on our thinking or way of living and late Mr Homi.Contractor did leave a impression on my view of life and living. .Hence as a student of history   i decided to visit Daman to understand the city that was a fantasy place during my impressionable  youth growing years in Bombay(Mumbai).Booked a  reserved seat  train ticket  on the Internet for Monday(4-5-2015)  from Dadar to Vapi Station   on the "19011 Gujarat Express".

"DAMAN GANGA RIVER" that bifurcates "Moti Daman" and "Nani Daman"  as  viewed from "Nani Daman " Side. The "Moti Daman Fort" and Daman Lighthouse  as seen from Nani Daman.

Monday(4-5-2015) Departure Mumbai :- Woke up at 0400 hrs and after the normal routines boarded a taxi to Dadar station from my residence in Prabhadevi.The  "19011 - Gujarat Express" was punctual , arriving  at Dadar station at 0600 hrs. Entered Compartment "D4" and made my way to  seat Nos 26.It was the first time that i was travelling on a reserved seating accommodation on a train as all my previous journeys were  in the reserved sleeper class compartments A/c or Non-A/c.

In vintage "AMBASSADOR SHARED  TAXI" to Daman

"Devka Beach" in Nani Daman at Low Tide.

            Excellent compartment with identical seating arrangements as in a plane with three passengers in a row on either side of the compartment  aisle. Began reading the thriller novel "The Hit" by American  David.Baldacci, a 21st century novel written in the era of the "Internet".At approximately 0900 hrs reached Vapi station ,the end of a comfortable journey akin to a short plane flight ! Numerous  ambassador "taxi's and auto-rickshaws are available for hire outside Vapi station.Pooled into a shared ambassador taxi with 6 passengers to a taxi  , the fare being Rs 30/passenger,It was  a  12 Kms  ride to Daman in a packed Ambassador car that is now a vintage car on  Mumbai's streets.A travel experience of a different kind on a now extinct vehicle that will become a museum exhibit for automobiles.We were dropped at  Nani Daman taxi stand and after a few inquiries in the vicinity decided to head towards "Devka beach" in Nani Daman. The Damanganga river  divides Daman city into two towns called "Nani Daman(Little Daman)" which is North of the river  and "Moti Daman(Big Daman)" which is to the South of the river. Nani Daman is larger  than Moti Daman although the names are confusing as "Nani" means small and "Moti" means big in the  Gujarati language.Nani Daman is the  commercial business town  and the street resembled a typical commercial street of India.As i walked along the road noticed the numerous liquor shops and bars and on inquiry was happy to know that the price's of liquor products was "Duty Free".Devka beach is approximately 5 kms from Nani Daman taxi stand and hence walking the distance was not on my travel agenda.

"Sohil Bar & Restaurant" :- Classic farm style hotel.

                                                                                                            A hired auto-rickshaw charged Rs 60 for the trip and was lucky to experience a extreme sports  ride on a "Shared Rickshaw" of 6 passengers costing only Rs 10/passenger. The Short 5 Kms ride to Devka beach was akin to a tight-rope balancing act with me sitting next to the driver  and cheap by any standard for a adrenalin junkie!On arriving at the beautiful palm fringed coastline of Devka  beach road  at approx 0945 hrs was surprised at the lack of human population in tiny Daman. Couldn't believe that i was in India, the second most populated Country on Planet Earth.Just 4  hours ago i was in one of the World's most populated city's,Mumbai ! Entry to Devka beach was through a garden park with a entry  ticket price of Rs 10, On entering the beach precincts was surprised at the colour of the sand and the hard rocks which were clearly visible  due to the low tide.The beach is flat having black sand  and stretched  upto the horizon  due to the extreme low tide.

Mimicking a "FILM SHOOT" at Devka.

Daman is legendary for "LIQUOR" .

                                                                 It was a clean beach with beach cleaners  being the few people present on the beach.A definitely well maintained and clean beach but totally unfit for swimming.Sipping liquor in the shacks and having a dip in the sea could be the only relaxation to beach enthusiasts.As for genuine swimming and water sports enthusiasts there is a plush resort  called "Mirasol  waterpark lake resort" about 3 Kms from Devka beach which has swimming and boating facilities in its hotel resort.There were numerous tourist shacks along the beach, absolutely empty in the morning at low tide.All the plush expensive hotels in Daman are situated near Devka beach although the beach itself is unfit for serious water sports or swimming. The entire beach front has tall coconut trees which gives the place a pleasant serene look of bliss and isolation.After a brief walk on the desolate beach walked back to the main road and into the  quaint farm-house style  "Sohil bar and restaurant".

Portuguese Coat of arms on  St Jerome Fort.

Entrance "St Jerome Fort" in Nani Daman.

                                                                                                                                               The owner of this restaurant was one of the oldest property owners on this stretch of Devka beach road having owned this palm fringed  land since 1966.The adjacent  plush "Shilton Hotel" which had room rentals of Rs 1800/day was also owned by him, a hotel tycoon of Daman. Relaxed with a beer costing just Rs 80 in the open-air palm fringed  resort , the only tourist sipping beer at 1015 hrs in the morning. Honestly, i felt i owned this scenic beach resort due to its total isolation and private landscape.After quenching my thirst with the beer  made my way out of the resort onto the main road,Hired a rickshaw at Rs 60 to visit the Nani Daman St Jerome  fort.During the drive inquired about the  gold and contraband smuggling era of late Sukur.Narain.Bhakia, a legend during his life-time.Seems akin to commoner late Mr Homi,.Contractor most local Daman residents of the present generation  were unaware of the wealth of Sukur.Bhakia. Sukur.Bhakia resided in Nani Daman which is the commercial face of Daman and modern India..The rickshaw driver did show me some beautiful palm fringed hotel estates along the beach road  facing Devka beach that he presumed  belonged to family members of the late "Gold King" of  Daman. St Jerome Nani Daman fort is situated next to the main fishing jetty in Nani Daman with the Daman Ganga river flowing in-between Mota and Nani Daman towns .The Entrance  to the fort from the Daman Ganga riverside  has a huge gate with a statue of St Jerome and a cross at the pinnacle.

View of Church & School from top of  "Nani Daman" fort

                                                          Entered the gate into a large ground  having high boundary  walls  on all sides.A church "Our lady of the Seas"  stands on one corner of the fort. The Church was closed and not a human in sight at 1000hrs in the morning. There was a long two storey building adjacent to the church which housed the "Stella Maris Primary School". Observed a lady standing near  the school and approached her for some tourist guidance of the locality.Mrs Marina.Remidious happened to be a teacher of the "Stella Maris primary school" and a local Daman resident of Portuguese descent.I was surprised when she told me that  many Daman Catholics  still spoke Portuguese language  in Daman and also the fact that migration to England had reduced the Daman  Catholic population substantially.In fact all residents of Daman born under Portuguese rule upto 1961   can apply for Portuguese Citizenship or migration to England.Hearing my name she told me that there was only one Furtado family in entire  Daman and seemed Daman was a real small World where everyone in  the community knew each other.Thanking her for her information i proceeded on my exploration of this   small Fort.

Daman Fishing Jetty seen from old "Daman Ganga Bridge".

View  of Old "Daman Ganga" bridge.

                                                                                       The Boundary walls of the fort are high and the entire Fort occupies approximately 12.250 Sq Ft area.It has another entrance from the  city end and has 3 citadels or bastions, the highest observation points in the fort.There is also a small catholic cemetery within the fort precincts.Although the Sun was shining hot it was still pleasant and comfortable in Daman. After exploring the Nani Daman Fort made my way out of  "St Jeromes Gate" onto the riverside.A small park called "Gandhi Park" is situated near the Fort along the riverside.A few fishing boats were anchored at the mouth of the river on either sides.There are two bridges over the "Daman Ganga river" that link Moti Daman and Nani Daman.The old bridge that was built in 1983 linking  the two towns  had collapsed  on  28th August 2003 during the monsoons..In 1983 when this bridge was built Daman was a small town with less vehicles and hence over the decades the bridge  weakened  as Daman's vehicular population grew along with its  human population .The abrupt collapse of this bridge resulted in the deaths of  twenty eight students and one  teacher from "Our Lady of  Fatima Convent School" in Moti Daman.Since then although the bridge was rebuilt  it  has been de-commissioned and closed for vehicular traffic. It is now only used as a unofficial pedestrian bridge. A new bridge called the "Rajiv Gandhi Setu Bridge"  further ahead along the river is in use for vehicular and pedestrian traffic. Bizarrely this bridge had also partially collapsed during heavy flooding  in August 2004 with no loss of lives.This bridge was rebuilt and  now in  use for vehicular and pedestrian traffic.As the old bridge was walking distance from the Nani Daman fort i decided to cross over to Moti Daman using this jinxed bridge.Crossing over to Moti Daman i felt i was in a different Country let alone a different town of the same city.

Palatial Govt  buildings inside Moti Daman Fort.

"Moti Daman Fort" entrance gate from riverside.

                                                      The road was broad, clean and had the typical European signature to any person having visited Europe, let alone Portugal.There was a small police station  post at the entrance to  Moti Daman which resembled a shipping container and having Portuguese  script.A few  cafeteria shops lined one side of the clean spacious road while a garden was on the other side.The huge Moti Daman fort entrance gate  surrounded by high thick walls was the entry point to the town..I felt i was transferred in a time capsule to Europe !Had my lunch at "Minaz Chinese restaurant" which consisted of "Chicken 65" and fried rice.It was hot but not humid and besides food my intake of liquids was competitive enough for a elephants need for water.After lunch  entered the huge gate of Moti Daman and was transferred into a World that seems to have stood still in architecture and design  since the last few centuries.The road inside the fort was well paved and broad with  Government offices and plush bungalow style houses occupying space along with churches .

A View  from "Moti Daman" citadel facing river

                                                                                                                                                The Construction of the fort began in 1559 and lasted till the end of the 16th century.Its total area is approximately 30,000 Sq meters and it has 10 citadels and  totally surrounded by a moat linking the river to the sea. .It is built in the shape of a polygon.The  confines of this Fort housed Palaces and official buildings as well as a few residences of the Portuguese aristocracy  during Portugal rule..At 1215 hrs in the afternoon there was negligible sign of human life within the  large palatial Fort precincts reminding me of my walk in Engelberg in Switzerland where i couldn't spot a cat let alone a human being ! I was not in Switzerland but in India just  only 4 hours road travel time from  congested Mumbai. Walked along the boundary of the Palatial fort  towards the lighthouse.Came across  two professional photographers on motorcycles on a "Shoot" for wedding photo's at the lighthouse point.

Ruins of "DOMINICAN MONASTERY" in Moti Daman.

                                               The view from the citadel of the lighthouse and surrounding sea was excellent in the hot blistering heat of the afternoon.What surprised me was the lack of tourists, the entire Citadel bastion absolutely empty .

"Altar" of Dominican Monastery ruins.

                                                                                             I was also exhausted having been on the move since 0400 hrs in the morning and now strolling across Moti Daman fort in the hot mid-day Sun.After a brief glimpse of the lighthouse and the mouth of the Damanganga river through binoculars  made my way down the steps of the bastion to the smooth paved road of the fort.There was a beautiful large Banyan tree  on the side of the road inside the  boundary walls of the Fort that enhanced the classic heritage beauty of the locale.I was the lone tourist walking along the Moti Daman fort  street with a few vehicles occasionally passing through the main fort entrance gate.A motorcycle rider  offered me a lift to one of the heritage sites within the fort precincts, It was a short ride to the ruins of 'The Dominican Monastery". At 1245 hrs in the afternoon  i felt i was in a desert rather than a city. The entire landscape of the Dominican ruins looking eerily haunted, akin to a cemetery .As a travel name-dropper these magnificent Monastery  ruins  reminded  me of the ruins of St Paul in Macao also a 16th century  ruin and former Portuguese colony now under China..Walked into the ruins, the only human amidst ruins of walls and altars.This Monastery was once a college for priestly studies that attracted Catholic scholars from all over the World.

"CHAPEL OF OUR LADY OF ROSARY".

                                                                                                                 The ruins consisted of bare and tall walls surrounded by smaller walls and crevices.The tall walls were originally the altar of  the Franciscan convent. Its abrupt decline and passing away into ruins is a mystery in the annals of Portugal Daman history.Every year on 2nd February Catholics gather at this Monastery  and sing a litany. A Mass is also held  here every year on the third Sunday of every December in honour of St Dominic. As i strolled across the ruins came across a  a few ladies sleeping near a shade, presumably domestic workers having a mid-day siesta. Later two men strolled into the ruins and sat  on one of the numerous ruined walls.Requested one of them to take my photograph amidst the ruins of the altar and made my exit onto the main desolate road.Walking aimlessly  came across the "Chapel of our Lady of Rosary" whose doors were shut.This chapel was built touching the fort wall and is a symbol of Portugal religious fervor during their rule over Daman.The altar of this chapel is considered to be one of the best gilded designs of all the Portuguese churches in India..A statue of Mary of Rosary  was placed as thanksgiving  on the altar of this chapel by a Portuguese Commander who escaped a Maratha  naval attack from the forces of Chattrapati Shivaji.The exterior of this chapel  was typical European architectural design.

"Daman Police Station" inside  Moti Daman Fort.

                                                                                             There were a few cottage style houses in the vicinity along with Government  offices.A catholic resident happened to step out of his cottage and i did make some inquiries with him about the locality and the heritage churches.Was told that  the chapel was closed and the main ""The Church of Holy Jesus(Bom Jesus Church)" would open its gates at 1400 hrs.Thanking the gentleman  made my way towards "Bom Jesus" church and sure enough its gate was shut.Walked further along this small enclosed fort city and came across the "Daman Jail" and was prevented from clicking photographs by the police guards. Saw a few people outside the  prison gates ,presumably visitors wanting to meet their imprisoned friends or relatives .Was Sukur.Narain.Bhakia ever imprisoned in this small prison building during his lifetime  ? Strolled around the main road and came across the  Daman Municipal building, of  classic European Portuguese  architecture.Legend boards  on the municipal council building were in English and Portuguese language.The entire Moti Daman Fort locality resembled a artificial enclosed film set rather than a natural historic enclave as it was too perfect, clean and well planned compared to the normal chaos and congestion of the average Indian city. Kudo's to the Daman municipality for preserving and maintaining this heritage fort enclave in its original design and aesthetics.

"War Memorial" of Liberation of Daman. near Govt House.

"War Memorial" :- Liberation of Daman

                                                                                                                                            Didn't observe any 21st century lavishly decorated  modern architectural structures inside the fort.The entire Fort precinct resembled a abandoned city, absolutely  empty barring the government offices and few private bungalows.Came across the "Secretariat Building" that administered the Union territory power of "Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli", a typical large government edifice.On the main road  near the administrative building is a war memorial for the soldiers of the "Maratha Regiment"  that liberated Daman from Portuguese rule in 1961.I was thirsting for water and not a single grocery shop or departmental store was in sight let alone liquor shops .Seems the few residents of Moti Daman Fort went outside the Fort premises to purchase their normal rations and personal items.Walked  out of the main gate  and back to "Minaaz Chinese restaurant" quickly gulping a cocktail of cool drinks.Had a conversation with the owner  of this small Chinese  food stall and as usual tried to trace Sukhur.Narain.Bhakia.The owner  of the food stall Mr Shamsher.Tabraz, a semi-literate  had graduated up the ranks in various hotels and city's from dish-washer  to now managing his own small Chinese food stall.He had worked at "Sagar Hotel" in Nagpada in Mumbai , a once familiar eatery during a certain stage in my life-style and living.

Palatial "Moti Daman Fort" complex.

                                                                              He narrated  me his tough street life working in hotels advising his young brother working at the stall to be smart and energetic for survival in city life.He was also dreaming about migrating to "London" and narrated tales of many Daman Government  staff leaving well paying jobs to migrate to the promised land , London.I was under the impression that only some  Catholic Portuguese descendants  were interested in migration to Europe  akin to many  Anglo-Indians of Calcutta ,Madras and Bombay who migrated to Australia over the decades since 1947.In Daman  it seems that Muslims, Hindu's and other residents also  preferred migration to a European Country rather than living in the city." WELL, THE GRASS SEEMS ALWAYS GREEN ON THE OTHER SIDE OF THE FENCE ," is my personal advice having  toured 47 Country's and almost entire India myself !As for Sukur.Narain.Bhakia facts , seems that he was also brought up on legends of this infamous gold/Contraband  smuggler of Daman.He spun yarns of sunken fishing trawlers with gold lying at the bottom of the Damanganga river proving that he had seen the film 'Titanic" but not a iota of the "Daman Gold".At approximately 1430 hrs i wished Shamsher.Tabraz goodbye and headed back into Moti Daman Fort.A huge cross  stands at the side of the main road  next to the Government house building a few meters from the main river gate entrance side of the Fort.

"The Church of Holy Jesus(Bom Jesus Church)"

                                                                                                                                           Headed straight towards "The Church of Holy Jesus(Bom Jesus Church)" and was happy to find the main door open.The construction of this church began in 1559 and the  Church was consecrated in 1603.On entrance was overwhelmed by the intricate craftsmanship of the Portuguese in designing the altar and pulpit made out of wood and painted.

Inside "Bom Jesus Church".

                                                                                        The ceiling is high and was reconstructed in 1902.From 1886 to 1928 this Church was a Cathedral with a resident Bishop.The Jurisdiction of the Bishop was over all Catholics residing in Daman, Diu,Tarapur, Bassein(Vasai) , Salsette(Thane),Karanja(Uran) and Chaul, Five Churches in Bombay(Mumbai) were under the jurisdiction of this Cathedral and they were Byculla, Dabul, Sonapur,Dadar and Mahim Churches.
In 2015 this Church is the seat of the superior of  the Mission of Daman (Daman, Diu and Dadra Nagar Haveli) under the archbishop of Goa-Daman.

View of "MOTI DAMAN FORT" from the road leading to Moti Daman  town.

Took a few photographs inside this historic church, the only church i visited in Daman.After the church visit headed towards the citadel of the fort  at the other end of the exit/entrance  gate  from Moti Daman city. Again i was surprised at being the only tourist  walking through the ruins of the citadel walls.The view of the surrounding dry moat and the  clean road of Moti Daman was spectacular from the elevated height of the Fort wall.Later made my way out of the Fort gate onto the main road leading to Moti Daman town.The leveled paved broad and clean roads reminded me of the highways of Europe where vehicles travelled at a minimum speed of over 100Km/hr.

Entrance to Jampore beach and advertisement of a "Kite Festival" on the beach.

                       Further down the road came across a narrower road with numerous shops and small buildings on either side that led to  Moti Daman market and Jampore beach. Stopped at a liquor shop and did a survey of the types of liquor on sale and the prices. Excellent prices compared to Mumbai as it was "Duty-Free".Liquor permits for tourists are available at the "Excise Office" in the "Collectorate building" near Moti Daman market on payment of Rs 5 for two branded liquor  bottles.Quenched my thirst with a Heinikin beer and walked down the road towards the market.Boarded a bus to Jampore, the bus ticket being Rs 10.

A "Drone View" while para-sailing on Jampore beach.

"JEEP PARA-SAILING" on Jampore Beach.

                                                                    On arrival at the beach was surprised at the large holiday crowd compared to a empty Devka  beach in the morning in Nani Daman. It was now high tide  and the beach was filled with swimmers and tourists relaxing at the permanent Government  licensed  shacks erected on the beach.The beach had dark sand but no rocks akin to Devka beach and hence fit for swimming or just  bathing. Kept my  haversack in shack nos 3 and explored the beach scene.There were pony and camel rides, popular among the tourists. May is peak tourist season due to college and school vacation  besides today was "Buddha Purnima", a public holiday.Undressed in the shack and had a dip in the sea. The beach was clean but swimming impossible due to the waves and the crowd, besides i had to also keep a eye on my valuables.After a brief siesta in the shallow water went back to the shack and got dressed.Walked along the beach and came across a "Jeep Para-sailing" entourage offering "Para-Sailing" rides along the beach.Booked a ride costing Rs500 and it was wonderful being airborne on a parachute and being dragged from below by a jeep.I had done  "Tandem Paragliding" in Pokhara in Nepal and hence para-sailing was no novelty but a pleasant short ride in the sky.After the para-sailing ride went back to my shack and quenched my thirst with a Carlsberg beer costing  only Rs 110.Excellent value fort money and no wonder Daman is a craze among tourists from the neighbouring states of Gujarat and Mumbai.Booze and secluded village life is a clincher for tourists from a crowded megalopolis.After beer at approximately 1745 hrs made my way back to the bus-stand and was lucky to board a shared rickshaw. I sat along with the driver while a family with children sat behind me , a adrenalin junkie ride to Nani Daman  taxi stand  costing only Rs 30.We passed through the "Rajiv Gandhi Setu(New Bridge)" bridge linking Moti and Nani Daman, a strong wide bridge compared to the jinxed "Old Bridge" that collapsed twice.

"Pofret/Prawns Fry" at local Dhaba.

      On reaching the bus stand whiled away my time strolling around congested Nani Daman town centre.Visited the  enclosed vegetable market which was built on the modern 21st century system and resembled a miniature Burroughs market of London.Nani Daman town centre is congested having hotels, wine-shops along with the bus and taxi stands.Its the main centre for shopping and the arrival and departure of tourists and passengers .As usual visited the local fish market and learnt a new method of the sale of fish by the fisher-folks. In Nani Daman fish is sold in "Thalis(Steel plates)", a typical Gujarati system and the fisher-women also speak in Gujarati.Purchased a thali of 2 pomfrets  and shrimps costing Rs 250 and got the same cleaned by the fisher woman. Later got the fish fried at a dhaba next to the street fish market and ate the same in typical local Daman style.Fish is a very popular dish in Daman and this Dhaba was really busy selling private fried fish as well as the common fried "Bangda fish(Mackerel)".After dinner headed to the taxi stand to board a shared taxi but it seemed there was a "Taxi strike" as no Ambassador taxi was willing to ply to Vapi station.Was lucky to sneak into a shared rickshaw costing Rs 30 with 6 passengers.

Street vegetable sellers in Nani Daman

"Nani Daman" main town centre.

                             It was a extreme adventure ride to Vapi station with me seated next to the driver, a now habitual and familiar position. On reaching Vapi station hurried to the ticket counter and purchased a general class ticket to Mumbai. costing only Rs 85.With a "General Class ticket" a traveller can board any train on the prescribed route provided its not crowded to over -capacity.Luck favoured me and at approx 2010 hrs  was lucky to board the partly crowded  general compartment of the   "Bikaner-Yeshwantpur Express" as the train was late compared to its  normal time schedule.It was a pleasant journey near the exit door watching a "Full Moon" pass us as we zipped through the dark night.At Boisar station there was a commotion as the train left the station with the "Emergency Stop Chain" chain being pulled by one of the passengers in the General compartment. News was that a fellow passenger had fallen from the train.Miraculously the passenger walked had fallen onto the platform and not under the train and hence fortunate to continue his journey on the same train.This was the first time in my life that i happened to be in the same compartment  in which a passenger  fell from the Entrance/exit door.At approx 2200 hrs reached  Vasai station and  alighted the train. After a short waiting period at  Vasai  road station boarded  the local Mumbai train to Dadar. Finally reached home before mid-night. End of a memorable, hectic and booze thirst quenching tour of exotic Daman.Although i couldn't trace much of late Daman Don Sukur Narain Bhakia's  resorts or his family's present wealth status i did explore Portuguese era  architecture and local Daman culture.

NOTE :- ALL VIEWS  AND OPINIONS EXPRESSED ARE MY OWN. I HAVE WRITTEN THIS PERSONAL TRAVEL BLOG WITH A LITTLE HELP FROM "INTERNET RESEARCH" :- Seafarer/Blogger/Tourist Rudolph.A.Furtado