Two or three days in Daman?

It was a very long day. I went from Ahmadabad to Daman, a distance of 354 kms and it took me the entire day to get here! The speed we traveled at probably averaged 25-30 kms. Even on a major highway the traffic is insane.

In India most goods are delivered via medium sized trucks that are usually packed way beyond intended capacity. They rule the roads and if they don't move, you don't move. To add to the traffic problem, throughout Gujarat the highway is being widened and the construction made for some very long stops on a very hot day.

But the long trip was worth it, what a change! I went from a busy, polluted and overpopulated Ahmadabad to a scenic oceanside resort town of only thirty five thousand. There's no foreign tourists here (it's difficult to get here by train or bus) and I seem to be the town attraction. I've been told that I remind them of Salman Kahn, a Bollywood movie star. I don't see it, but I don't mind the attention. :)

Daman is an old port town where the Portugese built a couple of 500 year old forts. It's really beautiful and I've got a nice hotel room for a fair price. I expected to pay a lot more because the population here seems to be mostly middle class. I've decided to stay here for at least a couple of days.

The sun was setting when I got here and I didn't really have time to do much. I went to the nearby Nani Daman (Fort of St. Jerome) and tomorrow I'll try to explore some of the other sights.

Crows resting on the ruins of the Nani Daman:








Fishing boats in the harbour: