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Union Territory of Daman and Diu Travel Page by jorgejuansanchez

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Union Territory of Daman and Diu Travel Page by jorgejuansanchez

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jorgejuansanchez   
Qian li zhi xing, shi yu zu xia (Lao Tse proverb)


Real Name: Jorge Sanchez
Lives In: Hospitalet, ES
Member Since: Nov 14, 2004
VT Rank: 2069

 

Page Views: 1,393            Last Visit to Union Territory of Daman and Diu: August, 2006      

Portuguese remains in India

by jorgejuansanchez - last update: Aug 26, 2006

Diu Island

Church in Diu
I arrived to this island after a tiring train voyage from Delhi to Rajkot and then by a night bus to Diu. There is monsoon season in India. It is very hard to get through in local transports. To Diu there is only one flight service from Mumbai, but is often cancelled because of the monsoon.
I sleep in an old Portuguese Catholic Church today converted part in museum with effigies of saints, and on the top there is a cheap hostel with magnificent views of the Arabian Sea.
There are very few foreign tourists; I just met three during two days. Most of the visitors are from Gujarat and go to Diu and Daman to buy and drink alcohol with anxiety and without coercion, which sale is free, because, since Mahatma Gandhi was born in Gujarat, alcohol is forbidden in that Indian state.
Diu is a very pleasant island with nice beaches and a marked Portuguese flavour. Owing to the two bridges uniting the island with Gujarat, Diu has lost some of its romanticism; the same happens with other lovely islands, such as Mozambique or Penang.
I spend a couple of days without shaving and wearing a turban. I want to enter the seven forbidden sisters in North East India disguised as an Indian and need to look like an Indian.
After Diu I went hitchhiking to Daman.
Entry to the fortress

Daman

It was very hard to get to Daman. Roads were flooded. There is no transport available going out from Diu. There is hard rain all the time. Buses were cancelled. Only private cars risked going out of Diu. I also risked and hitchhiked.
Some drivers charged money, about 100 rupees for 100 kilometres, what I considered reasonable and paid. A motorcycle finally dropped me in Vapi after riding across the flooded roads for 80 kilometres. Vapi is a crossroads between Daman, Dadra and Bombay.
In Daman I took a boat to a walled fort and territory in front and even assisted to a mass service in Portuguese in a Catholic Church. There is a cheap hotel in the same port and a nice restaurant with gardens where I ordered fresh fish and beers.
After Daman I went to Dadra and Nagar Haveli.

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Comments for jorgejuansanchez about Union Territory of Daman and Diu
Avieira67 Sat May 3, 2008 02:35 UTC
 Olá Jorge! Voltarei novamente à tua página porque vistarei a ìndia em novembro. Cumprimentos dos Açores.

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