The journey has begun. But this journey is endless and the world is too small for it to end.-aveekoiqbalneep.

                                  BIKE RIDE

                                   FROM MUMBAI TO DAMAN

Start from any point in the glamorous city of Mumbai. Check your bike before your ride.

All’s well?

Then wear your helmet, put on your bike gloves and zoom off.

Well in one off the busiest cities in the world, you simply can’t zoom off. So from Borivali to Dahisar  (checkpoint) you have to travel at snail’s speed.

After that you can zoom off, but it should be in moderate speed.

During the journey from Mumbai to Daman, it is mostly covered with small and medium sized hills and mountains.There are beautiful temples atop a few mountains. Good restaurants, hotels and clean restrooms on the way are less, but on asking anybody, they can be known about.

Manor naka is a major point in the journey.

The road from Mumbai to Daman is mostly straight. Daman is an Union Territory and it is adjoined with the city of Vapi (Gujarat).

Only after covering a distance of of one hundred and seventy kilometers can one reach Vapi.

After crossing Manor there aren’t many places for refreshments,barring a few big hotels,standing outright in the middle of nowhere. But they are good.

On the way to Gujarat, one or two mountains stand out of the rest (in sense of natural and scenic beauty).Stop your bike there.Even if you gaze the mountain for a minute aside, you will feel that you are a part of an ancient history. You will feel that ancient history resides inside you.

Another scenic beauty which one comes across while travelling to  Vapi are rivers.Many rivers are there on the way to Vapi. You have to speed across the Tanasa river and then the Vaitarana river and a few other rivers. It gives a thrilling experience to cross such river bridges as there is water flowing beneath the bridge at high current and the wind is flowing against you. It is such an experience that only bike riders can get. People who travel in car and specifically in AC car are devoid of experiencing such a thrilling and marvellous experince.

Now lets continue the journey towards Vapi, so that we can proceed towards Daman.

When you reach the border of Gujarat, there will be a huge welcoming board stating-“Welcome to the state of Gujarat”. From there drive straight on. As you drive on you will reach a river bridge beneath which flows the beautiful and the vast Daman Ganga river.On the left hand side of the river bridge is the train bridge and on the right hand side is a big dam located on the river and over which the water gushes and falls beautifully. Here you can stop your bike and observe for a few minutes .On the left side of the river bridge is a beautiful Mahalakshmi mandir and from there one can reach the river bank also; but be careful there are sharp edged, big rocks there.

After you cross the bridge you can see one of the biggest water treatment plant there.From here starts the GIDC area of Vapi and again do drive straight on. It takes about twenty minutes to reach Vapi to Daman as the main roads are not congested there. Ask any local person for the way to Daman and they will help you or you can take the help of any map service apps.

While entering Daman , the welcome board will say -“Welcome to the Union Territiory of Daman and Diu”

Diu is not located with Daman. It is nearly four hundred and fifty kilometers away from Daman and is situated as a separated island which connects to Western Gujarat via a bridge.

Daman, Diu and Goa are very old and famous tourists places which are often named together, but the three places are located miles and miles apart.

Daman is a very much less congested place.There are many five star hotels made.

Few high-fi amusement parks , water rides, boating places have opened there. Some of them are new and some are old.

It can be a bit lonely in Daman, but as I said before it is a very famous tourist place and the different resorts there are a hit with tourists.

Daman is divided in two parts – Moti Daman and Nani Daman. In Gujarati the word”Moti” means big and “Nani” means small.

In Moti Daman residential buildings are of maximum two to three floors.  Portuguese architechture can be seen here and you will find that the space between two opposite houses or buildings is so less that a car can hardly pass between them. It feels as if all are a close knit family.

Old residential buildings are found in colonies and many government offices are there.

There are many factories in Daman specifically in the Dabhel area.

KACHIGAM- DAMAN GANGA RIVER

The bridge which used to connect Moti Daman to Nani Daman is known as the old bridge and it had collapsed twice a few years back. Now the administration has placed brick blocks to prevent people and vehicular movement on that bridge. The Moti Daman side of the bridge is now a tourist spot and many people go there morning walks or to simply gaze at the Daman Ganga river .There is a beautiful Shirdi Sai Baba temple there which is simply majestic.It is located ten metres before the start of the bridge on the right hand side. This area is known as Kachigam.

Standing there looking towards Nani Daman gives one’s self an unexplicable touch and feel of scenic beauty and arises a lot of curiosity that what is on the other side of the bridge. The Daman fort is visible from there.

There are other ways of reaching Nani Daman and a new bridge connecting both the parts has been made.

Once you reach Nani Daman, the first thing to see is the Daman fort. It has a canon inside it. It is filled with graves and tombs.

The lighthouse is located near the river bank and a more clear view of it can be seen from fort.

There is a slope leading to the Daman Ganga river. One can reach the river and touch it’s water as there are steps leading there. I have touched it and the water was very cool.

The whole place has a vibe of an older era and it was a Portuguese territory before. You can see their architecture there.

On the way , there is a roadside dhaba ( a place that serves variety of dishes) and egg and chicken roll shop near the jetty.

At the roadside there are many small fruit juice sellers and sugarcane juice sellers. One glass of a fresh juice can refresh you anytime

A market which is huge and famous and it is located in Moti Daman.

Daman market is located in Moti Daman.

Devka beach is another famous location in Nani Daman. People go there on Sundays to enjoy and play games.

Kunta and Udwada are other places which have scenic beauty and greenery.

There are quite a few government offices here also. This place has a lot of hotels. The five star hotels are mostly located here.

The most enjoyable part about Daman in whole is this moment you see sea running by your side and after few minutes it disappears and again after five to ten minutes it will again reappear to surprise you. You can escape a lot of things, but you can’t escape the sea in Daman .

Hope you enjoy your ride and stay.

P.S.- Do stop in between and take rest while riding or next day your back will be as stiff as a bamboo stick and you won’t be able to sit straight. So do rest your back.

Don’t forget to wear your helmet, goggles,gloves and ride safely, carry your driving license and bike papers with you and keep yourself hydrated and carry a few chocolate bars with you in case you feel hungry and maintain the speed limits. Most importantly don’t forget to carry money and requisite debit and credit cards. More importantly follow the traffic rules and regulations.

BON VOYAGE