On a sunny Sunday morning in the hostel, when I surprisingly woke up at 7:30, a strong feeling of taking a break came over me. It was natural after a long strenuous week of examinations. I hopped out of my bed and woke up four of my friends explaining to them the further course of action. They agreed readily along with other two, who I caught up with at breakfast.

With a single bag and our spirits, we started off for the railway station in two auto rickshaws. An express train was ready for departure on our arrival, so we boarded it despite another option we had which would have been 20 minutes later.

Our destination was Vapi from Surat – an hour and half long journey. Along the way we had both moments of laughter and silence and by noon we were at Vapi. We took a taxi to Daman bus stand which was twelve kilometres from the station. Right opposite  the taxi stand nearby, a colourful market stole our attention. It was a well-set market having a plethora of goods and accessories- from electronics, garments, chocolates to fashionable items.

At a walkable distance was a mini-port and an old fort called Jetty fort with a functional church inside it. The walls and structure of the fort reflected its reclusive nature as did the ‘rotten’ jail inside it. Anyway, we couldn’t stop clicking pictures.

After flinging flat-faced stones onto the water surface at a seaface close-by, we rejuvenated ourselves with non-vegetarian delicacies. Now the final spot on our list was the famous Jampore beach on the other side of Daman, called Moti Daman.

All of us were disappointed on arrival since the tides had receded. We had to walk barefoot for a long one and half kilometer before water reached knee level. It was a novel experience to walk in the mushy sand and for so long. With the sun drowned into the sea, we also receded back to dry land.

In a mad rush, all of us squeezed into a single auto to reach the station on time. Memorable moments throughout the day took a permanent seat in our memories during the return journey. It was not a day well spent but a day well lived.

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