A
hamlet on the Aegean side of Pelion set on a little protected inlet
which offered itself as an ideally situated port for the north-eastern
region. It is connected with Tsangarada
and Mouresi by mule-tracks winding
their way through olive groves at first and chestnut forests later.
Until a few decades ago all trade in the area was transported by
a mule train that ended in and started from Damouhari.
With the opening of roads and the advent of the motor vehicle Damouhari
lost importance as a trading port, but gained prominence as a miniature
seaside resort that offers the lucky visitors a home far from the
grind of urban life -- a step back to the quiet serenity of nature
and simple life. Damouhari preserves its pristine character.
If the visitor approaches Damouchari by road he will miss most of
the mystique of this hamlet. The magical approach is made either
by sea or on foot from Tsangarada
along the steep cobbled mule-track, which is masterfully etched
into the edge of the sheer cliff. Then and only then will the hiker
have a bird's eye view of Damouhari, namely two horseshoe-shaped
inlets separated by a narrow tongue of land on which still stand
the ruins of an old castle that kept watch over ships and people.
One of the inlets is the harbour, proud of the brightly coloured
fishing boats and the occasional yacht bobbing on the gentle waves.
The other is a spectacular, primitive, small beach resplendent in
its dazzling white pebbles and turquoise water. At its uninhabited
end stands the gaping mouth of the steeply walled gorge between
Tsangarada and Mouresi,
rocky and verdant, forbidding and luring, waiting to engulf the
daring explorer who likes discovery and adventure.
|