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Published: April 23rd 2007
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Food, Glorious Food
This is a Thaali, and doesn't it look sooooo good? Well here we are in Hampi and what an adventure it has been.
We left by train from Bangalore Thursday evening and because noone said we had arrived we missed our station!!!!!
The train guard eventually asked where we were going (as he knew we shouldn't have been there) and we were (politely) put off at the next stop (in the middle of nowhere) and told to get a bus to Hospet (where we should have got off originally) hahahaha. Outside the station we accosted some poor lady who was wonderful and in broken English arranged an Auto (and the price so that we weren't conned) and we were soon at the bus station (along with half the town and a whole load of pigs). We boarded a bus immediately and strangely everyone else then got off!!!!! And we were soon winging our way back to Hospet where we should have alighted the train in the first place hahahaha.
We decided that we needed food and a place to sort ourselves out so we found this filthy cafe place just opposite the bus station and sat down to Dosas and daal, a favourite of mine and even
Timmy and Barnaby Kangaroo
Timmy and Barnaby enjoying a goodnights sleep on the train from Bangalore. though we had squirrals (which look like chipmonks) in the cafe too it was very good.
At one point I needed to retrieve something from my bag and came across a packet of peanuts that I had thought had burst, but on closer inspection I noticed that a small hole had been chewed into the bag, so obviously a mouse had climbed into my bag during the night and helped himself to my honey roast nuts hahahahaha.
After lunch we headed back to the bus station to board a bus to Hampi. In my wisdom of Indian buses I refused to stand on the bus (because that usually involves hanging out the door, fun to look at but not to actually do yourself hahahahaha). 3 buses later and much to the amusement of the Guy at the bus stand we boarded a bus to Hampi and checked into our guest house. A cheap but ok establishment with private WC and fan.
After a shower and a little sleep we decided to eat in the 'International Cuisine' resturant on the roof of the guest house, well international that is if you go in seaon, out of season and
Threading
Those bushy eyebrows just had to go hahahahaha, I was starting to look like my dad hahahahahaha its Indian food (vegaterian) hahahahaha.
We then went for a stroll through the very small town, on our way back we opted for an Indian Head Massage, which was very good but left us both looking a little greasy, at least Carrie could tie her hair back, I just looked trampy!!!!!
In Hampi there is a curfew and the streets are empty by 10pm which meant sitting drinking tea in the resturant, but it was relaxed and cool.
On the Saturday we had arranged a tour of the historical ruins that Hampi is famous for so we were up and out by 10am. It was a really great day, albeit very hot. The auto took us all around the major sites and then took us to a great resturant called the 'Mango Tree', the food was amazing and it was so chilled out, if you'd have had a book you could have sat there all afternoon, but alas we had more temples to visit and you know me I do like a good Temple and ruin hahahahahaha.
It was so funny because I have never been photographed as much as I was this weekend. People just
Hampi
Ruins, ruins and more ruins!!!!!!! kept coming up asking to have their photo taken with us, the odd thing was it was my camera they were using and they didn't want the photos, how bazaar is that. And wave, we must have waved at every child in the town, we were celebrities if only for a short time hahahahaha.
It was an auspicious weekend and there were a lot of wedding going on in the main Hindu Temple which towered over the town. They are noisey affairs with lots of tuneless music, so we followed one of the processions, the bride was heavily decked out in her finery and looked about 16 where as the groom was very austere in his clothes and looked about 35, 'do the math' as they say in America hahahahaha.
That evening Carrie wanted to eat in a resturant called the 'Moonlight Resturant', well if ever you are in Hampi don't eat there hahahaha.
The resturant was empty (always a bad sign) but it was out of season so we went in anyway. No sooner had we sat down then the owner's son tried to sell us some old indian coins, he persisted and we refused so
Hampi
Ruins, ruins and more ruins!!!!!!! he then handed us the pad and told us to write what we wanted, I've heard of self-service but this!!!!!
Once again the menu was international, but only if you wanted curry hahahahaha. I wanted a Taali (which is delicious, it's rice and a mixture of small pots of curry sauce, daal, vegatables and rotis) but no couldn't have a taali (even though 10mins later they carried one into the owner's house!!!!!!!!)
Carrie opted for pasta and I went for chips and onion pakoda (a bit like our bajis) it was gross, one of the worst meals I've ever had and to top it all there were fleas jumping on the table. At the end of the meal I had to add up the bill because the owner's wife didn't speak English, she couldn't add either hahahhaha.
On our way back to the guest house we went to find out how much massages cost, so we went to Swati's Beauty Parlour, a one room establishment that is both shop where she makes traditional costumes and bags and her beauty parlour, well this is India after all. I decided that my eyebrows needed thinning out big time because
Hampi
Carrie and I with the stone chariot. I was starting to look like my dad, so a bit of threading was on the agenda. Don't ask me how she did it but it wasn't as painful as it might look and at least I was left with nice thin eyebrows hahahahaha
On our final day we had arranged for a massage each which was very relaxing. I had a 'Hot Stone Massage', did nothing to help my back but was relaxing none the less. I went for a stroll alog the river bank and bumped into 3 Magic Men, who said they had a snake in their bag that was magical, how many times have I heard that one hahahahhaha. I also had my photo taken with a group of lads, who did have their own camera hahahahaha.
On the train heading back that night we met we some other volunteers who had also been in Hampi, we relayed our story of the mouse only for them to out do us by saying they had had a RAT in their compartment on the journey out and hadn't been able to sleep a wink, 'Thank Goodness for mice', that's what I say hahahahaha.
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