Things can only get better....

Ive come to the conclusion that the domain of the blog must surely be confined to that of solo travellers or couples who share the same barmy blogging interest.
Ive spent so much time drinking beer, socialising and getting to know Ferrets over the last few days that I now get the feeling that I am letting my fan club down (3 people and a 15 year old cat called Edward) that I better take my proverbial finger out of my proverbial bottom and try to do some catching up!!!
The journey up to Hospet was great….. The last time I travelled sleeper class, I was kept up by a glut of Indians who were gambling, listening to Bangra music and generally causing a nuisance of themselves until around 1am in the morning.
I boarded the train with a Japanese guy and was pleased to find that he had been placed in the bunk above me…… It was at this point that my Ganesh offerings paid off. Boarding the train about 5 minutes before it was supposed to leave came 5 of the grubbiest, weather beaten westerners that I had seen so far on this trip (excluding myself of course)……. Settling in to the bunks surrounding me, I found to my joy that I was to be accompanied by 5 other Brits (ok, one was ½ Australian) who as it just happened had spent the last 10 weeks on Operation Rayleigh! For those of you who have no idea what this is, it is basically a programme where people in their 20s and 30s give up so many weeks of their free time to go and work on some kind of humanitarian project, building schools, teaching, digging wells, building bridges and having to eat whatever is plonked down in front of them…….
So…. Maximum respect is due to these guys and girls for what they have been doing and now that they had been let loose to discover a little of India, the Beer bottles and a bottle of Aquavit sprang open and the drinking commenced.
Of course, if anything can go wrong then it will and I found myself in my second confrontation with Plod in 2 days. Being the oldest (yes, im gradually getting used to it) and thinking that I was responsible for the entire group, Plod decided to have a word in my ear about illegal drinking, 500 rupee fines and the fact that if we wanted to drink then we would have to go and do it in the confines of the toilet, surrounded by that wonderful, heady aroma of stale urine! Then of course one of the girls Laura, is desperate for a ciggy and lights up, despite a 200 rupee fine and Plod parading backwards and forwards to check on us every few minutes.
How we got away with it all I don’t know, but we had a chat, keeping our fellow Indian travellers awake until the small hours, got some kip and finally made it to Hospet at around 6:30am.
Hampi is a protected World Heritage site that initially popped up sometime during the 15th century. There are plenty of temples and ruins to keep you going for a few days and the landscape is to say the least stunning. Huge boulders stand balanced precariously for as far as the eye can see. The Tungabhadra River divides Hampi and while during the dry season it is possible to cross it on foot, being only knee deep in some places, during the monsoon, the water can rise as much as 25 meters, flooding the valley through which it flows. During this time, the boat that crosses the river stops running and crocodiles become a common site here.
There is a boat service that runs during the dry season and the guy in charge seems to be a little guy of around 12 years old who bosses everybody around and generally tries to rip everybody off. The boat costs 10 rupees for westerners and while it is supposed to go across on a regular basis, it generally only goes when it is at least half full. Needless to say, if you need to get across during a lull then the little git tries to overcharge you, at one point trying to get me to fork out 100 rupees just to take me 150 yards across the river. Thankfully, I met a group of washer women who showed me a place to cross where the water is at the worst knee deep and waving to the little con man from the other side of the river about 15 minutes later left me with a great feeling of satisfaction, even if I did have 2 soggy feet!

Anyway, being as the entire complex doesn’t cover a huge area, it is possible to do it all in foot in one day and see most of what Hampi has to offer.
While I can gradually feel myself approaching Temple overload, Hampi is in some ways different to many of the other sites around India. The Sacred Temple in Hampi Bazaar isn’t that impressive although heading North East from here will eventually bring you to the stunning Vittala Temple. Again, its 10 times the cost of a local to get in although at least here you are allowed to take pictures and the ticket also covers entry to another major site in the area. Trudging Southwards you finally emerge at what is the Royal Centre here in Hampi.
Here you will find the Elephant Stables, The Zenana Enclosure and the structure that impressed me most, the beautiful Lotus Mahal.
Wandering around you just happen upon site after site, some in good condition, others in a bad state of repair. The major ones include The Queens Bath, a huge enclosed complex that has what can only be described as a rather over the top sized bath which was thought to have been filled to around 180cm deep. There is a small underground Temple, a Temple dedicated to Shiva that stands half submerged under the ground and a huge site that was once used as a public bath.
The day after my trek around the main attractions here, Heather and I (my new travel buddy) decided that we would take a walk up to the Hanuman Temple. It’s a nice pleasant walk followed by quite a step climb up a couple of hundred steps to the top of a hill where the Temple is located. For those of you who don’t know, Hanuman is the Hindu God who resembles a monkey and we soon had his compatriots after us in the hunt for booty or whatever else they could get their little monkey hands on. We dished out some bananas, hoping that this would pacify Hanuman and eventually they just seemed to vanish and we continued our climb to the top.
On finally arriving, the Temple itself comes across as being a bit of a disappointment, being very small and not really much to look at, however, appearances can sometimes be deceptive. We were invited in by the Sadhus who resides in the Temple (his name also being Hanuman) and we were shown the shrine, which was all carved out of the rock by hand, and told all about the story of Hanuman and his adventures. We then spent about a thoroughly enjoyable hour or so, sitting and chatting with Hanuman and another Sadhus who turned up while we were there. This is what India is all about. We didn’t even find ourselves being pressured into giving any money or making donations and it felt like that finally, we had found someone who did what he did purely out of devotion and love for his religion.
The surrounding countryside from the top of the hill was just mind blowing, even with a haze from the heat of the day hanging over the valley. It is also easier to appreciate the vast rock formations that surround Hampi from this focal point high above the valley. Hampi is a hot place. I recorded a temperature of 42c one one of the days I was here. Moving North will hopefully see the temperatures drop somewhat and my next stop is Hyderabad, then from there onto the world famous rock temples of Ellora and Ajanta.

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