Blogs from Hampi, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 22
July 5th 2005
Have had the most incredible two days in Hampi, which is a tiny village near the town of Hospet just north of Bangalore... The sleeper train wasn't too bad at all actually; they are made up of 3 bunks and you just go to sleep, wake up and you're there! Well, thats the theory, it's pretty hard to sleep to be honest on a 2 foot wide barely padded shelf - the fear is pretty intense! As is the heat, the smell, the noise etc. Still we arrived safe and sound, and at least it saves on a nights accomodation. So we arrived in Hampi yesterday morning. This morning Ania and I woke up at 4:15am (yes, VOLUNTERILY!) and set off on a trek in order to be at a high vantage point for sunrise. Armed ... read more
June 21st 2005
On a moonlit night in Hampi, rocks assume mysterious shapes, like clouds. They fly past the window as the bus winds out of the erstwhile Vijayanagara, the city of victory. An ancient sculptor might have wandered amid these gigantic shadows before Vijayanagara emperors raised their famed capital out of the limestone boulders. Hewn or not, these stones ignite imagination. A day is too short to explore the 26-square kilometre World Heritage Site. Earlier in the morning, I was besieged by guides with coloured maps as soon as the bus from Hospet stopped in the middle of the town. Natives of a medieval capital struggle to capitalise on past glory. Guides hunt for tourists while vendors sell coconut and flowers to pilgrims visiting the legendary temples. Temples are the only living monuments in Hampi. The Virupaksheswara temple ... read more
15) Hampi - the capital of a forgotten empire
Published: March 9th 2005Asia » India » Karnataka » Hampi
March 9th 2005
The train from Bangalore took us to Hospet, the nearest railway station to Hampi. Although it offers more varied accommodation than Hampi, we decided to establish ourselves as close to the attractions as possible. Hampi is a mecca for backpackers, without the tourists the village would not even exist. There are no hotels in the strict sense, only a couple of private houses, which offer rooms on the upper floors. We chose the best one (everything is relative) with private shower since we were not in the mood for a shared bathroom. To all the foreigners who are fed up with Indian cuisine, Hampi appears like paradise, offering Italian pizza or pasta as well as American and Israeli dishes. You can find almost everything, apart from fast internet or shower gel. Hampi was once the seat ... read more
March 6th 2005
The night bus rides always seem to be a blur between states of consciousness. It is impossible to fall completely asleep because every 15 minutes your body is launched completely in the air from hitting a big bump. Amazingly though, the Indians on the bus sleep like they were in a comfortable bed. The early morning sun revealed an amazing landscape as we approached the small town called Hampi. Boulder ridden hills surrounded us in every direction. It was as if an earthquake rattled the mountains apart ages ago. The small village sat by the river and reminded us a lot of Mamallapuram. We found a small guest house in the alleyways close to the river's edge. The town had a very laid back atmosphere and we could tell that tourism was the soul source for ... read more
February 1st 2005
Coucou... Apres ces dures epreuves liees a mes deux operations de la main, ces 2 mois entre 7 hopitaux differents, les tests sanguins et autres, la gangrene, les guerisseurs et le Reiki, les massages et l'annonce des docteurs de l'amputation de mon annulaire gauche... Apres le desespoir, la douleur et l'horreur... J'avais besoin de changement !!! Doudou est arrive quelques jours avant le nouvel an, alors qu'un gigantesque tsunami vient de s'abattre sur une grande partie de l'Asie. Il m'a beaucoup aide lors de ces epreuves. Meme si son arrivee a eu lieue apres les 2 operations, il etait la a l'annonce de la gangrene, et pour me donner la force... Nous avons tous deux focalise sur ma main, les trous et les parties qui en manquaient, jusqu'a ce que finalement, a force de pensee positive ... read more
January 14th 2005
so I've finally made it to Hampi after spending 11 hours on a truly local bus. I was subjected to some local fruits and vegtables by a lady and her daughter after I agreed to switch seats with the girl so she could puke out the window. How to describe Hampi... this vast area once the empire of these princes in the 1400s. I guess its soon to be famous as its the backdrop for a Jackie Chan movie coming out in the next while? I'm travelling with a couple (she's australian, he's from India) who've graciously allowed me to tag along as their itinerary sounded good. I think the next stop is a city called Bangalore which isn't on the tourist circuit but home to some famous guru people flock to see (we're going for ... read more
January 13th 2005
Photography by Martin Hurton Well, today I check-out and leave Hampi. From here I'm heading 3000kms North to Delhi via Hyderabad and then Varanasi. It has been a great 10 days here and I only hope that the photo's will do the place some justice. It is really undescribable. On Tuesday I went to a place known as Monkey Temple. To get there we had to boad a coracle that took us 1km up stream to the otherside of the Tungabhadra River. For those of you that don't know, a coracle is a bowl shaped boat - this one was made from bamboo and covered in sacks and tar to minimise water intake - and in this case paddled by a 12 year old boy. He was a happy lad and raced everyone on the water! ... read more
January 7th 2005
Hi everyone. Well I've finally moved on and am in Hampi. I left Palolem at 5am after only 2hrs sleep. I hadn't had a drink, but I just couldn't sleep. Anyway,I purchased a train ticket for Rs89 and borded at 8am for what turned out to be the worst journey I have ever had. Imagine those chicken trucks you see overcrowded on the motorways. Now add bags of vegetables, way to many Indians, and no seats. Then sit me on the floor and wack the temperature up to 40'C and bake for 9 hours. It should come as no surprise then that by the end I was faint, sick and delerious. I was hearing English conversations coming from Indians (who were not speaking Indian), slipping in and out of dream states and only becoming a little ... read more
November 13th 2002
13/11/02 Up at 4!! Rushed to get packed. Pete and cherry said good bye at 5 am!! Journey to vasco took 1 hour- not too bad; very little on the roads. Found carriage, with the assistance of a blokie (baksheesh wallah!!) First hour , our carriage was empty, then alot of back packers got on at magadon. We were joined by and aussie couple (Dave and Emma) - sat and chatted and looked at the scenery- amazing water falls and mountains. Got to hospet- rickshaw to hampi- cool to see india again. Had to get a coracle boat, once at hampi to cross the river to where we wanted to stay. Oh, such fun!! Getting in a coracle ,with a rucksac on and 10 other people in it- the floor was wet through and we had ... read more
‘City of Victory’-days eased past & memories collected
Published: August 27th 2006Asia » India » Karnataka » Hampi
October 30th 2001
2001………..6wks-2nd CYCLING TRIP-2,200kms IN SOUTHERN INDIA 24.10.01 Hampi Today was consumed by a laid-back, drowsy train ride; up, over, around, and literally through the Western Ghats. We left the lushness of Goa for the more rural state of Karnataka. The train got into Hospet around 5.30pm, which gave me just under an hour before sunset for the ride to Hampi, where I intend to stay for a couple of days. The dry, sparsely vegetated land is dotted with atmospheric granite rock outcrops. As the sunset lit the rocks and the widely dispersed remains of the 14thC-16thC Vijayanagar Empire, Nandi and I bounced along the dirt road and down a rise to the small town of Hampi Bazaar 25.10.01 Hampi Hampi! Hampi! Hampi! - Spectacular, awesome, stunning, magical, atmospheric, layback, immense, austere, beautiful, great food. Hampi is ... read more
