Blogs from Hampi, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 24

Got off train Got hassled by rickshaw touts Got out of station Got hassled by more rickshaw touts Got in a rickshaw Got to Hampi Got hassled by hotel touts Got a room Got my bearings Got bitten by the most vicious mozzies in all of India Got dinner Got food poisoning Got no sleep Got better Got hassled by tour touts Got bitten by more mozzies Got hassled by rickshaw touts offering tours Got a rickshaw tour Saw some old stones Got a train to Bangalore... read more

I’ve moved on from Goa, inland to a place called Hampi, which is quite a surreal place- a very spiritual settlement consisting mainly of Hindu temples set against a formidable rocky landscape. I only arrived this morning by ‘sleeper bus’ - a new concept since last being here but definitely something I’ll try and avoid in future. Theoretically it’s a good idea; a bus with double decker berths, something I dreamt existed when I made that last epic bus journey in India, but in actual reality it’s a load of toss. Well it would have been great if I was 5’2” and the highways authority considered using speed cameras as traffic calming measures instead of the spine shattering rows of bricks they lay at 45’ inset in the road. Its almost as if the vehicles here ... read more

We didn't spend too long in Tamil Nadu although we'd originally intended spending 3 weeks temple-hopping our way from Madurai and Ramaswaram up to Trichy, Mamallapuram and Tirupati (in Andhra Pradesh). It was just too hot and after seeing th epretty representative Meenakshi Temple in Madurai with it's buzz and hubbub we decided to literally head for the hills - the Nilgiri Hills and the hill station of Kodaikanal which we really loved. Kodaikanal has a lovely climate and reminded me of what it feels like to be out on an Autumn day in Ireland. The hills are pretty untouched and there are lots of nice walks around Kodai' where you can experience them. We really enjoyed the people we met there also. Nice hanging out and enjoying the fabulous view from Greenlands Hostel. The other ... read more

I was both alive and unbitten when I surfaced this morning, which I celebrated by having a cold shower. After breakfast I caught an auto to Kamalapuram, the nearby town from which I intended walking back, visiting the southern ruins along the way. I paid a quick visit to the Archaeological Museum in Kamalapuram, which contained a useful 3D model of how Hampi (aka Vijayanagar) must have looked in its prime, as well as a map of the extant ruins. The southern ruins are spread over a large area which is quite lacking in shade, so I took regular breaks in whatever shelter I could find, guzzling on my water bottle. Sensible people, who overtook me at regular intervals, had hired either bicycles or an auto for the day. Though the sheer number of ruins was ... read more

No change on the guts front, though I did look up "amoebic dysentery" on Google and it doesn't appear to be that. I decided to have another rest day, partly because it might help with the recovery and partly because there don't appear to be many major sights in Bangalore. The overnight train to Hospet was truly enormous - probably the longest train I've seen yet in India. Unfortunately this also meant there were two 2AC cars. I didn't realise this at first, having only been on trains with one, so when I saw the first one I naturally assumed that it was mine. After climbing into the upper berth and doing all my preparations for sleep (remove contacts, set alarm, etc), the ticket inspector came round, took one look at my ticket, and told me ... read more