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Published: November 15th 2008
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Walking on Water
it wasn't that hard Right, after a horrible 9 hours on the bus from panjim arrived in Hampi. When we got off the bus we, met the Canadians again in panjim ended up on the same bus, we were tormented by auto rickshaw drivers wanting to bring us the 2 minute walk to the town centre. Managed to escape them and found a room quickly enough, rented bicycles and headed off to a restaurant built under a mango tree for lunch, spent a few lazy hours there reading then according the lonely planet there were water falls only 1 km from us decided to check them out, had to leave the bikes after 5 mins, and continue on foot for about half a hour through a few banana plantations, grass that taller than us, across a good few streams, all with some random guy that started guiding us when we dropped the bikes. Eventually made it. The scenery in Hampi and the surrounding area is amazing it just looks like some one has thrown thousands of boulders all over the place. The fourth chapter of one of the Hindu sacred texts, Ramayana, is believed to have taken place in Hampi, leading to the landscape and
the whole place is dotted with temples and ruins. Anyway the water falls themselves weren’t that spectacular but the area was amazing, got our guide to leave us and spent a while wandering around, took us probable a hour to find our way back though… but we made it. The next day we rented scooters and headed out to the temples surrounding Hampi were really nice some of the stone work was really nice. Spent the day round there, on the way back Paul ran out of petrol, myself and Mike were on the way back to see where he was and we saw him coming towards sitting on his scooter in the back of a pick up truck, which was full of canisters of liquid nitrogen which is used to freeze cow sperm, that’s a story to tell the grandkids. Hit a internet café on the way back and when I came out there was the Virupaksha Temple elephant, Lakshmi, just wandering up the street with her keeper on her back.
Mike and Paul headed off early the next morning, so I rented a bicycle again and went back around some of the ruins, then after lunch went
My Noble Steed
indiana jones would be proud of this one, no whip though across the river by boat cycled round the country side then bumped into a guy I met in aarambol, went with him to Anajanadri Hill to watch the sunset, romantic eh? Its 600 steps up to the top where there is another temple called the monkey temple, was dying by the time we reached the top after a good 2 hours solid cycling, and were followed up the last few steps by the local macaque looking for any food to snatch at, but they were a lot friendlier than the ones I saw in Matheran. Any watched the sunset and then realized that I had half a hour to get down the steps and cycle the 7 km back to the ferry to catch the last one, but thankfully made it. Got back to Hampi grabbed some dinner and headed to Hospet (local town) to catch a bus to Bangalore, ended up on the crappest bus so far because the company canceled the one I was supposed to be on after killing one or two cock roaches slept like a baby for the 9 hours to Bangalore
Arrived in Bangalore at about 8 am expecting it to be a
Thali
Traditional indian dish served on banana leaves metropolis, supposedly the it centre of India but the place was dead, except for the dozen autorickshaw drivers that met our bus, eventually jumped in one and headed to the main street to find nowhere was open, so went back to the bus stand, grabbed breakfast in the only open restaurant. Tried to find a hotel but anyone of the ones I tried had no rooms, had planed on spending 2 nights there but gave up on Bangalore and found a bus to Mysore, three hours later arrived in mysore, very tired sore and compleatly disorientated. tried a cheap hotels, but just gave up on the second or third one, and just took the cheapest room they had E10 8 times more than i had been paying so far. woke up early the next day and headed to Chamundi Hill, and climbed up 1250 steps to Chamundeshwari Temple on the summit had a buffet breakfast that morning so it was tuf going. on the way back i actually got a rickshaw for the price it said in the lonely planet without out having to haggle for ages, think that was the first time it happened so far, after that headed
Temple elephant
just out for a stroll to Mysore palace for a look around. was leavin the hotel that night it go see quantum of solice and some guy followed me round trying to get me to buy oil made from cannibus that he said would cure everything, wouldn't leave me alone so just went back to hotel, its a 10 year jail sentance for hash didnt really want that, and they are fairly strict with tourists.
Anyway booked a bus ticket to cochi the next day went see 007 and stroled around the markets. left cochi at 8 that night, liked it but way too much hassle from the locals everywhere you went. Cochi is ment to be much more relaxed. looking forward to getting there and spending some time in the Periyar National Park
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