Incredible Hampi

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My previous update saw us arriving in Pondy. However, Pondy failed to impress me but did have more of an impact on David. There is a european air to the french side of the town, with quieter streets, fine dining, super restaraunts and french speaking. However, there is little here to attract the visitor unless you are en route for yoga. We ate well and well ... ate well!!! I couldn't even master up the energy to take photos, but David did so I will include those in the next few days.

Anyway we departed Pondy on a semi air con rather plush coach (phew!) and made our way upto Bangalore. This took about 8 hours with the final hour and a half just getting through the traffic in the city. It is quite a vibrant city and I personally felt it had more about it than Mumbai, but we were only there for a few hours so can't really give a true account.

Our train journey was an overnighter to Hampi where we had a little friend in the carriage. I thought and assured myself it must have been a trick of the light until David jumped and said something had brushed passed his feet. Now it was one of two things either a mouse or a lizard and to this day I don't know which. I'm thinking a lizard as it managed to get into our bag of snacks but didn't eat anything - well a mouse would have done, wouldn't it??!! After having a rather unsettled nights sleep with my head a few inches above 'whatever' we arrived at Hospet, the stopping off point for Hampi. We immediately had a rickshaw and got to Hampi some 30minutes later.

The scenery is stunning. The hills are made of boulders of all shapes, sizes and precariously balanced. If this was England, mythology would have you believe that Giants had made them. As you get closer to Hampi you then start seeing temples, shrines and ruins and they are everywhere you look. Our hotel overlooks the main temple in Hampi and gave fine views.

We wandered in and around this temple where I had a blessing from Lakshmi the Elephant. You place a rupee in her trunk, which she then passes back and then she places her trunk on your head! This is even more amazing when you a group gave her a five rupee coin and she automatically blessed all five. The carvings and inscriptions are amazing in this temple and you can't fail to be inspired and be left in awe.

We then went a visted the temples of Lakshmi Narasimha, Badavillinga, Prasanna Virupasksh, Zanana, Hazararama and Vitthala. They are all in an amazing condition. They are all set in the most amazing boulder strewn countryside we have ever seen. Everything is in amazing condition. You honestly expect to see Indianna Jones come round the corner at any moment, it is like something from a movie and quite unbelievable.

We have monkeys roaming the hotel and they tried to steal my diary tonight. Well more's to the point as they entered our bedroom and laid their hands on a bag of dried fruit, I hissed and threw my diary at them, which did have the desired effect of getting them out of the bedroom. However, several minutes later when I opened the door, there was one monkey sat looking at me with diary open in his little hands(I can just imagine what he was thinking!). Another hiss and shoo from me had me retrieving my diary phew! Moral of the story - don't leave the door open. (They came back the night after with reinforcements and sat just so as I could see their tails!).

The next day saw us hiring a scooter and going off exploring ourselves. We crossed the river by a little boat and drove through electric green coloured paddi fields and banana plantations. We went through the smallest of villages and avoided the cattle and goats. The children all wave and shout hello. We had gone looking for Hampi Rocks, but when the whole scenery is rocks, it is like looking for the proverbial needle in a haystack. Still it was a fantastic day. Our little scooter did us proud, despite getting a puncture. Now could that be one too many pancakes on my side of things - well they are jolly decent - and it would be rather rude of me to say no when they are on the menu!

That night saw us leaving Hampi and heading upto Hyderabad.

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