Don't Worry, Be Hampi

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Geo: 15.3333, 76.4667

Ah! Hampi! This is one awesome place to visit! In the middle of nowhere, surrounded by boulders and rocks, big and small. Two to three days is a good amout of time to see everything here. We arrived very early by overnight bus from Goa along with many other blurry eyed travellers. We spent the first day walking nearby and going up the hill for some superb scenic views.
There is also a tuk tuk tour available which most drivers will try to get you to do from the moment you step out of the bus door.
It's quite beneficial to do this tour as there is a lot to see and it's a quick way to get around. The price isn't too bad either for a full day tour. We saw many temples and even a half sunset at the end.

We also crossed the other side of the river and hired bikes to 'monkey' temple with its 600 steps to the top. It's a good little workout, especially in the heat! But you are rewarded with 360 degree views of this magical landscape. On the way back we chilled out at the laughing buddha cafe which has great views overlooking the river to Hampi.
We then took a overnight bus to Mysore for a few days. We visited the main palace which is quite impressive.

For one of the days we hired a taxi for a visit to Bandipur National Park for a tiger safari. It was an early start to drive the 2 hrs there. We got a private jeep, much better than a bus full of locals, and had about an hour and a half safari. We didn't see a tiger but we did wait at a spot for 30 min because apparently there was one about to arrive at the watering hole. But it never came. We didn't even see an elephant, only deer and a few birds. It was still fun but we just had no luck with the animals on that day.

It was a Saturday so maybe they were sleeping in!
On another day we went up Chamundy Hill by local bus for views overlooking the city. Unfortunately it was quite hazy and being the weekend made it very busy. One annoying thing about Mysore was that tuk tuk drivers and other people try to get you to visit silk and fabric shops and are quite persistent. We had to be quite firm saying no!
Our visit to Mysore had it's ups and downs so we were looking forward to a different setting as we took the overnight bus to Kerala to start a one week tour.

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