Blogs from Hampi, Karnataka, India, Asia - page 2

Woolly says – We were up bright and early and having found probably the worse tea in the world, breakfast hadn’t been a great success, we’re in India home of tea growing, how can they make such a bad cuppa? Having left the barely consumed cups we headed outside where our driver, Winkie, was ready for us with his three wheeled chariot. As we bounced and bumped our way back to Hampi, we again enjoyed watching the scenic views and working animals going about their daily tasks. Flying past some of yesterdays temples we pulled up at the Zanana Enclosure, which housed a couple of things that couldn’t be missed on a visit to Hampi. Having walked past the base of where the Queens Palace would have once stood my eye was instantly drawn to the ... read more

Geo: 15.3333, 76.4667Clickety, clickety, click, woooo woooo, chai tea chai - these are the sounds of the train while my body gently jostles to the rhythm of its movement. I was stretched out on the upper berth, that I had unceremoniously mounted with many dark eyes watching while the man in the berth below me shielded his head from my swinging body and Jim tried to assist me and simultaneously protect others. It was the dance of a tired 58 year old on a moving train. Not particularly graceful. I awakened from a decent night's sleep, resting on my berth...I had applied all the accoutrements necessary for me to sleep the night: eye mask, kerchief laced with immunity-building essential oils, ear plugs and the 'piece de resistance - a good sleeping pill. I was swaddled in ... read more

Que c’est bon de sortir de Bangalore ! Que c’est bon de sortir de cette folie meurtrière qui ne dort jamais ! Plus on s’éloignait, plus les bruits de klaxons se faisaient rares et plus les gens roulaient à peu près normalement. Je pense qu’a un certain point, Dilip, notre chauffeur, en tant que bon Citadin de Bangalore était le seul à klaxonner et a conduit dangereusement. Toujours ce bon vieux réflexe du mec presse et impatient qui contrastait parfaitement avec l’attitude « Shanti », c’est-à-dire tranquille et paisible des personnes habitant la campagne. Arrive aux alentours des premiers villages environnant Hampi, On commence à sentir l’histoire qui entoure la région avec des villages complets reconstruits sur des ruines encore apparentes. Certaines rues sont définies par un axe de destruction des murs des maisons. Comme si ... read more

Geo: 15.3333, 76.4667Ah! 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 ... read more

One of the UNESCO world heritage sites, HAMPI is a small village in the northern part ofKarnatakaStateinIndia. We left for Hampi from Chitradurga afternoon on the last week of December. It took three hours to reach the place. Hampi is situated on the banks of theTungabhadraRiver. Like Mahabalipuram in Tamilnadu this place also represents the sculptural arts of earlier centuries of the southern parts of the country. The site remains as the ruins of Vijayanagara Empire. It was part of the capital of this empire in the 14th century. The major attractions here inter alia include the centuries oldVirupakshaTemple,AchutharayaTemple,HazaraRamaTemple,KrishnaTemple,VittalaTemple, the sacred Tank nearKrishnaTemple, Ganesha Mandapa,UndergroundSivaTemple,AnjaneyaTemple, Elephant Stables, Lotus Mahal, Monolithic Nandi Bull, Tall carved pillars, canals, Aqued... read more