I was dreading the 6 hours we had as a stop over between Goa and Aurangabad in Mumbai. Partly because there’s not much you can do with heavy backpacks and partly because we had been chatting to a pleasant American on the bus to the station in Goa who was saying how crowded, busy and overwhelming it was. Our train from Goa was delayed by over an hour so we didn’t arrive into Mumbai until 1120 (as oppose to 10am). Our next train was at 1635 from the same station - Chhatrapati Shivaji Terminus (originally Victoria Terminus), itself a world heritage sight. There are 18 platforms here and as we struggled against the crowds to get out we managed to find the booking hall - part of the original building. It is stunning, with granite columns, ... read more

Today we got the bus to old Goa. This was a surprisingly straightforward venture and very cheap (10p each!). We were lucky enough to get seats on the way there, although we had to stand on the way back. Old Goa used to be the Portuguese capital of Goa, with a population greater than that of London in the 16th to 18th centuries. Unfortunately they had to move the capital to Panaji in 1843 due to Malaria and Cholera. The area is now a world heritage site and full of old churches and cathedrals to see. On arrival we were surprised at how small the area is and how little there is in terms of cafes or places to eat. The guidebook recommends a day trip there but unless you’re particularly interested in the archeology museum ... read more

After a relative lie in we ventured down for breakfast. Stephen managed to eat something and seemed much better despite not being quite back to 100%. We had arranged to spend the afternoon at the local sloth bear sanctuary and decided to spend the morning relaxing, reading and booking our next accommodation. We were picked up at 2pm by our tuk tuk driver from the tour to Anegundi we did earlier in the week. This chap, Raja, is incredibly cheerful and a real character. He has even pimped up his tuk tuk so it has massive speakers in the back and sparky interior design! There was talk of introducing a safari option to the sloth bear sanctuary last year but this hasn’t yet happened. It costs 100 rupees each to get in and then is a ... read more

A comfy bed, thick curtains & double glazing led to an excellent nights sleep. Almost making the rubbish breakfast (compared to the hostels in Hampi) worth it... We were picked up at 830am by our guide for the morning and a tuktuk complete with driver to see the sights on the other side of the river. Anegundi pre-dates Hampi and is thought to be the kingdom of Kishkindu in Hindu mythology. The first stop was a climb up to the Hanuman (monkey) temple. We bought our bananas to offer to the monkeys at the top for ‘good karma’ and headed up the 500 steps. The views are spectacular and well worth the walk. Once at the top our guide explained the mythology behind the place and why Hanuman is important. From the viewing platform Stephen & ... read more

Our second day in Hampi started earlier than hoped due to the lack of curtains in our room and the general noise levels. This was more than made up for by the delicious breakfast the hostel provided, whilst sitting enjoying views over the river. We walked back over Mantanga hill, passed the Achyutaraya temple & Sule bazaar and towards the Vittala temple, the ‘undisputed highlight’ of Hampi according to the Lonely Planet (we dispute this!). It’s around 2km from Hampi and along the way there are plenty of other temples and ruins to investigate. We particularly enjoyed having an explore in some caves made by the boulders near the river edge. There are often little shrines down narrow passageways which are fun to discover. Once at the Temple we were greeted by hoards of tourists - ... read more