Hampi

The seven hour train journey to Hampi flew by. We talked solidly for five of those seven with an India man named Mohan, from Bangalore. He spoke enthusiastically about India and taught us a lot that we did not know. I will never forget: “You must go to Bijapur – biggest statue in the world – you will really freak out” and “DVDs are very cheap in India – I have Chitty Chitty Bang Bang and Police Academy 1 to 7”. He was great.

Hampi is a really pleasant little town, stuck in the middle of nowhere in the state of Karnataka. It was once the capital of one of the largest Hindu empires in Indian history and so has many ruined temples in and around it. The scenery is stunning and many of the guesthouses here have rooftop restaurants where you can enjoy your evening meal against an incredible backdrop as the sun goes down (no beer allowed here though). Yesterday was mostly spent booking trains and hotels for the next part of our trip in Eastern India as it is a busy time of year in Calcutta due to an Indian festival and holiday. We were concerned we would not be able to proceed as planned, but, due in part to a very friendly woman at the train station who allowed us to book foreign tourist quota tickets for friends not yet in the country, we now have all the tickets we need. It’s a significant weight off our minds. Today we hired bicycles and cycled around the local area to see some of the ruined temples. It was good fun, although soured slightly by our not being able to locate the one place we had been assured sold alcohol…oh well, probably for the best. We have two more days of relaxing in Hampi before we head back to Goa….for more relaxing ;o)