This morning, I walked down to the river and took the little ferry over to the other side where the temple elephant was being washed. Through narrow streets of shops selling souvenirs, yoga and meditation classes, and clothing, we headed out to the enormous ancient city of Hampi. Until it was destroyed in 1565 it had a population of about 0.5 million which would have made it one of the biggest cities in the world at the time. It covers an area of 26 square kilome...

The drive from Hospet to Hampi was just what I wanted to see. Through rural village India where families live in small communities with their livestock and the children are smartly dressed heading off to school on bicycles or auto rickshaws. Hampi is a remarkable place and It is like nowhere I have ever visited before. Various dynasties ruled the Vijayanagara empire from 1336 to 1565 when the area was overrun by the Muslims of South India. It is a landscape of mi...