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 kilometres and is considered second only to Rome as an empire/civilisation. I saw so many amazing buildings including temples, palaces forts, bathing areas, as well as having time to admire the carvings and sculptures. I caught up with the elephant at the end of the day in the temple where he blesses pilgrims with his trunk in return for a small financial donation! As the sun began to set, I had a swim in the Tungabhadra river with rock boulders, paddy fields and 14th century temples as a backdrop. What a scene and what a great place Hampi is.