Hampi - the Flinstones versus Indians jones topped off with a little Tomb Raider

We arrived in Hampi after an overnighter on ‘Paulo travel's’ very own 'air-conditioned, deluxe sleeper coach' (they were clearly having a laugh as the only thing true in this statement was the coach part). Ever played sardines? - well this is the real deal!! The trip got off to a blinder.... we meet a really nice couple of girls from Cumbria at the coach pick up point in Chaudi. Whilst we were waiting for the bus which was about two hours late (thats not so bad in India - lateness equates to how we calculate dogs years in reverse I think, so 5-10 mins late) anyway, one of the girs had accidentally put her rucksac in a pile of sacred Cow sh*t (sorry Laura, had to mention it - you will look back and laugh) and it was everwhere! Wow, the mess was unbelievable - it's one of those situations similar to when you see someone trip and can't laugh cos they’ll catch you. I have to say she handled it (and the sh*t)really well though...

Before we start on Hampi must mention that, due to its religious significance, HAMPI IS DRY!!! So for all of you who like a drink and use the STA travel thingy as a resource - bear this in mind. This went down like a lead balloon with us of course, especially after a week in Palolum where the beer was flowing ! We arrived in Hampi in the morning of Sun 19th Nov. We were really tired and at that point couldn’t grasp the beauty and surreal environment of the Hampi landscape. We spent the first day with a bit R&R, it was Sunday after all.

The following day we were back at it, back to work as it were!! The first thing that hits you about Hampi is the amazing boulder strewn landscape (see pics). We think the man upstairs was a wee bit drunk, stoned or both when he did this one! There are seemingly randomly balanced boulders everywhere, it looks like a prehistoric landscape (hence the Flinstones reference) and these are interspersed with the most amazing temples (hence the Tomb Raider reference, not very architectural I know but you may get the picture). Apparantly the size and scale of the place similar to that of ancient Rome or so the guide says.  Indiana Jones should have been shot there - maybe they are using it for the new one, if not then Steven should pay a visit.

Anyway, we spent the day exploring the ruins on foot taking in the Sacred temples of the North including Hampi bazaar and the Virupaksha temple - here once again shoe tax and camera tax were enforced - to Sarah’s annoyance this time rather than Mark's. At Virupaksha we received a blessing from the temple elephant Lakshmi (see photos) and afterwards explored further afield taking in Hemakuta Hill and its temples; this site was well worth it as the short walk up the hill enabled a view over the bazaar as well as the landscape and temples beyond. In the evening we watched Lord of the Rings at our lovely the hostel restaurant, albeit with a few power cuts making it a bit disjointed, after the fourth and final power cut we called it a night, gave in and went to bed. Kind of weird relying on candle light but we should have been used to it by now as it is the same in Goa on quite a few occasions, but then this is India.

The following day we decide to rent a moped to explore not only because it was an easy way to get to the further away ruins but also because it allowed us to get to the nearest village so we could have a well-deserved sneaky beer - how cool am I on a moped by the way - i could be the next Indiana Jones (further note to Mr Speilburg). All in all a great day so we retired agian to out hotel for another evening of Lord of Rings and power cuts.

So on our last day in Hampi it was time to say a fond farewell to the lovely family at Rama guesthouse, to take our leave of the temple monkeys and elephant and get on yet another night bus, this time headed for Mumbai - after our last night bus it is fair to say we were kind of dreading it, how wrong we were... When the bus arrived it was a super-duper all singing/all dancing air-con executive coach!!! And we mean literally singing and dancing as it showed Bolloywood movies and cheesey music videos unti midnight, brilliant! We suddenly realised that the super-sh*t buses are only reserved for the tourists and poor Indian people, as this one which is full of middle-class Indian business men, is a long way from what we have become accustomed to... guess it's another tourist tax that we have found out about!

Hampi is a quaint, strange and wonderfully unique little place and even without a couple of Kingfishers at the end of each day, even Sarah had to admit to that it had been great.