Hampi, is a now small village located in the hills of central Karnataka (that's a state in India, brush up on your geography). It was once the seat of one of the most powerful and largest kingdoms in India. The king was very rich and very religious so he built temples to every god and for everything that happened. I mean it when I say it, apparently there are over 2,000 temples,, or former temples in the area of only a couple square miles! And I tell you what, over ever hill, behind every rock, there seemed to be an impressive marble structure at least 500 years old. It was amazing!
We left for our Hampi adventure late Thursday night so we could travel through the night and then get there bright and early in the morning so we wouldn't have to spend the precious daylight just getting there. I am very proud of us because we got tickets and found our way to the railway station all by ourselves, which I assure you is no small feat! We wandered around the railway station for a really long time and couldn't for the life of me, find out where we were to go. As it is wherever we go in this country, our dang 'lightened' appearance drew all eyes to us but no help as we walked back and forth trying to find the right car. We finally realized that we weren't even on the right platform so we very quickly hauled our butts 8 platforms down the line and got to the train we needed. It then proceeded that we wandered again for quite a long time because we couldn't find the right car. I was getting worried that the train would leave before we got on because people were running around like crazy antelope but finally we saw it there in front of us! A lovely, dirty car painted a nondescript color that reminded me of a shifty motel. We found our seats that were occupied by other people who fortunately knew that they were not in the seats they were supposed to be in and gave them to us immediately.
There then ensued a night filled with hours that were left sleepless by anxieties of impending robbery of our possessions, not knowing what stop was ours, and being overcome by the many rats we saw on the train with us (don't tell Stacy I said rats because I told her they were just mice so it wasn't a big deal). The sleeper car that we were in was not air-conditioned and was lined with bunks of beds that were more like lumpy wooden tables. It really wasn't that bad it was just that I didn't know what to expect so I was unpleasantly surprised at first. The most unsettling element of the ride there was that we still brought a lot of unwanted attention to ourselves, and trying to avoid the eyes of men who are staring at you while you try to will yourself asleep is so uncomfortable. We got there with no harm done though and it wasn't so bad that I won't ride in a train again.
Hampi is georgeous! It was so wonderful to get out in the clean(-ish) air and see real green for the first time in a long time. People in Hampi are nice and don't seem to stare, too much, and as such it was a nice change of scene and situation.
The mountains around Hampi are more like piles of granite rocks that have eroded into large boulders over the years. These are what gave the resources to build the two thousand temples that are in the Hampi area. Many of the rocks are precariously perched on the tops of hills and if it weren't for the fact that they are humongous, I would think that they were placed that way on purpose.
Stacy and I got a room at a cute little guest house with shared bathrooms and a little store that runs on the honor system, we just took what we wanted and wrote it down in a little book. I have to say that I am going to have a hard time when I come home because for one night at an average guest house here, it is an average of rps 200 a night (during off season), which is only around $5! Yeah, if I was a tight-fisted cheap wad before, I can't imagine how I'll be when I get home!
Stacy and I were content with taking things nice and slow, just wandering at our own pace and spending more time looking at things that we wanted to look at, so we didn't hire a guide the first day even though many of us bombarded us with offers. It was rather hot there and because we had a hard night on the train we decided that it would behoove us to go back to our guest house and take a nap through the hottest part of the afternoon. I have realized that all hotels here (at least the ones I can afford) have at least three things in common. Firstly, all of them have very hard beds that are lumpy in places they should not be lumpy in; secondly, the pillows are no better than the beds and are often no more than what feels like a bag of magazines; and thirdly, it is questionable whether or not the sheets are changed before each new guest. But it really isn't that bad, it just makes me miss my bed in Bangalore that is only slightly less hard.
For dinner on the first day we went to what is called a Hampi traveler's tradition. The name in The Mango Tree. And that is what it is. A large, open aired restaurant that is under the leaves of an impressive mango tree. We sat on straw mats on the terraced ground that looks over the river and it was so nice we could have stayed there for hours, which we did. There is this big swing that is made out of an old door that hangs from the high branches of the mango tree. I swung for a little while but it was right above other diners so I thought it a little inconsiderate to be flinging my dirty feet near their food so I didn't stay on it long.
The power went out that night so I got candles from the front desk and read for a awhile, listening to the sounds of monsoon.
We didn't want to carry around our bags the whole day while we explored the mountains so we decided to keep the room for another day even though we left that night, but we figured that it was worth it for another rps 160 (about $3.75).
Though I am automatically pegged as a tourist the moment my whiteness is spotted, I am trying not to bring too much attention to myself but I must say, the shopping there was good because it was the 'off-season'. Off-season is a bad time for the local vendors and hotel owners but it is fantastic for the poor wandering college student! Lots of people don't come to India during this time because of the 'bad' weather, however, as I am a person who loves the rain, a little, or a lot, of moisture doesn't dampen my spirits in the slightest. I got some wonderful deals on some of the handicrafts there and I must admit that I am quite proud of my developing bartering skills. For example, I got a gift for some one that started at rps 1,550 but I got him down to rps620. I was told by a friend here to always start with at least half of what they are asking and go from there. I have also found that a helpful tool is just saying no, and walking away and many guys will run after you and give a lower price.
All in all it was fantastic and I might even go again before my India time is out. I'll take anyone who wants to tag along! I love you all and hope that you're adventures are equally as thrilling as mine!
