So, Indian buses...
Can fuck right off at this stage. Honestly. The bus journey here was so much worse than the last one despite it picking us up on time, we didn't get a wink of sleep in the 12 hours on the bus, someone vomited in the walkway, and we had nowhere to put our luggage - the Indian sleeper bus experience is not one we'd recommend.
However it was well worth the journey to our next stop. Hampi is a UNESCO heritage site, with temples and ruins dating back as far as the 11th century - also the time the roads were laid, we think, given our journey.
Upon first arriving in Hampi, we could instantly see this was not like any part of India we had seen before. In fact, it's not like anywhere else in the world we'd seen before. First thing we noticed is all these giant boulders everywhere (video above) - how did they get there? What are they doing there? Very confusing altogether. This was all put on hold for Day 1 in Hampi though, as after the bus journey we both felt extremely exhausted to the point of being unwell. We booked our first night in a hotel, Clark's Inn Hampi, which was ideal given our bleary-eyed states. The exhaustion meant a day in the hotel was on the cards. We ordered room service (making it rain - the princely sum of €9 for lunch for two, pictured), and got some well needed rest.
We spent the following three nights in Rocky Guesthouse, closer to some of the main sites of Hampi. After a good day of rest, we decided a tuk-tuk tour of all the main temples/ruins of Hampi was our course of action for day two. This is where Hampi comes up trumps, as all the things we've read before getting here came to life, and the sites are absolutely incredible. It nearly feels like not being in India, or taking a step back in time, but it's so different to anything we'd seen.
The following day was another down day. Nearly a month in now and one of the biggest learns has been honouring when we need a day off, even if we've just had one a couple of days ago. Just because we're on such a big trip doesn't mean we can't have a couple of duvet days right? Lot of reading (Kindles - great lads altogether), and planning for our next country (Sri Lanka in two weeks!) means the day was productive, despite the step count being 1/10th of our new norm.
Last day, and we'd a few things we wanted to fit in, given the relaxed pace of our first three days. First up, fuel ourselves at breakfast with a view:
Next up, ferry to Hippie Island. Hampi is a holy town, so no alcohol, or meat, is served. Cross the river by motor boat, and Hippie Island brings you back to a bit more of a Goa-type vibe. We went exploring by foot rather than scooter, a decision we'd come to regret given the 33 degree heat, but cash liquidity was low as there are no ATMs in Hampi. No scooters for us! (yet).
We made it up to Sanapur Lake, which has notices dotted around saying not to swim in it due to the presence of crocodiles. Apparently it's to scare off drunk backpackers, there's actually no crocodiles in it at all, a local told us. Still didn't risk it.
Noticing we were on the brink of heatstroke, we turned back to catch a ride across the river before sunset. Hippie Island definitely has its charm, and worth the day out, even if just for this picture:
Hampi is an unbelievable place, but hard to convey the magic of it in text and pictures. We're making our way back to Goa by train (YAY!!!), so thankfully no bus for us. A 5a.m. start, but we're heading this time to south Goa, which should be the yoga hub Dani was looking forward to all trip (please, no more PsyTrance). We'll be on the coast again, so a quick update on how we've found south Goa and the differences to the northern part shouldn't be too far away.
Currently Listening to:
Can fuck right off at this stage. Honestly. The bus journey here was so much worse than the last one despite it picking us up on time, we didn't get a wink of sleep in the 12 hours on the bus, someone vomited in the walkway, and we had nowhere to put our luggage - the Indian sleeper bus experience is not one we'd recommend.
However it was well worth the journey to our next stop. Hampi is a UNESCO heritage site, with temples and ruins dating back as far as the 11th century - also the time the roads were laid, we think, given our journey.
Upon first arriving in Hampi, we could instantly see this was not like any part of India we had seen before. In fact, it's not like anywhere else in the world we'd seen before. First thing we noticed is all these giant boulders everywhere (video above) - how did they get there? What are they doing there? Very confusing altogether. This was all put on hold for Day 1 in Hampi though, as after the bus journey we both felt extremely exhausted to the point of being unwell. We booked our first night in a hotel, Clark's Inn Hampi, which was ideal given our bleary-eyed states. The exhaustion meant a day in the hotel was on the cards. We ordered room service (making it rain - the princely sum of €9 for lunch for two, pictured), and got some well needed rest.
We spent the following three nights in Rocky Guesthouse, closer to some of the main sites of Hampi. After a good day of rest, we decided a tuk-tuk tour of all the main temples/ruins of Hampi was our course of action for day two. This is where Hampi comes up trumps, as all the things we've read before getting here came to life, and the sites are absolutely incredible. It nearly feels like not being in India, or taking a step back in time, but it's so different to anything we'd seen.
The following day was another down day. Nearly a month in now and one of the biggest learns has been honouring when we need a day off, even if we've just had one a couple of days ago. Just because we're on such a big trip doesn't mean we can't have a couple of duvet days right? Lot of reading (Kindles - great lads altogether), and planning for our next country (Sri Lanka in two weeks!) means the day was productive, despite the step count being 1/10th of our new norm.
Last day, and we'd a few things we wanted to fit in, given the relaxed pace of our first three days. First up, fuel ourselves at breakfast with a view:
Next up, ferry to Hippie Island. Hampi is a holy town, so no alcohol, or meat, is served. Cross the river by motor boat, and Hippie Island brings you back to a bit more of a Goa-type vibe. We went exploring by foot rather than scooter, a decision we'd come to regret given the 33 degree heat, but cash liquidity was low as there are no ATMs in Hampi. No scooters for us! (yet).
We made it up to Sanapur Lake, which has notices dotted around saying not to swim in it due to the presence of crocodiles. Apparently it's to scare off drunk backpackers, there's actually no crocodiles in it at all, a local told us. Still didn't risk it.
Noticing we were on the brink of heatstroke, we turned back to catch a ride across the river before sunset. Hippie Island definitely has its charm, and worth the day out, even if just for this picture:
Hampi is an unbelievable place, but hard to convey the magic of it in text and pictures. We're making our way back to Goa by train (YAY!!!), so thankfully no bus for us. A 5a.m. start, but we're heading this time to south Goa, which should be the yoga hub Dani was looking forward to all trip (please, no more PsyTrance). We'll be on the coast again, so a quick update on how we've found south Goa and the differences to the northern part shouldn't be too far away.
Currently Listening to:
Hampi is a beautiful place. We were lucky that we were there during a Shiva festival - absolute madness. 1 million people descended on the town, music, acrobats, weirdos, snakes, elephants. awesome spot
ReplyDeleteUnreal! We had a pretty chilled out time there, absolutely loved it though - Not too long left in India now, we'd definitely come back
Delete