Felix goes to Hampi

HAMPI

Day #1: an early start.  A really early start.  Groggy and tired we got our stuff and waited for Ariel and Mariela to pick us up in their rickshaw.  We drove to the bus station and got on our bus.  The bus ride, a 9 hour long adventure, was boring as all hell, but we did get to see A LOT of India.  The countryside changed dramatically from forest to a dry and arid landscape.  When we FINALLY got off the bus, in Hospet, we had a few minutes to, no wait here we go again, we caught ANOTHER bus, this time only a half hour trip, to finally get to Hampi.  We got off the bus, and asked a Rickshaw driver to take us to the place we had booked, The Goan Corner.  He informed us that we had to cross the river that parted the main bustling bit of Hampi to the less populated side.  We got to the river and had a long discussion on whether to stay on the side we were on and find a new place, or cross the river and go to The Goan Corner.  We decided to head BACK into town and find a place there.  Ariel and I stayed in the rickshaw whilst the mothers went looking from place to place.  It turned out that they were all crap, and we decided to drive back to the river and cross it.  We did just that, taking the local “ferry” (a small dingy) across.  We walked up the hill on the other side of the river, through the small town, across a few rice paddies, and we finally arrived.  The Goan Corner was a very lovely place, surrounded on two sides by rice paddies, and a very nice view of the MILLIONS of rocky hills.  Ariel, being a climber, and Me, being a rockhopper, were delighted.  We sorted out our rooms, unpacked our stuff, and Ariel and I went exploring.  We climbed up, met people, checked out the bouldering spots, and enjoyed the view.  When we headed down, we had a well needed dinner, then we went back up on the rocks, this time with the mothers, to watch the Full Moon rise.  It was red/orange, and very beautiful.  When it was all over, we headed down to the soft beds and had some well-needed sleep.

Day #2:

The Lake: Before we set out to go to the lake, we had been told multiple times that we shouldn’t walk.  But Mum and Mariela decided to walk anyway.  “Oh its only 3 kilometres” they said.  We walked for about ten minutes when a rickshaw drove up to us, stopped, and asked us if we wanted to get in.  After some discussion, we hopped in the rickshaw and drove to the lake.

It wasn’t three kilometres. -.-

When we arrived there, we took a look at the lake.  It was an enormous mass of water, kilometres wide and long, surrounded by rocks and shrubbery.  On a lot of the rocks was written ‘no swimming crocodile inside.’  Well we didn’t see that one lonely crocodile.  There was a few groups of Indian guys in boats on the lake, and we saw a group of Indians/Westerners nearby jumping off a rock into the lake, and there was a nice little beach next to the rock.  We changed, and jumped into the cold, refreshing water.  After a few minutes, Mum and Mariela got out and sat on the rocks to dry.  Ariel and I went and sat with them when the  group of men that were in their boat came and sat on the surrounding rocks and simply stared at our two mothers.  After a few minutes, Mum decided she’d had enough of being stared at, so she told them to stop staring and piss off.  A few minutes later we left.  We caught the same Rickshaw to the Monkey Temple.

The Hanuman Temple: There was a long winding flight of steps leading up the side of the mountain.  We encountered lots of monkeys up the steps, and the view of the rocky landscape of Hampi and its surroundings extended with each step we took up.  When we finally arrived at the top, we kicked off our shoes, and went to have a look around.  There was the main temple building, a small structure that was locked, and not really that extravagant, and then the rest of the mountaintop was a concrete courtyard.  The view was fantastic.  Miles and miles of big rocky outcrops, rice paddies and coconut trees.  It felt like we were sitting on top of the world.  And you could see why it was nicknamed ‘The Monkey Temple,’ There was monkeys all over the place. Monkeys eating, sleeping, rooting, just doing all the monkeyish things imaginable.  Except flinging turds.  There were no airborne piles of faeces around thank god.  When we were done enjoying the view and the monkeys, we headed down again.  Halfway down the steps, we found a little path leading off from the main one.  We headed along, and found a little shrine.  Near the shrine was a group of Langurs.  I went forward to have a closer look, and after about thirty seconds, a little monkey detached from the group and starting screeching and baring its teeth at me, pacing back and forth between the main group and I.  After this monkey had been going off its nut for about two minutes, a much larger came out, and charged me, with its sharp little teeth and long legs and arms ready to pounce.  I kicked at it multiple times, trying to keep it at bay, while also concentrating on not crapping my pants.  This monkey looked bigger close up, okay. Then a little Indian boy ran out of the shrine and started yelling “Run Away! Run Away!”  So run away I did.  Very Quickly.  It turns out that as soon as I spun and ran, so did the monkey.  I made my way down the rest of the mountain a little shaken, and with one more story to tell.

The day after this, we made our way home. And the bus trip, this time 11 hours, didn't bear writing about. :)