After a very hot 7 hour train ride I arrived at a very very hot Hampi! Or Hospit the nearest train station, then rickshawed it to Hampi! AT first i didnt really pay attention or maybe have didn't have my eyes open to the expanse of Hampi & its thousands of boulders, rock formations dotted everywhere! However my first impressions were that it reminded me of a place in Aus called Devils marbles except bigger. It had a nice feel about the place although I was a bit concerned by the big warning signs in the guest house about not going out alone, dont take money with you or valuables, don't take any food from anyone as it could be drugged etc etc! All precautionary but i haven't seen such leaflets given out or up in guest houses anywhere else in India.
I realised that this was the first time i had actually been on my own since i first arrived in India. It must be the Indian way of life, in that families never do anything individually, that it rubs off on western travelers & you very rarely find yourself alone.
I went straight out & went to a lovely restaurant called Mango tree, where you sat on rocks which were lovely & cooling with a few of the river & Hampi's boulders. After within a short time back at the hostel i was talking a Canadian guy & we agreed to go off cycling together the following morning. I was so happy that Hampi had bicycles you could rent, as i miss cycling so much!
We set off early to cycle around Hampi a little but by 9.30am it was so hot. So we came back & had some breaky, then I found that the heat was too much & i had to have a little kip! In the afternoon I took the boat across the small river to see the other side of Hampi, which is where all the climbers hang out! I had heard mixed reports about the other side but when i went across it was like discovering a totally different place within a place! I loved it, beautiful green green rice fields over looking the rocks that go on for miles! I decided to move across the following day even though i only had one day left before heading to Bangalore.
The next day i got up early & moved across to the other side, the place i stayed in was a lovely friendly place with mud huts that were cheap as chips. Also there was a big garden in the middle of the huts which meant i could spend the rest of the morning doing yogs! Then i had a little walk about & tried eat some lunch but once again i found the heat too much & had to go for a snooze! When it cooled down a little i ended up practicing handstands & walking a tight rope, called a slackliner with a few of the guys staying there! The slackliner is all the rage with climbers, boarders etc to help them improve their balance. I thought i had good balance but this is not easy & i only made it forward a step or two, i want one though! I know its something Ar Gen would love as well! It was fun to be playing around like kids!
Although i wanted to go bouldering i was told it was the end of the season as it was too hot now & i didnt have any shoes or a crash pad. So now been sensible say! & seeing a fare few people walking around with twisted ankles etc i decided it wasnt worth risking been injured for my up coming yoga course in Bali that i had decided to go on! So i opted to go waking across, up & over the rocks to monkey temple with a lovely couple from Brussels. I managed to make it without having a nap in the afternoon, this was probably because i knew i couldn't as i had to catch an overnight train to Bangalore!
On our little hike we stopped at a local little cafe near the rocks. There we met an interesting character who was originally from Wales who for the last 15 years has lived in the rocks of Hampi or in the Himalayas. His bed is actually in caves in the rocks & mountains, madness. Now thats what i call free! He spends a month each yr in Singapore earning a bit of money & the rest of the time, solving problems as climbers say! He was not happy when we told him about the new indian visa rule that you have to be out of the country for 2 months after your 6 month visa runs out!
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