Hampi - A Refreshing Trip

Anniversary options are difficult to come up with. But once Hampi was conjured up, both Prerna & myself were sure of it.

Hampi, the capital of the Vijayanagara Empire ( Key ruler , Krishnadevaraya) is an exotic locale. It is cut off from the main Indian tourist routes for a number of reasons, (a) It is not close to any city, nearest is Bangalore 350 Kms away. (b) It has no major temple to note, we all know Indians, in hordes travel to see temples.

It is actually a part of the south Indian circuit most of the long staying international tourists do.

Our 2 day, weekend dash to Hampi was worth the effort to travel the distance. The key things about this place that struck us was the lack of crowds seen in most good places. The quality of the Ruins, much better than any we say in Athens (Greece). The good food. And the relaxed and friendly locals.

Travel & logistics:

We traveled from / to Bangalore using the Airavat (AC Volvo) buses, booked through the KSRTC website. Took an Auto from Hospet to Hampi. Local transport was walking and hired 2 wheelers. (Didnt hire cycles because of the heat and the distances)

Accommodation:

There are 3 distinct options available

(1) The hotels & tourist bungalows - located a few (4-12) Kms away Too far away from the action.

(2) The main Hampi Bazar - filled with guest houses. Cheap but crowded & poor quality.

(3) Across the Tungabhadra River. More secluded yet 10-15 min from the crowd and action. But need a boat to cross the river.

We started with (2) but soon found the boat and shifted base the (3). The cottages by Shanti were cheap & comfortable, the location was fantastic to say the least. I guess this is by far the best accommodation in hampi

Eating:

We ate at 3 different places, an Italian restaurant ('Best Italian bakery in town') , the 'Mango Tree' and the 'Laughing Buddha'. The last 2 were in mesmerizing surroundings and we spent considerable time in the couple of meals we had at each spot. While the buddha had great music and a laid back hut atmosphere, Mango tree had a great view of Tungabhadra along with great food and options.

As it was the rainy season , it was overcast thought out. We rented out bikes and spent a considerable time on the road. Riding , exploring the hidden paths, taking hikes into the bouldered hills, zipping in and out of temples.

The other interesting activity was to walk up to Tungabhadra river through intervening paddy fields and taking a bath in it.

Gazing at the boulders and imagining the grandeur of Virupaksha Temple.

People: Talking to the french teacher couple. The Indian French lady and her kid. The locals at the first Guest house. The Baba with the 4 Ft hair and his tales. The nepali managing laughing Buddha.

Overall it was a great experience and i wouldn't mind going to the place again. Great memories and a great weekend. And thus ends our first anniversary.

Pics @ http://picasaweb.google.com/ramanathan999/Hampi#