So, I managed to tear myself away from the beach and head inland to Hampi. Five days later, I’m still here. It’s an odd place. Hampi Bizarre is very hickeldy-pickeldy (now there’s a phrase that I should use more often). Amazing architectural ruins and, to put it bluntly, shit. There’s the dog variety, the cow variety and, of course, the human variety. Fortunately, I have a cold. So I am saved from the worst of the smell.
I’m here with a lovely Serbian couple (Buda and Mayche) who I met in Patnem. And on our second day here, we upped sticks and moved to the ‘other’ side of the river. The ‘other’ side is where the hippies stay. I’ve never seen so many dreadlocks (or hairy armpits, for that matter) in one place before. But we met some nice Israeli’s without extra hair to spend time with.
Our new home is surrounded by paddy fields and frogs. And hippies...did I mention the hippies? It’s the perfect place for staying still, and I have spent a lot of the last few days lying on the swing bed outside our hut. Partly because I’ve been a bit poorly, and partly because it’s nice.
When I’ve not been gently rocking in the shade, I’ve been out to the reservoir for a swim or gasping for air on a midday bike ride around the ruins.
The ruins themselves are interesting. But, to be honest, I think Angkor Watt and friends have pretty much ruined (sorry) this kind of thing for me. They’re in a league of their own.
What has taken my breath away is the landscape itself. Crazy huge boulders piled high in massive heaps scattered in all directions. Watching the sunset over them from the monkey temple was quite something.
As were the monkeys. First they laugh at you as you pant your way up the 600 steps (ok, maybe that bit was my imagination), then they take pot-shots at you - trying to steal your bags or food. And, once you’ve arrived gasping at the top, they wait until you’re relaxed and then creep up behind you and start pulling at your t-shirt. At least, that was my experience. I wasn’t sure whether to be flattered or frightened.
Hopefully some pictures will appear on Facebook in due time from the people I’ve met along the way.
Today is my last day here – I have the delights of an overnight sleeper bus to look forward to tonight. The call of the sea is too strong for me to resist, so it’s back to the coast – next stop Gokarna. Due to circumstances that I probably shouldn’t share in the public domain, I’m not sure how long I’ll stay there yet. We shall see.
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