The morning of the 12th I finally arrived in Hospet, from where you can get a bus (13 rupee) or a rickshaw (100 rupee, “Very cheap, my friend. Bus no good!”) to Hampi.
First I walked to the post office, about 20min from the train station (“Oh no, my friend, post office far away, you cannot walk. I bring you, only 100 rupee”). I wanted to sent some souvenirs to Belgium, but unfortunately the post office doesn’t seem to sell boxes, so that was a no-go.
After some breakfast, I hopped on the bus. For the first time, there where other tourists with me, Hampi seemed to be quite popular. On the way there, the bus driver used an ingenious way to guarantee lots of ventilation: not closing the doors :). The same is true for trains, by the way, you can open doors at any time. Pretty cool at night to cool down and see the landscape pass by.
Lots of ventilation guaranteed.
After arriving in Hampi, I first went to look for a place to stay. You stay in Hampi itself, which is a holy region, so no alcohol, etc. I opted to cross the river, since there are no such “limitations” in the village on the other side.
Tiny statues on the rocks in the river.
On the way there, I met some people who recommended a place to me for 300 rupees a night. At first glance, everything seemed fine, but when I went to bed in the evening and took a close look at the mattress, I noticed it was really gross. So, I put my bivak on the bed and slept in there. I don’t think I’ve ever sweat that much my whole life. During the night, while going to the toilet, I also met some co-inhabitants of the room, 6-8cm long cockroaches. Of course, it’s kind of the jungle here, but I always associate them with fifty places. Needless to say, I left that place first thing in the morning.
One of there guys suddenly appeared next to my leg while going to the toilet.
The new place I went to is very clean, has super nice people and has all the ventilation holes to the room covered in mesh. It’s a bit more expensive at 500 rupees, but that’s still close to nothing and an expense I gladly make :). Also, there’s hammocks here from which you have a beautiful view over the temples on the Hampi side of the river.
View from my hotel.
In the evenings, everyone climbs the rocks to see the sun set over the temples. People play instruments, sing, pass around lots of weed (not for this guy though), … There’s a lot of people here, most of them simply to relax all day, go swim, drive around on scooters a bit, … I’ve met quite a few who have been here for over a month.
Everyone gathering to see the sunset.
I’ve also met a couple of climbers, and was going to go with them the morning of the 14th at 6:30AM (when it’s not yet 35 degrees and 100% humidity). Alas, India has decided otherwise and I woke up with a strong urge to vomit and rush to the toilet. Naturally, I gave in :). So, today I’ve been laying in bed, taking some pills (I’ve got a veritable pharmacy with me), and drinking lots of water. Hopefully, tomorrow I’ll be OK again.
That’s Hampi so far. I haven’t done anything, besides hanging in a hammock and reading. And being sick of course. If all goes well, I’ll go discover the ancient ruins and thousands of boulders the next few days.
Wat een cutie !