Hampi!

We’d planned to do most of our travel overland via India’s famed train system, but turns out that when you have one billion people, trains get booked up in advance. Since traveling overnight in “find-a-seat -if you-can (and then share it with three friends) class “ is on my short list of things never to do, we opted instead to take an overnight bus for the eight hour journey to Hampi.

I didn’t have the highest hopes for this trip, as driving here is something of a death sport, and even these lowest of expectations were barely met. We’d booked a berth, and the seedy looking bus-wallah directed us to a flat, skeevily be-cushioned cubby on the lower level of the double tiered bus interior. It wasn’t the best, yet about two hours into the journey, some tourist ladies suddenly demanded that we switch berths, saying that they had booked a lower berth (although once on the bus they'd evidently opted for the cleaner, less fragrant upper berth), but the less than gentle swaying of the bus was too much for their gentle dispositions. I may have mumbled that this was a total pain in the ass, but we switched without much complaint. The voyage on the top berth was not without moments of abject terror (think rough waters at sea, but with more honking), but the real kicker was when we hit a pothole (or who knows what) and a window in the lower berth which we had not long ago departed broke. Then it was the tourist ladies moment to offer a few choice words to the bus attendant, who from what I gathered, expressed no notable concern.

In the end we arrived three hours behind schedule into one of the strangest landscapes I’ve ever seen. Here's a video (if its shaky, you'll understand why)


Hampi is a temple-loaded desert cow town which was once a beauteous trading post full of unimaginable wonders. Now it's got some great ruins, some other-worldly geography, and still, plenty of cows. It is a major pilgrimage site for Hindus, and we saw many groups of students and families taking in the carvings of Vishnus, Ganeshas, peach-breasted temple dancers and other mystifying insignia. There was a temple elephant who would bless you for the cost of only ten rupees, and she would eat your bananas gratis.





As Hampi is a scared site, there was no booze, everything was vegetarian, and there were lots of very happy (and very lucky) animalitos underfoot everywhere. Cows, dogs, goats, scraggly monkeys, piggies and evidently, some crocodile. It was very hot and very very sunny during the day (which may help explain my bizarre beekeeper on safari ensemble) but there were gorgeous sunsets over the giant boulder piles that surrounded the town.


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Overall, one of the most interesting and unusual places I've visited. I'd say it was even worth the bus ride.