Monday 2nd - Hello Hampi

We wake around 6 a.m. as our fellow traveller is starting to prepare for his stop. There is a coffee man on board but no chai seller so we decide to wait until we get off the train at Hospet. Nearly everybody on the train gets down at this stop, mostly bound for Hampi. There is quite a scrum on the platform as the auto drivers move in for the kill. R and the bags are parked on a nearby bench and D fetches chai from the stall. Very acceptable and only 5 rupees.

There is one young chap still on the platform and he asks if we want an auto. His quote is acceptable and he leads us out of the station to a well maintained machine. Driving out of the town we concur with LP's summary of 'a dusty, unattractive town with not much going on'.  What a shame that they didn't build Hampi closer to the railway.

On the way out of town we stop at the local Kwik Fit to get air in the auto's tyres. The hose is only long enough to reach two tyres so the third goes unfilled. We have travelled by Indian auto dozens of times and never given a thought to tyre pressures. Do we need to start kicking the tyres before we board?

Once out of Hospet the road surfaces are good for the 14km ride through fields of sugar cane and bananas. The scenery changes dramatically for the last couple of miles, becoming dominated by huge boulders and rocky outcrops. Some of the ruins for which Hampi is famous are clearly visible and as we clear the ridge above the town we see the towering presence of one of the great temples. 

Our chap drives through the narrow streets and deposits us at the Gopi Guest House. His name is Asif and he asks if we would be interested in a tour of the main sites and we take a card. We climb the stairs up to the Gopi and are greeted cheerfully, registered and are then invited to have breakfast. This is a leisurely affair and allows us to watch the comings and goings. After quite a while our room is ready. This is in an annexe round the corner and is basic, with fan rather than AC, but clean. R is feeling a bit woozy and decides that she needs to top up her sleep so D does a bit of local exploration. 

The village of Hampi Bazaar is quite small but somehow the layout is confusing. Cars are banned from the streets but there are still autos, motorbikes, pedal cycles and cows to contend with. This is the first place on this trip that we have found with a significant cow poo problem and you have to watch where you are stepping. The place is very much geared up for tourists and the majority of businesses are guest houses, retaurants, travel agents and internet cabins. The village used to be bigger but a couple of years ago part of it was declared an archaeological site and the inhabitants and businesses evicted at very short notice. A few businesses were able to relocate but it seems very hard on most of those affected. The site cleared is now being excavated using JCBs and dumper trucks.

Hampi itself is just one part of a huge city built by the Vijayanagara Empire from the 1300s. It grew to have a population of 500,000 but the empire was overthrown and the city destroyed.  Various temples and monuments survive spread over a wide area and these are the big attraction as they have World Heritage status. R is suitably refreshed and we set out to see some of the local sites, just up the hill above the village. As well as ruins there are birds to look at and down towards the river two different kinds of monkey - red faced ugly ones with quite long tails and rather more graceful ones with black faces and incredibly long tails. We search in vain for one of LP's recommended restaurants.  We later discover that it has been a victim of the archaeologists. 

We head back into town looking for a cold drink.  Alcohol is banned in Hampi so lemon sodas will have to do. We discover a place with half decent wifi and decide to return there for supper. We also decide to call Asif to book a tour for tomorrow. Finding a phone signal is a challenge but we eventually get one. After a short haggle a price is agreed along with a10 a.m. start. On the way to supper R drops her singed housedress off at the tailors for re-hemming.  "Will be ready tonight". We have momos, hummus amd falafels in an almost empty restaurant and catch up on emails etc. Back in the room we have to turn the fan up and wrestle with the mosquito net before turning in. We are getting soft.