Hampi

Arriving in Hampi is a bit like arriving on the set of the Flintstones. Hills of boulders jut up from every corner and palm trees dot the landscape. We took a motorboat across the river to the mellow side of town and stayed in a bright hut with a porch and hammock.The Indian woman running the place has the rare habit of saying "fuck" on a regular basis and allows her turkey and Great Dane to roam freely. To get there, we walked through bright green rice fields and giant hills of boulders. Hampi has plenty of ruins, hills and temples to explore. We went to the main temple, climbed up a hill overlooking the city and walked to an abandoned and crumbling temple on the first day.

On my birthday, I had my first Ayurvedic massage, where I was surprised to find NO sheet to cover my naked body and even more surprised when the "shower" that came with the massage was no more than my masseuse (thankfully a woman) pouring cold water over my head from a bucket and scrubbing my hair and all but the most private parts with a dinky bar of soap. This was the second time I've been bathed by a stranger (first time was in a Moroccan hammam). It was equally as traumatic as the first- perhaps more so, given the cold water and sheer surprise factor (at least in Morocco, I knew I would be bathed by someone else). Needless to say, I still had coconut oil in my hair by the time it "dried."

In the afternoon, we took a small, hand-paddled, bamboo saucer-boat out along the river and past more temples. The rower dropped us off down the river so we could walk up to one of the many Hanuman temples of the area (Hanuman is a Hindu deity revered for his strength and generally takes the shape of a monkey. It's no surprise that monkeys can usually be found hanging around Hanuman temples). At the top, we climbed barefoot over giant boulders until we found a front-row seat to a fantastic sunset.

If we had more time, I would have delved into the rock climbing scene and more ancient ruins. But I had to keep moving. We took an overnight bus to Pune, recent site of terrorist bombings. We met up with Jason for breakfast at one of the cafes targeted by the bombings and had our bags searched before we entered. The German Bakery that exploded down the street was still in shambles and heavily guarded. We walked over to the OSHO ashram, where Brian spent a few weeks recently, and peeked in the gates (admission fees are not within a poor traveler's budget). Jason got in trouble when he tried to take a picture.

Next stop- Aurangabad, ancient cave temples and fun festivals!

To read about the beach, the mountains and a town in between, click HERE.