We Started Smoking 6 Cigarettes a Day

Bangalore is a very large city (8.5 million people) with a lot of information technology companies, so it is seen as one of the more progressive cities in India. Unfortunately they haven’t found a software solution to resolve the traffic congestion and poor air quality that exists. While we were there, a newspaper article revealed that a recent UN environmental study had determined that the particulate matter in the city air was akin to smoking 6 cigarettes day. Delhi, where we will finish our trip, was rated even worse, with an equivalent of 20 cigarettes a day….…we have decided to not spend very much time there. While we were in Bangalore we did walk around to see some of their attractions (old fort, palace, botanical gardens) but didn’t see anything too exciting other than trying to cross the road in heavy traffic several times. We gave up our new found smoking habit after two days and caught an overnight train to Hospet where the Hampi Boulders and ancient ruins remain amongst the small surrounding villages. Our good friends, Neal and Linda, met up with us in Bangalore, and we are now spending several weeks travelling together. We enjoy their company and play lots of games when we return to our hotel from sightseeing every day.

While in the Hampi area for five nights we stayed in a thatched-roof cottage in a small village (Anegundi) where the manager was very helpful and the staff very friendly. Most days we walked one kilometre to the river, took a 20 cent flat boat ferry to the other side, and then either walked or took a tuk tuk the other 4 km’s into Hampi. The area was surrounded by giant boulders that seemed curiously stacked on top of one another but were too large to have been intentionally placed there. It made for beautiful scenery. There were also massive ruins (3700 monuments spread over 36 sq. miles) reflecting the 500,000 people that inhabited the area between 1335 – 1565. Today less than 10,000 reside in Hampi which thrives on the tourist business. On three different days we hired a tuk tuk driver for the day ($12 with tip) to take us to the Royal Centre (baths, pavilions, temples spread out over several km’s), the Hampi Bazaar area (active Virupaksha Temple, ancient commerce centre, many monuments) and also to the Anajandri Hill area (500 steps to hilltop temple with great views, some 3500 year old cave paintings and another hillside temple). When we visited the Vittala Temple on another day, they were shooting a Bollywood movie (Kick Part II starring Ravi Tejar) which was interesting to watch for a while until they kept doing re-takes on the same scene. The temple was near the river so we walked along it into Hampi observing the locals in their coracles (round boats) and had much deserved beers at the Laughing Buddha bar which overlooked the river on the non-dry (alcohol) side of town. It was a very relaxing stay in Hampi and we enjoyed the people, scenery and quiet spaces.

We are now in Badami, a town of 30,000 people that is famous for its magnificent 6th century rock-cut  cave temples. The temples were in excellent shape considering how old they are. While scrambling around the large water reservoir below the caves we discovered some hillside art that was quite entertaining. Badami is also known for bad wine which we had heard about before coming here so we brought some extra bottles with us. While walking through town we still succumbed to the foolish idea of sampling some small bottles of the cheap local wine which we ended up pouring down the drain. Tomorrow we have hired a driver for the day to take us to several sites outside of town. In Pattadakal we will visit some 3^rd century temples and in Aihole (no jokes please) there are ruins of 100 temples from the 4-6th centuries.

When we walked by the Stadium in Bangalore we came across several hundred people who were involved in a Disaster Recovery training session. The organizers wanted their picture taken with us and introduced us to the man on the right who was a Defense Minister / General. 

This was a scene from the movie (Kick Part II) that was being filmed at the Vittala Temple when we arrived. They were still shooting the same scene 45 minutes later when we were leaving. 

A scene from the day we walked along the river to get to Hampi. The round boats are called coracles and are used by the locals for fishing or crossing the river. The Hampi boulders are everywhere as are ladies doing their laundry wherever there is water.

Hampi - Royal Centre walk. This was the Lotus Mahal, the Queen's recreational mansion. Lotus shaped hallways and decorations.

View from the Anegundi Hill, part way up the 500 steps. Rice fields below and the Vittala Temple in the distance (on the other side of the Tungabhadra River).

This was the flat boat ferry we took almost every day to cross the Tungabhadra River form our village. They loaded 6-8 motorcycles first and then the passengers squeezed into the remaining open spots.

Hampi Bazaar area. The Virupaksha Temple, one of the city's oldest structures and only remaining 'working' temple.

Hampi - near the temple. When the monkeys weren't up to some kind of mischief, they took time out for personal hygiene. 

Badami Caves. This was Cave 1 and the other 3 were further up the mountain stairs. All were cut out of the rock in the 6th century. They were 10-20 metres deep with pillars and rock carvings.

 

Some hill art that we discovered while walking around the large tank (5th century water reservoir) below the Badami Caves. Couldn't find any information on where it came from but it was very entertaining and worth the short scramble to see more than 25 scenes spread out across the hillside.

There was a non-stop laundry process going on at the tank. We were smart enough to get some of our clothes washed in Hampi where I'm pretty sure they got sent to the much cleaner river!