Happy in Hampi
People normally associate India with being dirty, busy, and rather intrusive and admittedly it can be, my first few days in Delhi I really struggled, unlike other places I’d visited I just couldn’t adapt to the hustle and bustle. It didn’t help that plans to meet a friend and travel around northern India fell through, so I was left by my lonesome at 18 in a country that just wanted to spit me out… It was frightening and one of the only times I thought I’d made a massive mistake travelling. All I wanted was to ring home and tell my Dad that I’d fucked it, but I knew that would be unforgivable…
So, I decided to get out of Delhi ASAP, but who would have thought that in India you need to book trains weeks in advance (or pay a hefty premium) and the busses didn’t have access to where I wanted to go… I was stranded, so I did the most Western thing possible, facetimed my brother and asked him to book me a flight to Goa for tomorrow. (don’t hate me). This unfortunately raised another challenge which was finding a printer in Delhi which I could use to print my boarding pass, my hostel didn’t have a printer (for some strange reason) and so my wandering around Delhi continued.
Long story short I found a printer, I got on my plane and landed in Goa. If your ever in Goa and need a place to stay I couldn’t recommend ‘Prison Hostel’ enough, I know it doesn’t sound appealing, but I instantly felt like I’d walked into a small family, somewhere I felt welcome and I could meet and talk with fellow travellers. Something that I really missed in Delhi. Anyway, this post isn’t about Goa as I don’t have enough time nor ample words to describe that place, but I met a friend, well a few! (can you believe it) and we travelled to a place called Hampi together (this was nothing short of a miracle and a random overnight bus journey in a very weird looking ‘seat’)
(Yes, this is my bus ‘seat’ which required you to lie down or risk splitting your skull in two.)
So why with all the Hampi hype?
Hampi is an ancient village in the south Indian state of Karnataka. It’s dotted with numerous ruined temple complexes from the Vijayanagara Empireand it is literally my favourite place on earth, and somewhere (As cliché as it sounds) I felt at peace. To give you a mental picture of Hampi imagine vast green fields surrounded by boulders the size of houses. This was Hampi.
When we arrived, it was about 5AM and the very limited hostels were all booked until midday (I presume that’s when they kick the old tenants out for the new). So, we decided to do the most logical thing possible, climb a massive hill with our backpacks to visit this temple like structure. It wasn’t a particularly hard climb and the early morning climate made it perfect temperature. The thing is I had no idea about this place at all, but as soon as I reached the top of this hill I knew I’d fallen slightly in love. This is the view we were blessed with.
(extra posy photo for y’all)
Anyway, after that adventure we found an amazing hostel. Imagine waking up every morning in your $2 a night hostel room, walking 5 metres to the restaurant/chill area and being welcomed by this for literal pittance.
Does it look good? It tasted good. (the toast was masala spiced and I wish I knew how they did it!)
So, what else did we do? I wish I could explain more but the entirety of my time in Hampi was spent meeting amazing people, eating delicious food, and driving around on the cheap motorbikes just taking in the breath-taking landscapes (and on top of this getting stoned 24/7… oops).
Finally, we visited a ‘monkey mountain’ and got some great photo’s (or so I think) until a monkey robbed my disposable camera, but I guess that is a lesson learned. I could write about this forever but am calling it quits here, I have rambled long enough and need to return to reality. If your in India and you ever get the chance to go to Hampi just go, you will be welcomed into one of the most relaxing and idyllic place on earth.
Peace,
Jamie
( If anyone has been before please share your stories with me below, especially if it was recently! I haven't been for two years and would love to know if it has changed from my description :) )