Hampi (5-6 MAR)

Hampi was a highlight of the trip so far. It is an oasis among mountains of boulders. As if God had set aside piles of stone on a carpet of green to use else where, but on the seventh day he rested and the piles were left; misplaced among a landscape filled with rice fields and banana plantations that are only interrupted by the rocks and a meandering river.

Today, the area is an oasis for tourists, that come for both the spectacular scenery, but also to escape the cities and relax in the bungalow retreats that dot the landscape along the river. However, 500 years ago the area was a bustling city and capital of an empire that controlled all of southern India. With an estimated population of 500,000 the city was rich with money from the spice trade and build temples and markets among and of the stone that covers the landscape. Then at it's peak the empire and city fell in battle leaving only remnants of stone behind. The ruins the remain are amazing, and we proved you can see nearly all of it in a day. However, as Lonely Planet points out, that is not the point in Hampi, and it would have been nice to have more time here to relax and really enjoy all Hampi has to offer.

On our first night, we climbed to the top of a hill were a small whitewashed temple is perched on the edge of a cliff. The temple is referred to as the Monkey Temple and it has a large population of mischievous monkeys that have a history of stealing sunglasses and other items from tourists, which they then sometimes will return in exchange for food. The sunset was incredible but the scenery that unfolded in every direction was impossible to capture in a single image.

On the second day, rented bikes and toured the ruins of Vijaynagar (Victory City). It took us all day and we even rented a Rickshaw for a portion that of the journey, which really gave me a better feel for how large the old city must have been. Today there are remnants of many of the old temples, markets, the central royal grounds, foundations of some of the nobleman's quarters, and some of the walls that once guarded it all. The rock sculpture work was extensive and amazingly ornate and I cannot imagine the manpower that must have been invested in building the city.