Hampi, India

Arrival: 06/24/2009

Departure: 06/27/2009

Sight Seeing: Red-Orange Boulder Landscape, Temples, River, Bike Rides, Elephant Bath

People: Friendly

Food: Delicious, if you find the right place

Accommodations: Suresh Guest House ($6 per night)

Pictures: Pictures of India

Summary: Highly recommended by another traveler, Adam and I decided to visit Hampi for it's unique red-orange boulder cover landscape that is interlaced with luscious green palm trees and ancient temples. Throw a river in there and you have one of the most picturesque cities we've seen on the trip. Gorgeous!

Details: After a long and very bumpy overnight bus ride we arrived in Hospet early the next morning. A rigshaw took us about 15 kilometers to Hampi where we immediately found a guest house and crashed out. Later that day we took a short walk around the area studying local temples and ancient ruins. The following day, we rented a couple of bikes and checked out more ruins. The ride was very nice, but really hot.

A short walk from our guest house is a beautiful river where people wash their clothes and take a dip. There's not too much swimming because it's quite dangerous. One of the major highlights of the trip thus far was watching a man guide his elephant down to the river for a bath. Definitely not something you see everyday. The elephant lied down while the man scrubbed him clean like it was his car.