Sitting in the back of the collective tuk-tuk starring out onto the dark road and forest, just that little handle dangling in front of my face I felt like I was sitting in a rollercoaster. The squeaking of the engine and wheels slowly pulling us up the small hills and then at the zenith when the weight tips over and releases the pull we slide down the curvy road. Swiftly following the bends, no sounds just the exerted roaring of the vehicle, sometimes a little pothole or bump gives that extra exhilaration. And the view of the small road disappearing into darkness on all sides, entertained me for the ride back to the bus station in Hosapete.
We had spent almost a week in the cozy room at anaconda guesthouse, mostly healing. After a very bussing busy time in Arambol we enjoyed the general quiet of the Hampi UNESCO Heritage and watched as much TV as we didn’t since the whole travel so far. The day we arrived I had to head to the hospital in Hosapete, which is just a short bus ride from Hampi, to get a scan to determine the cause of sharp pains in my abdomen that occurred on our last night in Goa. Luckily the health system in India is good and cheap and the diagnosis was not too bad so rest and perseverance should take care of it within a few months. When I started to feel slightly better after a couple of days my partner got sickish too and we were just in the right place for our situation. We took slow walks around the ruins, temple, and nature on the other side of the river and healed in the little room we rented.
Food choices in the town were quite bad and the only two restaurants we found decent food in became our daily hangout. Chill out and Trishul also only had the limited standard choices of the area, but the low floor seats were comfortable and the family at Trishul greeted us with a big smile once or twice a day.
The ruins of Hampi are a magical and beautiful place, while the areal is huge (the city once had a size bigger than modern day Paris) we only managed to see the once closest to the temple. Down at the river many people every day take baths in the not so clean water and on one occasion we saw some sort of ritual being held. There we also saw first-hand where all the rubbish in the river comes from, plastic bags from powders, other ritual appliances and even the cloths of the main person were carelessly thrown into the waters and thus there is a devastating scene of litter all along the banks.
Now, there used to be a so-called hippie island which was supposed to be an amazing place just across the river and only a short boat ride away, the ferry runs until 5:30 in the evening and costs 50 INR. Unfortunately, all guest houses and restaurants in this area have been closed down by officials after a flood cut the peninsular off from the main road and loads of tourist got stuck there. Now most buildings have been knocked down and while there is still stunning nature to be found it is overgrown with trash and the leftovers from a once vibrant cultural place.
In Hosapete many night busses connect the surrounding cities, we hoped on one to Bangalore making our way towards the east coast.
