After a day’s train ride we arrived at Hospet, the nearest town with a station to Hampi. We had met a guy on the train, so the three of us and our big backpacks hopped in a rickshaw. I sat next to the driver, clinging on for dear life so I didn’t fall out! Lucky for me, he was a fairly calm driver, so the ride was painless (beside the ache in my arm from holding myself inside the rickshaw).As we drove into the small village of Hampi we passed several old ruins. The sun was going down and casting a beautiful orangy light over the granite boulders and ruined temples. As we swung round the corner into the main bazaar, the village came alive with people and cows everywhere. At the top of the bazaar the main temple stood proud in the air. A few Hindu priests loitered outside in their robes and the sacred bull ambled past the grand entrance to the temple. The aromas, sights and sounds created a magical scene – and a typical India that I had imagined.
That evening we went for dinner and had the compulsory thali - a special India ‘dish of the day’. You get a selection of little curries, a soup, rice, pickle, chapathis and a popadom. Quick, easy and it always delivers! It’s been our stable lunch time food since we got here.
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