Touts, tourists, temples and finally treats

It is fair to say that from the various transport modes that we have used over the last 5 weeks , the train was certainly the preferred option. However , the trains from Goa to Hampi only ran during the day and we weren't prepared to spend 12 hours of a day wasted , so the only option was the overnight bus. With flashbacks of our double sleeper cabin (which involvled close quaters and perhaps a touch of spooning) , the two of us exhausted all our options and finally decided that we were going to bite the bullet and try it once more , in the hope that the overnight bus could redeem itself.

We assembled around Chowdi - Canacona - waiting for the bus and the westerners were out in full force (this was a popular route). The bus arrived an hour and 10 mins late, but we were entertained by the locals , constantly asking if we'd prefer to hop on their motorbike to Hampi (8 hour overnight journey...thanks but no thanks). We hopped on to find that all was in order and after an initial worry that we had the double, we found our single sleepers and settled in. With stiff necks early morning, we arrived in Hampi to a lively bunch of touts ,springing up and down outside the still moving bus and guesthouse cards being lobbed into the bus, frantically trying to get our business. This is a fairly frightening experience , given that we'd just woken up and where not ready for it.

The usual banter with the rickshaw drivers ensued and we finally made our way over to Hospet to our hotel (we decided on lux...air-con and swimming pool). The morning was spent popping into town and outlining the following 2 days. Hampi was to be a cultural outing with much of the Hindu temples scattered within a 10km radius.

A view from Hampi bazaar

We opted for a scooter for the 2 days of adventure and exploring....as always the rental process was painful , but we managed to come to a compromise with Hugo being close to breakdown point with the lack of flexibility from the locals. With terms and condition negotiated , we finally headed off and had our freedom. We admired the rocky terrains, with the historic temples dotted in between under a sweltering heat. A few coconuts were purchased en route , washing was done and returned (although Hugo only realised later the following day that it was still wet), interesting car washing facilites were observed...a pool of water under a bridge was transformed into a carwash, deep tissue shoulder and back massages were had in a local's house and the pool facilites in the hotel were second to none.

The Hospet Carwash (all vehicles accepted)

A brief stop in Hampi, but insightful nonetheless and full of fond memories again. Our final overnight train journey was ahead of us from Hospet to Bangalore. The light was deteriorating, but again we gathered the crowds around for a quick game of cricket.

Banagalore was our Western treat....2 days of chilling, contemplating what we'd seen and done over the previous 5 weeks and enjoying the comforts of the shopping mall. A double header of Madagascar 2 and Australia was had in the cinema. We induldged in fresh juices, ice-creams, shopping, great coffee, newspapers and more movies the following day....it was needed and our early flight to Delhi couldn't come any sooner. We were going back to where it had all begun on the 1st December 2008. The Viru was going home...