Day 17 – 23rd May 2009 – Ev and Simon’s Monsoon Adventure - 21st May 2009

Hello again! We’re back in Goa before heading down to Kerala tonight, We’re going to make this blog entry a bit of a joint effort as the last few days have been a little eventful to say the least!?!

After a few quite lazy days by the pool we were back to slumming it. Especially since the train was fully booked and we had to get a non air conditioned bus, which would take 12 hours instead of 8 and was full of loud drunk obnoxious Russians who nearly got thrown off at the state border for drinking and smoking on the bus. Unfortunately they bribed the police and stayed on ? :-(

It was a bit of a nightmare journey. After getting out of the nice air conditioned taxi from the Taj resort we got out into the warm evening air in Panjim (about 35 degrees). It was about 40 degrees on the bus, and about 45 on the top bunks where we were. Needless to say Simons t-shirt was soaked and he was dripping by the time we were settled, yuck!! As usual, he managed to sleep most of the way there! I also experienced my first squatter when we took a toilet stop, which wasn’t as bad as I expected, but was still bad all the same!!

The next morning we pulled into Hampi and checked into a cool little guest house with a lovely roof top restaurant. After the fiasco of the previous nights bus trip the first thing Simon did was book our train tickets back to Goa and then onto Kerala. Then we booked a Guide to show us around for the next three days. With over 2000 temples and numerous large palaces, there was a lot to see. Hampi was the sacred capital city of the Vijayanagar Empire which ruled a large chunk of southern India in the 13th-15th century.

That evening we went for a little wander after getting some well deserved sleep and had dinner in a little place recommended in the LP (lonely planet!). It was a lovely little restaurant built around a huge mango tree. It was starting to get dark as we were finishing up and the lightening in the distance was starting to look a little menacing! We got back to the guest house just in time. The heavens opened and the wind starting pulling branches off trees and signs off walls (if you think that sounds bad, just keep reading!!) Luckily our guest house had batteries as the power to the whole town got knocked out, so we still had electricity.

The next few days were spent looking at temples, riding down the river in coracle boats (little circular bamboo boats covered in tar) and Simon having his first cup of Chai (tea) and liking it! I have to admit, it was one of the best I’ve ever tasted, think I may even end up drinking it again!! The rain had made the weather slightly more bearable, but it was still ridiculously hot. Since Hampi is still a sacred place for Hindu’s there is no alcohol and no meat served anywhere in the town. Fortunately our guide, whose name was Basava, a 22 year old who was born and lived in Hampi, studied tourism and history, he was very knowledgeable and friendly, took us to a government run hotel just outside the town for a nice cold beer, Mmmm !

By the evening of our second day we’d decided to change to a more expensive guest house that had air conditioning as we were both having trouble sleeping in the heat. However the crafty old lady who showed us the room and the nice shiny air conditioning unit failed to mention that she didn’t have batteries and since the power was still out there was no air-con, no fan, and no lights. At double what we were paying at the first guest house it was a “real bargain”!! Oh well!!

The next morning we started out about 6am when it was pretty cool and took a rickshaw for the day and Basava showed us more of the sights, including the Royal Center, Queens Baths and more temples! Thankfully we finished up around 11am just as it was starting to get really hot, so we ventured back to our new guest house, where there was still no electricity to relax and take another shower (which we’re averaging about 5 a day at the moment!!!) After trying to get some sleep and failing we decided to go and get some lunch but because of this little extra expense of the air conditioned room we were starting to run out of cash. There is only one bank and one ATM in Hampi and typically that was out of order, meaning we would have to go into the nearest big town called Hospet later.

Our guide picked us up around 6pm and along with a very nice rickshaw driver took us somewhere to watch the sunset, but along the way Simon was able to do some rock climbing!!! After that we all drove over to Hospet, about 14km from Hampi, and the town we caught the train from this morning. Simon got some cash out (it was his turn!) and we treated Basava and his friend to dinner, and we could drink in Hospet!!!! I’m now getting a liking to beer, Kingfisher beer in fact, as it’s easier to order, and cheaper than BDC!!!

As we were finishing off our meal I noticed some more lightening so we decided to head back. By the time we got back into the rickshaw it had started to spit with rain and a few minutes later it “really” started to rain. We quickly pulled down the plastic covers for the sides of the rickshaw but regardless we were both soaking wet within a good ten or fifteen seconds!!! Within a minute or two the wind was howling and the rain. Oh my GOD the Rain!!!!! I have never seen rain like it. Every time the lightning struck, it lit up the road which had now turned into a river. By this time our driver decided it was too dangerous to carry on, so we pulled over by the side of the road. Simon and I were lucky as we had the side covers, (even though we were holding them down for dear life along with Simon trying to find a dry place to put the rucksack, as for some reason he had taken out the waterproof lining we had brought earlier on!!! ) but Basava and the driver were taking the full brunt of the storm and were soaked through and you could see how cold they were. I asked how long we’d have to wait and the driver said “Maybe – half an hour!” I was soaked and shivering at this point and the last thing on my mind was air conditioning!! All I wanted now was a log fire.

After about 15/20 minutes the driver decided to give it a go, a few coaches and cars had gone passed, so we followed them. However we think it was more because they were freezing than because it was safe!! Typically, the windscreen wiper didn’t work, so Basava was leaning out the side, shouting directions through the storm.

Then we hit a traffic jam. We thought a bus had come off the road up ahead, but as we got closer we found it was just trying to turn around, thinking then that it had made a wrong turn or something, so we drove around it only to discover two big trees had fallen down and were blocking the road. Basava got out to see if we could get passed, and as he waded back to the rickshaw, he managed to lose his sandals in the river/road!!!

There was no way through so we turned round and took a side road after about ten minutes of driving and thinking we’d get back soon, we came across another hitch. Another two trees blocking the road along with some power lines!! So again we turned round and went down a dirt track/river rapid, with frogs ribitting, like you’ve never heard!!! I had to lift my feet up at points in the road because water was coming in the rickshaw. As Simon said “Imagine Colin McRay driving a rickshaw in a hurricane!!” Not even close!! At this point I was starting to get a bit scared, but for some strange reason Simon couldn’t stop laughing!!! Basava was too busy dancing in his seat to the bhangra blaring out from the pimped out rickshaw, looking back later though, it was very funny!!!

Just as we thought we were on a clear road home we came across another rickshaw coming the other way, also trying to get to Hampi. They told us that the road was blocked as well, and so we turned around and the two rickshaws moved off in convoy.

After a few more roads and a few more downed trees we pulled up outside a house to ask if anyone knew a way that wasn’t blocked. Loads of scary looking men came over and started staring, and I was really scared Basava was going to say we had to stay there the night, no way hosay!!! Thankfully we moved off again and continued to follow the other rickshaw. We were trying our last road/river/rapid/frog infested death trap, before heading back to Hospet, which I had suggested after the first two trees!! It had stopped raining at this point, and you would think that things couldn’t get much worse. Oh No!! The rickshaw in front pulled up with a flat tire. Since it was still quite dangerous and we wanted to stay together, Basava got out and helped them change the tire, Simon too got out for a few minutes talking to the people in the other rickshaw, they said something about Simon looked like the moon!!!!! I think it was because it was so much whiter than them, I stayed put in the rickshaw freezing my butt off!!! It took about 15 minutes and then we were off again.

Then – We hit a Chicken!!!! Well, the rickshaw in front did. Everyone got out and had a look, and the driver of the rickshaw in front decided to take it home for dinner! At this point I was finding the whole situation quite amusing and thinking only I could get in this sort of situation!!!!

We got back to the main road, the one that had been blocked by the first tree and found that it had been cleared, and finally made it back to Hampi, if only we had just waited!!! The 14km journey should have taken 20 minutes. We drove over 100km and it had taken over 3 hours!! The rickshaw dropped us off close to where we were staying but Basava, Simon and I still had to walk back through the streets in pitch black as all the street lights were out, again!! I have never seen darkness like it, the only light we had was Basava’s phone and the flash on my phone, which every time you pressed it, took a picture.

There were plenty of trees which had come down in the main bazaar area which we nearly walked into!!! At one point Simon said “Oh look out there’s someone up ahead!” Turned out to be the back end of a cow!! When we finally reached our room we found that it was partly flooded as we had left the windows open, so we then spent an hour sorting it out, thankfully it was just Simon’s rucksack that had got wet (he did have the waterproof liner in it though, so no harm done). So lesson learnt - when going to Hampi, make sure you have enough cash to last you!!!!!!

We found out the next morning that the rickshaw driver got a puncture about 5 minutes after we left him as he drove 5km home!!

Hampi was in a right mess, it was the worst storm they’d had in over ten years. Basava told us that during the monsoon every year, normally about five trees come down. In the main street alone there were about three fallen trees, and a few collapsed shop fronts.

We went down the river in one of the coracle boats to the temple of the Hindu monkey god, which unfortunately was at the top of a huge hill. We climbed up about six hundred steps to get there and we were both soaking again by the time we got there but well worth it as you’ll see from the photos.

We headed home for an afternoon nap, before heading to the main temple in the centre of Hampi. We saw all the shrines of the two God’s, however the highlight was getting blessed by Lakshmi, the temple elephant. You hold out some money, and she takes it from you with her trunk and hands it to her handler before placing her trunk on your head to bless you. Very strange!! We then went for dinner at Basava’s house, which his Mum cooked for us, it was very nice and I’m now getting used to eating with one hand!!!!! Then we thought we’d get an early night (9pm) seeing as we had to be up early for the train, we’d just got comfortable and tucked the mosi net under the mattress when the power came back on, and yeap, all the lights in the room were switched on!!!!!! At least we got one night with air-con though!!!!

We got up nice and early on the 21st to get back to Hospet for the 6:30 train, which left at 7:15, thankfully there was no storm the night before so got there fine. We are now in Southern Goa, in a place called Colva and have been for the past 2 nights before getting another train to Kerala which will take about 14 hours!!!!! Not a great place, so we're pretty glad to be leaving, beach not very nice and a lot of flies!!!! We've checked out of our hotel and are now about to waste a few hours sitting in the pub having some BDC's and Kingfisher beers!!!!!

TTFN Ev and Simon. xx