Had the worst bus ride so far, there were things biting me in the back and I didn't know if they were mosquitoes or bed bugs :(
From Mysore we went to Hospet, the main junction going to Hampi. We arrived at 6:45am and the bus going to the old city arrived at 7am. My jaw dropped as we entered Hampi; bright yellow rays of the sun brought to life the grand but crumbling arched gateway as rickshaw drivers scrambled to get to our bus first. We saw the tops of old temples and markets, while gypsies lined the road with jewelry, figurines and souvenir t-shirts.
The guest houses had raised prices to exorbitant amounts so Henri went to the opposite side of the river, to Virupapur Gaddi, where backpackers have created a vibrant new city with beach huts and lounge restaurants.
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| Lakshmi the holy elephant takes her morning bath. |
There is no bridge between Hampi and Virupapur Gaddi allegedly because Unesco had the bridge destroyed to limit the progress coming from tourism and therefore preserve the ruins... but that's bullshit because people with cars and bikes can go to Virupapur Gaddi from Hospet and pollute the ruins on the way here. They can't even build a foot bridge for backpackers who are not the source of pollution? We think it's to make money because there are two motor ferries that charge 15 and 20 rupees to take people and motorbikes across the river. Heck, they even charge bags! People are making a lot of money out of this inconveniece, and nobody's saying a word.
While Henri searched for a place to stay, I stayed in Hampi with the bags. I had made friends with the young gypsy girls and they gave me white kakra flowers to adorn my hair. They introduced their groovy grandparents who were selling lamani (gypsy) wares on the street.
