"Hampi is cool"

When I was researching this trip I came across a thread in a travel forum titled "Why should I go to Hampi anyway?" The replies ranged in length, detail, and eloquence, but the one that has stayed with me (and summed it up the best in my opinion) was "Because Hampi is cool."
It is.



I decided to return to India... sort of. Hampi (or Vijaynagar as it is also known) is pretty laid back... and ..... cool (though temperature wise it's fricken hot!) and it's easy to find seclusion if you want it. Ruined temples and palaces sit among gigantic heaps of granite boulders haphazardly piled on top of one another. The rocks in turn jut out of the dense green coconut palm and banana jungle and rice paddy. Sadhus sit on the paths and in the temples. Foreign tourists and pilgrims alike walk around with red dots on their brows.


I have just over 2 months remaining before my flight home leaves Bangkok. It sounds like a long time but I'm already starting to feel time pressure. There is so much that I would like to see but simply don't have the time for. I head south towards Kerala on thursday.