After two relaxing days in Hampi spent in the lovely company of Nancy and Naomi, I had to yet again embark on a solo train trip back to Hyderabad. But first I had to get to Hospet, where the trains stop. Hospet is 13km away from Hampi, and the only way to get there is to hire an autorickshaw.
During the half an hour that it took to cover this distance, I got thoroughly interrogated by my driver on my job, my salary, and my private life. He was amazed to find out that I was visiting my "boyfriend" in India, and had a problem understanding the concept. He was even more amazed by the concept of "dating" and "getting to know each other" before marriage.
I told him that it is very common in the Western countries, and I also recommended to him that he takes some time before he decides whom to marry. He was only nineteen and already saving money for a wedding (to unknown yet bride...)
He was also extremely kind to think (and say) that I am a supermodel :) and a student, not more than 23 years old :) Next time I will feel bad about my age or looks, I should definitely pay a visit to India :)
Sadly, he also thought that my "boyfriend" had to be rich. When I asked him why he thought so, he replied that only a rich guy could afford to have a girl like me (with a white skin, I guess), and that's why to increase his own chances of having a good and pretty wife he was working hard and saving money...
Life is very unfair in this best of the worlds.
Showing posts with label Hampi. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Hampi. Show all posts
Monday, January 17, 2011
Saturday, January 15, 2011
Take a Photo...
As I described in one of my previous posts, many Indian people were genuinely happy to have their picture taken with me. There were also many others who were happy to pose for the pictures I was taking, like for example the kids on this photo:
Imagine how shocked I was when the two girls portrayed at the photo below, first happily posed for the pictures (moreover, THEY asked us to take pictures of them, not the other way around), and then demanded money for that!
Even worse, the boy on the following picture had a little monkey on a leash, with which he also wanted to pose for paid pictures. Of course we were not interested in his offer, as more than likely, the little monkey's mother had to be killed for the boy to take its baby... Nancy tried to explain that to the boy, but he seemed not to care and kept on following us for some time:
The boy following Nancy and Naomi:
Imagine how shocked I was when the two girls portrayed at the photo below, first happily posed for the pictures (moreover, THEY asked us to take pictures of them, not the other way around), and then demanded money for that!
Even worse, the boy on the following picture had a little monkey on a leash, with which he also wanted to pose for paid pictures. Of course we were not interested in his offer, as more than likely, the little monkey's mother had to be killed for the boy to take its baby... Nancy tried to explain that to the boy, but he seemed not to care and kept on following us for some time:
The boy following Nancy and Naomi:
Tuesday, January 11, 2011
Hampi Bazaar
Inhabitants of Hampi make their living by offering services and selling souvenirs to tourists. As we were there during the low tourist season, most of the prices were reasonable. We took advantage of that and bought some gifts for ourselves and our friends.
Of course, you always need to bargain as the price you get initially quoted is at least twice (and often three times) higher than it should be. The rule that I follow is to ask myself how much is the particular item worth to me, and do not settle for anything more than that.
Even though I think I am pretty good in not letting other people extort money from me, still I got tricked by the Lakshmi priests to pay them for this photo:
I love taking pictures of kids:
Nancy buying table clothes:
Nancy, who is an artist herself, is checking out necklaces made by the lovely Indian seller:
The tailors that custom-made some of the clothes we bought:
A barber:
Ladies selling bananas in front of the temple:
Red powder used for pujas:
Leather shop:
Gandhi, Ganesha and Che Guevara co-exist:
Of course, you always need to bargain as the price you get initially quoted is at least twice (and often three times) higher than it should be. The rule that I follow is to ask myself how much is the particular item worth to me, and do not settle for anything more than that.
Even though I think I am pretty good in not letting other people extort money from me, still I got tricked by the Lakshmi priests to pay them for this photo:
I love taking pictures of kids:
Nancy buying table clothes:
Nancy, who is an artist herself, is checking out necklaces made by the lovely Indian seller:
The tailors that custom-made some of the clothes we bought:
A barber:
Ladies selling bananas in front of the temple:
Red powder used for pujas:
Leather shop:
Gandhi, Ganesha and Che Guevara co-exist:
Sunday, January 9, 2011
Hampi
Hampi is spectacular. I am very happy that I visited it, and I am sure that I will come back there in the future.
There are so many beautiful and interesting places in India that picking the few that one will have time to visit is a true challenge. I spent quite some time reading guidebooks and researching the resources on the Internet to pick the two places near (as within <700 km of) Hyderabad that I should visit. In the end, the UNESCO World Heritage List proved to be the most useful and I only visited places present on this list: the Group of Monuments at Hampi and the Caves at Ellora and Ajanta. All of which were magnificent and exceeded my expectations.
Hampi was the capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar from 1336 to 1565, when it was conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy. The city was plundered over six months and then abandoned.
The ruins at Hampi are truly spectacular and give you a good sense of how rich and powerful the Kingdom of Vijayanagar must have been a few centuries ago. Even today there are still more than 500 ruins remaining, some of them in the excellent shape. There are many temples, palaces, bazaars, markets, elephant stables, Queen's Bath, all that enclose within massive fortifications.
But not only ruins make Hampi special. The surroundings of the city are also spectacular. It is located on the banks of torrential Tungabhadra river, near several beautiful hills, in a relative isolation from other cities and villages. Moreover, the contemporary city of Hampi has only around several hundred inhabitants and, therefore, feels very relaxed and peaceful. All that makes Hampi a perfect tourist destination, worth exploring for several days.
Few of over 500 ruins remaining in Hampi:
Virupaksha Temple:
The Vitthala Temple Complex:
Stone chariot:
Nancy, Naomi and I:
Queen's Bath:
Mahabavami Dibba:
Lotus Mahal at the Zenana Enclosure:
Elephant Stables:
Underground Shiva Temple:
Badavi Linga made of black stone:
There are so many beautiful and interesting places in India that picking the few that one will have time to visit is a true challenge. I spent quite some time reading guidebooks and researching the resources on the Internet to pick the two places near (as within <700 km of) Hyderabad that I should visit. In the end, the UNESCO World Heritage List proved to be the most useful and I only visited places present on this list: the Group of Monuments at Hampi and the Caves at Ellora and Ajanta. All of which were magnificent and exceeded my expectations.
Hampi was the capital of the last great Hindu Kingdom of Vijayanagar from 1336 to 1565, when it was conquered by the Deccan Muslim confederacy. The city was plundered over six months and then abandoned.
The ruins at Hampi are truly spectacular and give you a good sense of how rich and powerful the Kingdom of Vijayanagar must have been a few centuries ago. Even today there are still more than 500 ruins remaining, some of them in the excellent shape. There are many temples, palaces, bazaars, markets, elephant stables, Queen's Bath, all that enclose within massive fortifications.
But not only ruins make Hampi special. The surroundings of the city are also spectacular. It is located on the banks of torrential Tungabhadra river, near several beautiful hills, in a relative isolation from other cities and villages. Moreover, the contemporary city of Hampi has only around several hundred inhabitants and, therefore, feels very relaxed and peaceful. All that makes Hampi a perfect tourist destination, worth exploring for several days.
Few of over 500 ruins remaining in Hampi:
Virupaksha Temple:
The Vitthala Temple Complex:
Stone chariot:
Nancy, Naomi and I:
Queen's Bath:
Mahabavami Dibba:
Lotus Mahal at the Zenana Enclosure:
Elephant Stables:
Underground Shiva Temple:
Badavi Linga made of black stone:
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