2007-02-20T18:38:00.000+05:30
JPG" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdtPQogmkCI/AAAAAAAAA9M/Hm9iOQAkk7I/s400/DSOTM+Ticket.
JPG" border="0" alt="Darkside of the Moon Ticket Mumbai"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033704155687325730" / /a br / I want you to know, br / When we talk about war, br / We are actually talking, br / About Peace! br / br / The a href="http://fractalenlightenment.blogspot.
com/2007/01/pink-floyd-mumbai-tickets-available.html" Roger Waters concert /a that happened in Mumbai on the 18th of February 2007 left me with more than the reaming ticket stub. br / br / The Dark Side of the Moon, attracted a wide variety of people, but my observation of the people around ended when I entered.
The show begun we were still outside, the line was long but it was ok, I was just happy to be there. br / br / We entered when Shine on you crazy diamond was playing, and we exited when it was over the track list is the same for all the DSOTM concerts. br / br / strong Set One /strong br / br / In the Flesh br / Mother br / Set the Controls for the Heart of the Sun br / Shine On You Crazy Diamond (Parts II - V) (abridged) br / Have a Cigar br / Wish You Were Here br / Southampton Dock br / The Fletcher Memorial Home br / Perfect Sense, Parts 1 and 2 br / Leaving Beirut br / Sheep br / br / strong Set Two /strong (The Dark Side of the Moon) br / br / Speak to Me br / Breathe br / On the Run br / Time br / Breathe (Reprise) br / The Great Gig in the Sky br / Money br / Us and Them br / Any Colour You Like br / Brain Damage br / Eclipse br / br / strong Encore /strong br / br / The Happiest Days of Our Lives br / Another Brick in the Wall, Part II br / Vera br / Bring the Boys Back Home br / Comfortably Numb br / br / Out of all these tracks one that hit me like a rock was a href="http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Leaving_Beirut" Leaving Beirut /a . br / br / strong Leaving Beirut /strong br / br / embed src="http://www.
youtube.com/v/nwDzATryei8" width="425" height="350" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" wmode="transparent" /embed br / br / So we left Beirut Willa and I br / He headed East to Baghdad and the rest of it br / I set out North br / I walked the five or six miles to the last of the street lamps br / And hunkered in the curb side dusk br / Holding out my thumb br / In no great hope at the ramshackle procession of home bound traffic br / Success! br / An ancient Mercedes 'dolmus ' br / The ubiquitous, Arab, shared taxi drew up br / I turned out my pockets and shrugged at the driver br / " J'ai pas de l'argent " br / " Venez!
" A soft voice from the back seat br / The driver lent wearily across and pushed open the back door br / I stooped to look inside at the two men there br / One besuited, bespectacled, moustached, irritated, distant, late br / The other, the one who had spoken, br / Frail, fifty five-ish, bald, sallow, in a short sleeved pale blue cotton shirt br / With one biro in the breast pocket br / A clerk maybe, slightly sunken in the seat br / "Venez!" He said again, and smiled br / "Mais j'ai pas de l'argent" br / "Oui, Oui, d'accord, Venez!" br / br / Are these the people that we should bomb br / Are we so sure they mean us harm br / Is this our pleasure, punishment or crime br / Is this a mountain that we really want to climb br / The road is hard, hard and long br / Put down that two by four br / This man would never turn you from his door br / Oh George!
Oh George! br / That Texas education must have fucked you up when you were very small br / br / a href="http://www.oldielyrics.
com/lyrics/roger_waters/leaving_beirut.html" br / Read Leaving Beirut Lyrics /a br / br / strong Pigs on a Wing /strong br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdtMBYgmkBI/AAAAAAAAA80/lq-wx_RppNg/s1600-h/The+Pig.jpg" img id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033700595159437330" style="DISPLAY: block; MARGIN: 0px auto 10px; CURSOR: hand; TEXT-ALIGN: center" alt="Dark Side of the Moon Pig" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdtMBYgmkBI/AAAAAAAAA80/lq-wx_RppNg/s400/The+Pig.jpg" border="0" / /a br / br / During the concert a huge inflated pig was released which had a lot of meaning graffiti on it. It had “Sarvh Jhati Ek Hain” written in a href="http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Hindi" Hindi /a (The National language of India) on one of its sides which means all casts are one. As the pig moved around it had “Impeach Bush Now” written on its bottom.
The crowd broke into a huge roar reading that message and as it went up higher the message free at last, that was written under its belly played in our heads. br / br / strong Sound and Lights /strong br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdxBTYgmkDI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/Ny5x6SsYhmM/s1600-h/IMG_1092.JPG" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdxBTYgmkDI/AAAAAAAAA9Y/Ny5x6SsYhmM/s400/IMG_1092.JPG" border="0" alt="Roger Waters Live"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5033970284745887794" / /a br / br / The sound was phenomenal, the speakers were placed in a way that the sound in the enclosed area created an atmosphere. The panning of speakers helped create, head turning effects, but we were disappointed with the lights, no lasers like pulse.
br / br / While Bhavika likes music which evokes emotional feelings, has meaningful lyrics and gets you in a state of trance. That is exactly what she experienced at the concert. For her it was really overwhelming and a beautiful event.
br / br / strong Organization /strong br / br / The organization could have been much better the stage could have been higher as we had to stretch to get a glimpse. I had to lift Bhavika up a few times to see what was happening on the stage. Many people claimed the view was much better from outside the enclosed area, and we feel that Rs.
2000 was a little steep for a show that started past 7 PM and ended at 10 PM, including a twenty minute break. br / br / We tried buying the Rs.1000 tickets but they were sold out, but there was hardly any crowd in the Rs.
1000 section. I feel is the turn out was lower than what the organizers expected and hence they stopped selling the Rs.1000 tickets to generate revenue.
Frankly speaking there was ample of space even in the Rs.2000 and Rs.3000 section.
We estimate the crowd to be around 6,000 people. br / br / I am really glad that Roger Waters is going around spreading a message of Peace and Unity! br / br / strong Resources: /strong br / br / a href="http://en.
wikipedia.org/wiki/Roger_Waters_-_The_Dark_Side_Of_The_Moon_Live" Roger Waters - Dark Side of the Moon /a
blogspot.com/
post-9140337187089725693
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdcpT4nbbhI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/TmfDzh6beRE/s1600-h/Arambol+Beach.gif" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdcpT4nbbhI/AAAAAAAAA8Q/TmfDzh6beRE/s400/Arambol+Beach.gif" border="0" alt="Arambol Beach Goa"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5032536530201832978" / /a br / A recent article in Guardian listed a href="http://arambol.info/" Arambol beach, /a situated in northernmost tip of Goa and located 32 km northwest of Mapusa, as the sixth best beach in the world, along side beaches in Spain, Brazil, Columbia, Philippines etc.
Here’s an excerpt from the article, though it starts on a critical note, but has a beautiful ending. br / br / span style="font-style:italic;" “There ain't nothing worse than some fool lying on some third world beach wearing spandex, psychedelic trousers, smoking damn dope pretending he's gettin' consciousness expansion,” sang Alabama 3 on their hilarious Ain’t Going to Goa. Indeed Goa certainly divides opinion.
For some it is the holy grail of hippy hedonism for others it represents the worst excesses of modern travel. Arambol, the state’s northernmost beach has its share of ageing hippies and seasonal expats, but the spectacular, sweeping stretch of sand is so beautiful it wins over even the most jaded and cynical of travellers. It is so vast that it´s easy to find your own private corner of sand.
Around the rocky headland there is another beach where you can walk for miles without coming across a soul, or hang out at the freshwater lake backed by a small jungle. Old-timers will tell you the original hippies would sometimes get a nasty surprise here from the odd wild tiger. br / /span br / br / Arambol is one of the quieter beaches in Goa, with relatively less development, which makes it an ideal place to distress and relax.
br / br / To read the article - a href="http://travel.guardian.co.
uk/article/2007/feb/16/beach.top10" Guardian /a
blogspot.com
post-241047341193988770
Here’s your chance to indulge into some sparkling experience. The a href="http://www.thebackpackerco.
com/mocha.htm" Mocha Backpacker Club /a , which was started few years back to promote the concept of independent travel, is organizing strong The Sula vineyard camp-out /strong trip to Nashik on February 24th and 25th, 2007. The two-day trip includes some interesting activities at a price of Rs 2500 plus travel expenses.
span style="font-style:italic;" (This post is only intended to pass on information which seems interesting, and is not an endorsement for the club mentioned above). /span br / br / Here’s the detailed program – br / br / span style="font-weight:bold;" Day 1: /span br / br / - On arrival at the vineyard at 10:30 am, each guest receives a Welcome Kit which consists of the Itenary, a write-up on Sula and a t-shirt with a catchy line on picking grapes and a glass of sparkling wine. - We're thinking - co branded- 'my first crush' with an image of people stomping grapes.
.. br / a onblur="try {parent.
deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Mi7AIQ22soI/RdR8BtT_ihI/AAAAAAAAAJI/on9yBQkMAE4/s1600-h/grapes.
jpg" img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Mi7AIQ22soI/RdR8BtT_ihI/AAAAAAAAAJI/on9yBQkMAE4/s320/grapes.
jpg" border="0" alt="Grapes Used to Make Sula Wine"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031783052464851474" / /a The guests can then settle into their tents and freshen up. br / br / - At noon there will be a wine-tasting session. br / br / - At 1:00 pm: Lunch will be served at the lawns.
The meal will be a typical Maharashtrian lunch (Matki, Sol kadi, Chutney, Salad, Raita, 2 veg dishes, Dal, Chapati, rice and a chicken dish). Also, Sangria will be served. Lunch will be followed by dessert which will most probably be a Blush Zinfandel Sorbet.
br / br / - At 2.30 pm, the group will be taken around the winery for a tour. br / br / - The above is followed by a walk around the vineyard.
Along the way, the guests will learn about sustainable agriculture practiced at the vineyard like vermi composting, watershed management, integrated pest nutrition management, etc. br / br / - While walking through the vineyard, the guests will be shown the 1st planted vines of various grape varieties. br / br / - At 4 pm, Tea will be served.
br / br / - In the evening, the guests can enjoy a bike ride to Gangapur dam or any other location. br / br / - At 8 pm, Dinner (Menu similar to lunch, unless you have some cost effective ideas- DIY barbeque anyone?) will be served.
br / br / span style="font-weight:bold;" Day 2: /span br / br / a onblur="try {parent.deselectBloggerImageGracefully();} catch(e) {}" href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Mi7AIQ22soI/RdR8XNT_iiI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/S3GgY8XpuIE/s1600-h/tastingroom.jpg" img style="float:left; margin:0 10px 10px 0;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Mi7AIQ22soI/RdR8XNT_iiI/AAAAAAAAAJQ/S3GgY8XpuIE/s320/tastingroom.jpg" border="0" alt=""id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5031783421832038946" / /a - Breakfast will be served at 8 am. br / br / - At 9 am, the guests will be given a hat, pair of scissors and a basket.
br / br / - There will be a demonstration of picking of grapes at the vineyard followed by a grape picking competition. The man and woman who pick the most grapes (the guests will not spend more than 45 mins to an hour picking grapes) get a bottle of Sula Brut each. br / br / - At 11 am, grapes will be crushed.
Our winemaker will be present and the guests can taste the grapes, juice and possibly virjuice (wine that has not yet completed the fermentation process) br / br / - At 1 pm Lunch will be served. br / br / - After lunch, the guests will then enjoy a grape-crushing activity (jumping on the grapes) in a grape crushing barrel. br / br / - Tea (cutting types) will be served at 4 pm.
so be there at the SULA Vineyards (Nashik). br / br / Mocha Backpacker Club was set up to serve as a platform for people to come together, share and exchange information, travel tips, experiences; share photos and visuals, talk about their journey – people from different backgrounds, different walks of life coming together for the one thing that binds them – travel and their passion for it. Way to go.
.. br / br / For enrolling for this trip - br / br / Email: backpackers @ mocha.
co.in br / ceo @ thebackpackerco.com br / br / Image courtesy - a href="http://www.
sulawines.com/index.htm" Sula Wines /a
com,1999:blog-31789831.post-5234436566712452281
547+05:30
br / br / My cousin Siegfrid was down from Canada for a short while and I had decided to take him to Leopold's to sip on the beer tower and the beef steak and onions. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDXq4nbanI/AAAAAAAAAxY/Di7lnwSJecs/s1600-h/Picture+004.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDXq4nbanI/AAAAAAAAAxY/Di7lnwSJecs/s400/Picture+004.jpg" border="0" alt="Siggy and the Beer Tower at Leopold's"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030757915525081714" / /a br / br / That's Siggy, he stayed at my place for a couple of years before he moved to Canada. He was amazed with the beer tower as he had not seen anything like that before.
The tower of beer provides approximately 5 to 6 mugs and is available for Rs 300. The price of beer is a bit on the expensive side in Leopold's. br / br / strong Beef Steak and Onions!
/strong br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDZRonbapI/AAAAAAAAAxo/AhQwo1IeGrM/s1600-h/Picture+005.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDZRonbapI/AAAAAAAAAxo/AhQwo1IeGrM/s400/Picture+005.
jpg" border="" alt="Beef Steak and Onions"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030759680756640402" / /a br / br / The Beef Steak and Onions is available for Rs 100. Due to the price you might imagine the steak to be a small miserable piece, but you will be in for a surprise. The two pieces of meat that come on the plate are thick, big and sumptuous.
You can either ask for it to be made well done or half done, I like mine half done, when you bite into it all the juice comes dripping out. br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDZxYnbaqI/AAAAAAAAAxw/6JAxZUybtsM/s1600-h/Picture+008.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDZxYnbaqI/AAAAAAAAAxw/6JAxZUybtsM/s400/Picture+008.jpg" border="0" alt="Cafe Leopold since 18"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030760226217487010" / /a br / br / The Beef Steak and Onions make a complete meal with the french fries and onions. The Steak and Onions at Leopold's offers the best value for money and is extremely delicious.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDae4nbarI/AAAAAAAAAx4/WJsNCCAGOeU/s1600-h/Picture+011.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDae4nbarI/AAAAAAAAAx4/WJsNCCAGOeU/s400/Picture+011.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Dim Lights in Leopolds"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030761007901534898" / /a br / br / Cafe Leopold's attracts a lot of foreign tourists and has special discount offers for them. It has two sections, one on the ground floor and the other on the first floor. The ambience of the ground floor is nice with the dim lights, soft music, laughter and the posters of Elvis Presley, Jimmy Hendrix, a collage of artists from the 60's and 70's.
Sometimes you can smell the burning hash in the air too. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDiS4nbatI/AAAAAAAAAyI/b8Fpz90wdFc/s1600-h/Picture+010.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDiS4nbatI/AAAAAAAAAyI/b8Fpz90wdFc/s400/Picture+010.jpg" border="0" alt="Foreign Tourists get 10% off on Food, Wine and Beer using their International Credit Cad"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030769597836126930" / /a br / br / While the top floor has a small dance floor, dj, airconditioned, packed with smoke and mostly overcrowded. I prefer the bottom because of the huge entrances and windows that makes it a bit airy.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDbr4nbasI/AAAAAAAAAyA/JM7Knpw2CNg/s1600-h/Picture+019.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RdDbr4nbasI/AAAAAAAAAyA/JM7Knpw2CNg/s400/Picture+019.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Happy Me"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5030762330751462082" / /a br / br / So remember, if you plan on coming to Mumbai or just want to go out for a good meal, beef steak at Cafe Leopold it should be!!!
com/
000+05:30
br / br / strong January 16 – Reached Hampi /strong br / br / Boat ride from Hampi Bazaar to other side of the river – Rs 10 br / Rickshaw to Shanti Guest Lodge – Rs 20 br / Stay at Shanti Lodge – Rs 400 br / Breakfast – Rs 140 br / Lunch – Rs 230 br / br / We had the first two seats as you enter the bus, they had a bit of air blowing into it, it was cold. We began watching Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind on the a href="http://fractalenlightenment.blogspot.
com/2006/08/zen-vision-m-squashing-video-i-pod.html" Creative Zen /a , but we were soon drifting off with the strenuous day we had. The stop I clearly remember is at the Pritadarshini Complex at Hospet, where the bus stopped for breakfast.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTQVD8qKMI/AAAAAAAAAdw/BsQFAGPXUCk/s1600-h/Picture+357.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTQVD8qKMI/AAAAAAAAAdw/BsQFAGPXUCk/s400/Picture+357.
jpg" border="0" alt="Egret in Hampi"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022868544680503490" / /a br / br / In the next 15 minutes we were passing by some amazing terrain, with massive boulders and Bhavika excitedly said that we were about to reach Hampi. The bus stopped and we got out, a quick walk through Hampi market and straight to the boat to cross the river. We had planned to stay at Shanti Guest House, where a friend of ours Ankush had stayed before and said its an Amazing place.
br / br / We payed Rs.10 to cross the boat, its 3 times the amount for a foreigner to use the boat service. We wanted to make sure we would get a room so we got into a rick on the other sided and asked him to take us to Shanti.
The rick guy took Rs.20, for both of us to cover a very small distance. br / br / We had to wait for someone to check out at 10 am for us to get a room.
So we ordered for two hot chocolates and a nutella pancake. Before the breakfast arrived he said come I will show you the room. He took us for a 15 second walk and we were awe struck.
A white circular hut with a roof made up of straw and wood. A swing in front of the main door that overlooked paddy fields, a river, mountains and rocks. It was the most beautiful place that we had ever stayed in and it was evident on our faces.
br / br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTLHz8qKLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/165t0fS_HPo/s1600-h/Picture+360.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTLHz8qKLI/AAAAAAAAAdo/165t0fS_HPo/s400/Picture+360.
jpg" border="0" alt="The View from our room at Shanti"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022862819489097906" / /a br / br / We did not even look into the room we asked him how much it was, he said it was for Rs.400, Bhavika asked him if he would come down. He said there are some other rooms for Rs.
250. I said that I would like to stay here for Rs.400 its cool.
br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTKjj8qKKI/AAAAAAAAAdY/uGWCyRnThLk/s1600-h/Picture+367.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTKjj8qKKI/AAAAAAAAAdY/uGWCyRnThLk/s400/Picture+367.
jpg" border="0" alt="12x Optical Zoom View"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022862196718839970" / /a br / br / he First day was just Shanti (Hindi for Peace), we spent the whole day just chilling on the swing outside the room. It was lovely we saw at least 6 different kinds of birds over there on the first day itself. The view was awesome and the sun was setting right in front of us.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTKED8qKJI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/brONrgNBDeU/s1600-h/Picture+387.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTKED8qKJI/AAAAAAAAAdQ/brONrgNBDeU/s400/Picture+387.
jpg" border="0" alt="Sunset from Shanti at Hampi"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022861655552960658" / /a br / br / Our room was just like the one that is behind Bhavika in the picture below. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTJeD8qKII/AAAAAAAAAc8/col83FxPHtQ/s1600-h/Picture+396.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTJeD8qKII/AAAAAAAAAc8/col83FxPHtQ/s400/Picture+396.jpg" border="0" alt="Bhavika Glowing in the Evening Sun"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022861002717931650" / /a br / br / We went for a walk through the paddy fields where we saw a bunch of egrets by the water. As we got closer we found a whole colony of birds in their natural habitat, all of them make a hoarse sound it was like a out of tune orchestra creating havoc.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTIzD8qKHI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ks6YMbe0ubA/s1600-h/Picture+403.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTIzD8qKHI/AAAAAAAAAc0/ks6YMbe0ubA/s400/Picture+403.
jpg" border="0" alt="Bye bye Mr. Sun"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022860263983556722" / /a br / br / Apart from the Egrets there were birds just like them except completly black, I could not identify them at that point of time. br / br / a href="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTIjT8qKGI/AAAAAAAAAcs/JC2KOUPYobo/s1600-h/Picture+422.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTIjT8qKGI/AAAAAAAAAcs/JC2KOUPYobo/s400/Picture+422.jpg" border="0" alt="Back and White"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022859993400617058" / /a br / br / Before leaving that area I made a loud sound and they all began flying in the air allowing me to take a few nice pictures.
br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTHiD8qKFI/AAAAAAAAAcU/ampKtpg-sjo/s1600-h/Picture+427.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTHiD8qKFI/AAAAAAAAAcU/ampKtpg-sjo/s400/Picture+427.
jpg" border="0" alt="Learning to Fly"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022858872414152786" / /a br / br / Thats Bhavika and me just besides a little lake where we had a lot of fish jump in and out through a beautiful reflection of the purple in the sky on the water. br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTG-j8qKEI/AAAAAAAAAcM/AhS3veNxtkY/s1600-h/Picture+436.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTG-j8qKEI/AAAAAAAAAcM/AhS3veNxtkY/s400/Picture+436.jpg" border="0" alt="I feel Good!"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022858262528796738" / /a br / br / a href="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/Rbez0T8qLUI/AAAAAAAAArM/jf_e7KqQRow/s1600-h/Picture+438.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/Rbez0T8qLUI/AAAAAAAAArM/jf_e7KqQRow/s400/Picture+438.jpg" border="0" alt="The Purple Sky in the Water"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023681620644343106" / /a br / br / br / strong January 17 - Hampi /strong br / Stay at Shanti Lodge – Rs 400 br / Breakfast – Rs 100 br / Hired a bike from Shanti for a day plus two litres of petrol – Rs 290 br / Boat ride from Anegundi village to go to Hampi Bazaar – Rs 50 br / 2 bottles of water – Rs 30 br / Guide at Vitthala temple – Rs 100 br / Snacks – Rs 30 br / Rickshaw to Kamlapur to fix puncture of the front tyre – Rs 200 br / Mechanic cost to fix the puncture cost – Rs 50 br / New wire for the break – Rs 10 br / Contribution to a Sadhu at Raghunath Temple – Rs 30 br / Second puncture to the back tyre – Rs 130 for the tube br / Mechanic cost – Rs 50 br / Room in Hampi Bazaar – Rs 175 br / Dinner at Venketeshwara Restaurant – Rs 175 br / br / After a day’s rest in the beautiful setting of Shanti Guest House, we decided to hire a bike and do the regular tourist activity, which is sight-seeing, visit all the historical monuments.
It was a bright sunny day and we hired a bike from Shanti for Rs 150 and filled two litres petrol worth Rs 140, expensive deal for a two-wheeler Moped. But it was a better option than hiring a cycle, because the roads are bumpy. We went to cross the river close to Shanti with the bike, but unfortunately they didn’t allow us to carry the bike across due to high tide.
br / br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTGZz8qKDI/AAAAAAAAAcE/K2nAMcsNf34/s1600-h/Picture+486.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTGZz8qKDI/AAAAAAAAAcE/K2nAMcsNf34/s400/Picture+486.
jpg" border="0" alt="Moped Needed some Leg Power"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022857631168604210" / /a br / br / That left us with the only option of going all the way to Anegundi village where another boat service was available, but the village was quite far, around 25-30 minutes away, but we didn’t mind the ride, because we would get to see more of Hampi. We passed the Hanuman temple (also known as Monkey temple), but decided not to visit that place because it was on top a hill, and I had gone there last time and I didn’t find it interesting except the view of course from the top. After some help from the locals with the directions to Anegundi village, we finally got this circular boat known as teppas and it carried three two-wheelers.
br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTFvT8qKCI/AAAAAAAAAb8/hAGRPhpGz4g/s1600-h/Picture+491.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTFvT8qKCI/AAAAAAAAAb8/hAGRPhpGz4g/s400/Picture+491.
jpg" border="0" alt="A Teppa"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022856901024163874" / /a br / br / Quite a capacity that, and we also received some help from the boatman to get the Moped in and out of the boat. Huge sigh of relief!!
! But we just had till 7 pm to finish with our exploration as the boat service stops then, and if we miss that we either ride 50 km to get to Shanti, which is on the other side of the river or stay back in Hampi Bazaar. What actually happened as the day unfolded, read on… br / br / a href="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTE5T8qKBI/AAAAAAAAAbo/1fM363dSaIg/s1600-h/Picture+496.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTE5T8qKBI/AAAAAAAAAbo/1fM363dSaIg/s400/Picture+496.jpg" border="0" alt="Believe it or not!
"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022855973311227922" / /a br / br / First destination was Vithala Temple, I think it was the most splendid and mind-blowing monument in Hampi, and it is mainly known for its musical pillars. We paid Rs 10 per person for entry and for foreigners it was much more, Rs 250, no wonder the tourism industry in India is booming. The ticket provided can be used to see two more temples.
br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdRuz8qLTI/AAAAAAAAArA/NNQEeAR2mhU/s1600-h/Picture+501.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdRuz8qLTI/AAAAAAAAArA/NNQEeAR2mhU/s400/Picture+501.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Cost to Visit the Vithala temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023573774015540530" / /a br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTC8D8qKAI/AAAAAAAAAbg/_fdwa-rOyGc/s1600-h/Picture+502.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTC8D8qKAI/AAAAAAAAAbg/_fdwa-rOyGc/s400/Picture+502.
jpg" border="0" alt="Entrance to Vitthala Temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022853821532612610" / /a br / br / Most of the websites mention the temple has 56 odd musical pillars, but in reality there are only 9 musical pillars which are functional and produce melodious, feet-tapping tunes. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTCfD8qJ_I/AAAAAAAAAbY/aT2n75ZOlFg/s1600-h/Picture+505.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTCfD8qJ_I/AAAAAAAAAbY/aT2n75ZOlFg/s400/Picture+505.jpg" border="0" alt="I want to be the Center of Attention"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022853323316406258" / /a br / br / We went to this underground route, called the ‘Padakshina’ where during ancient times the royal family would move around the main temple few times as a sign of respect and it was underground to avoid the royal family from being attacked. The image below is what they belived to be the miniature of the Gate of Heaven.
According to the ancient belief's only a good person could walk through that gate, if an evil person walked thtought it, the fire pots that can be seen on either side of the enterance would incenerate the person entering the gate. br / br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTB7z8qJ-I/AAAAAAAAAbA/B2xbvWZl5VE/s1600-h/Picture+508.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTB7z8qJ-I/AAAAAAAAAbA/B2xbvWZl5VE/s400/Picture+508.jpg" border="0" alt="The Gate of Heaven"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022852717726017506" / /a br / br / We hired a local guide to take us through the significant parts of the temple and he played varied tunes on the pillars, some classical, some pillars modulate pitches one a high-pitch sound and another a low-pitch sound, a very interesting one was the one pillar that has eight sub pillars that sounds like glasses filled with different levels of water, just like musical notes, etc. Mind you we couldn’t stop shaking a leg when he got going on some of those pillars.
br / br / strong How do these pillars work? /strong br / br / Suprisingly, these pillars are rock solid, not hollow as I thought they would be. A huge rock was used to make the main pillar and the sub pillars were around the main pillar.
So basically the sub pillars are carved out in different length and width to make the differences in sound. br / br / Take for example a musical instrument like a guitar, for a string on a gitter to play the right note it needs to be tense, so we make it tight. What the temple builders did they put heavy weight on the top of the pillar so the heavy weight caused the tension on the subpillars to create sound.
br / br / How they managed to get 56 different sounds. It seems that 56 msicians would be seated in that temple and play on the pillars. Creating sounds that would fill up the evening air for over one kilo meter.
br / br / Below we have uploaded a video below if you want to hear him play, this pillar was a bell pillar. It made sounds of a bell, a school bell the first one, the second a temple bell and when you hit each one of them you get a calling bell (a house bell). Enjoy!
br / br / embed src="http://www.metacafe.com/fplayer/397767/the_musical_pillars_of_vittahla_temple_hampi.
swf" width="400" height="345" wmode="transparent" pluginspage="http://www.macromedia.com/go/getflashplayer" type="application/x-shockwave-flash" /embed br font size = 1 a href="http://www.
metacafe.com/watch/397767/the_musical_pillars_of_vittahla_temple_hampi/" The Musical Pillars Of Vittahla Temple Hampi /a /font br / br / The guide also mentioned that in olden times the entire area where the pillars were use to be covered with cloth giving it a pandal like feeling and women would dance there. br / br / a href="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTBTD8qJ9I/AAAAAAAAAa4/HbKhz4HasVA/s1600-h/Picture+510.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTBTD8qJ9I/AAAAAAAAAa4/HbKhz4HasVA/s400/Picture+510.jpg" border="0" alt="Vitthala Temple in Hampi"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022852017646348242" / /a br / br / The sculpture is just amazing at this place, there is also a miniature of the Vithala temple on the side, then there are these carvings which forms various images.
br / br / The sculpture seen below, when certain parts are covered it can be seen as a monkey pulling up a baby monkey, when you cover another part it looks like a person meditating under the hood of a giant cobra, two horses standing on their hind legs, altogether you can see five different things in a single sculpture, it was mind blowing! br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTAzT8qJ8I/AAAAAAAAAaw/Ddt_OfOuG5Y/s1600-h/Picture+512.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbTAzT8qJ8I/AAAAAAAAAaw/Ddt_OfOuG5Y/s400/Picture+512.jpg" border="0" alt="The 5 in 1 Carving"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022851472185501634" / /a br / br / Each and every part of the temple was carved with so much variety I did not know which pictures to choose to put on the blog and in no way did we manage to capture all the interesting carving's. br / br / a href="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS_hj8qJ7I/AAAAAAAAAao/cAQeZ_Tib1A/s1600-h/Picture+515.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS_hj8qJ7I/AAAAAAAAAao/cAQeZ_Tib1A/s400/Picture+515.jpg" border="0" alt="The Carvings under the roof of the temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022850067731195826" / /a br / br / Like mordern times, even in the early days they used to make model's of structures before building them, the model of Vitthala temple can be seen below.
br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS-_j8qJ6I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/NT60wAU9W_4/s1600-h/Picture+518.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS-_j8qJ6I/AAAAAAAAAZ4/NT60wAU9W_4/s400/Picture+518.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Model of the Temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022849483615643554" / /a br / br / Every carving, is a recording of history, take into example the picture below, it speaks about corruption. Those days the portugese traders used to trade horses for spices. The King used to allow only 100 horses in his stable at a time, so there was only a limited amount of spices below.
br / br / Below you can see the potugese trader with a hourse offering a bribe to the kings gate man to accept his horses even after the 100 were done. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS-QD8qJ5I/AAAAAAAAAZw/CjmRm3NvpBw/s1600-h/Picture+520.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS-QD8qJ5I/AAAAAAAAAZw/CjmRm3NvpBw/s400/Picture+520.jpg" border="0" alt="Vitthala Carvings tell a Story"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022848667571857298" / /a br / br / Like the carving above that can be viewed in five different forms, the one below is much easier to decipher. You can see two animals in it, first you should be able to see an elephant, if you cover the body of the elephant you will be able to see a bull.
br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS9lT8qJ4I/AAAAAAAAAZo/EVI6OQk7Dec/s1600-h/Picture+522.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS9lT8qJ4I/AAAAAAAAAZo/EVI6OQk7Dec/s400/Picture+522.
jpg" border="0" alt="The 2 in 1 Carving"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022847933132449666" / /a br / br / To the east of the hall is the famous Stone Chariot, constructed for Lord Vishnu with stone wheels that actually use to revolve at one point, but to avoid further destruction the Archaeological Society of India (ASI) cemented the base so it doesn’t move anymore. br / br / a href="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS9AD8qJ3I/AAAAAAAAAZg/zQm5Q1YGFiA/s1600-h/Picture+523.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS9AD8qJ3I/AAAAAAAAAZg/zQm5Q1YGFiA/s400/Picture+523.jpg" border="0" alt="Lord Vishnu's Chariot"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022847293182322546" / /a br / br / The people used to move the wheels of the Chariot to make believe that Lord Vishnu was ascending to heaven on his Chariot. The chariot was designed in seperate parts that fit together like lego, interlocking parts.
br / br / br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS8dz8qJ2I/AAAAAAAAAZY/MjAUe-k06Hk/s1600-h/Picture+527.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS8dz8qJ2I/AAAAAAAAAZY/MjAUe-k06Hk/s400/Picture+527.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Interlocking Chariot Design"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022846704771802978" / /a br / br / The front of the chariot shows two elephants, but a closer look will reveal that the front part, which was destroyed by the invaders, actually had horses and not elephants. You can spot their tails on closer look and for photographic purpose ASI officials plastered two elephants in the front. br / br / a href="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS8Cj8qJ1I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/FhkrCrKv2eA/s1600-h/Picture+530.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS8Cj8qJ1I/AAAAAAAAAZQ/FhkrCrKv2eA/s400/Picture+530.jpg" border="0" alt="The Elephants and the Horse Tail"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022846236620367698" / /a br / br / Well, after our journey through Vithala temple we faced quite an ordeal.
Our front tyre got punctured. The moped did not fit in the Rickshaw, so we had to remove the front tyre take it with us we had to shell out Rs 260 bucks to get it fixed, 200 to the rick driver, 60 to the pucntrue guy who patched two holes and also put a new front break wire. br / br / We had to take a rickshaw ride to Kamalapur village, which is around 3 km away, and got the tyre fixed.
I must say the locals were really helpful, the whole process took around an hour to get done. br / br / After that we hit the road again, we visited the deserted Octagonal bath, the landscape here was till the eye can see, wide open space with ruins it felt lovely and free, especially when you come from a city to a place like this you can run up an down like a child with the excitment. br / br / a href="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS7fj8qJ0I/AAAAAAAAAZI/bY9WytWrY4g/s1600-h/Picture+538.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS7fj8qJ0I/AAAAAAAAAZI/bY9WytWrY4g/s400/Picture+538.jpg" border="0" alt="Ruins Close to the Octagonal Water Pavilion (Bath)"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022845635324946242" / /a br / br / A funny looking rock, that was quite a bit of a walk from the Octagonal bath but in easy view of our camera.
br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS7Aj8qJzI/AAAAAAAAAZA/VcUBshyvrsU/s1600-h/Picture+540.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS7Aj8qJzI/AAAAAAAAAZA/VcUBshyvrsU/s400/Picture+540.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Dick Head Rock"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022845102749001522" / /a br / br / From there we moved on to the Royal centre which comprises Mahanavmi Dibba, which is like a plateau of a lion story wooden structure from which the royalty viewed Hampi with pomp, colour and revelry during the Mahanadu festival. br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS6ZT8qJyI/AAAAAAAAAY4/8X1Wd_gh-2U/s1600-h/Picture+547.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS6ZT8qJyI/AAAAAAAAAY4/8X1Wd_gh-2U/s400/Picture+547.jpg" border="0" alt="The Carvings on Mahanavami Dibba "id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022844428439136034" / /a br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS5bj8qJxI/AAAAAAAAAYw/MEPCOmqj3mA/s1600-h/Picture+548.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS5bj8qJxI/AAAAAAAAAYw/MEPCOmqj3mA/s400/Picture+548.jpg" border="0" alt="The Mahanavami Dibba"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022843367582213906" / /a br / br / Not too far away is the Stepped Tank. This large and geometrically thrilling tank, lined in green diorite, has never required restoration.
Insane, look at the picure below!!!
br / br / It has no drain, and is fed by an aqueduct. Markings on the blocks (not shown) indicate that they were cut elsewhere, before being moved to the site and assembled here. br / br / a href="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS3Xz8qJvI/AAAAAAAAAYI/jVMeyuQhW8U/s1600-h/Picture+550.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS3Xz8qJvI/AAAAAAAAAYI/jVMeyuQhW8U/s400/Picture+550.jpg" border="0" alt="The Stepped Tank"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022841104134448882" / /a br / br / We headed to Elephant Stables, which is a huge stable, a beautiful example of Hindu-Muslim style of architecture, housed about 11 elephants in separate compartments.
The same Vittahla temple ticket works here. br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdI1j8qLSI/AAAAAAAAAqw/sHvE4m336fc/s1600-h/Picture+557.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdI1j8qLSI/AAAAAAAAAqw/sHvE4m336fc/s400/Picture+557.jpg" border="0" alt="The Elephants Stable"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023563994375007522" / /a br / br / Next stop Queen's Bath, it is a 15th century bathing pavillion for members of the royal household. Its balconies and domed corridors surround this massive 50 ft.
long and 6 ft.deep swimming pool. The building, which has been heavily restored, shows numerous Islamic influences, including the projecting balconies with lotus-shaped fountains that once sprouted perfumed water.
We did not take a picture of the place, the interiors need restoration, the carvings on the celing are nearly wiped off, though we noticed that every section of the queens bath had a different carving on the cieling. br / br / Close to this is the Zanana Enclosure, which means ladies enclosure and the major attraction here is the Lotus Mahal: shaped like a lotus flower from top, this two-story structure has beautiful arc ways set in geometric regularity. It use to be an air-cooled summer palace of the queen.
Opposite that was the watch tower, which not many people go (guess they think it is not accessible). br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdITz8qLRI/AAAAAAAAAqo/ZeMji1Aji1M/s1600-h/Picture+561.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbdITz8qLRI/AAAAAAAAAqo/ZeMji1Aji1M/s400/Picture+561.jpg" border="0" alt="The Lotus Mahal"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5023563414554422546" / /a br / br / We went there and caught a glimpse of few parrots flying through the ruins. This place is a paradise for photographers, one can capture such vibrant pictures here.
br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS2fj8qJuI/AAAAAAAAAYA/NU6Kh04JGR4/s1600-h/Picture+563.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS2fj8qJuI/AAAAAAAAAYA/NU6Kh04JGR4/s400/Picture+563.
jpg" border="0" alt="The Indian Parrot"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022840137766807266" / /a br / br / br / The Underground Shiva’s Temple was really captivating. This extensive temple stands in an excavation in the ground, and is surrounded by earth embankments. br / br / a href="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS2Fz8qJtI/AAAAAAAAAX4/KyQ8xzT4DOs/s1600-h/Picture+576.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS2Fz8qJtI/AAAAAAAAAX4/KyQ8xzT4DOs/s400/Picture+576.jpg" border="0" alt="The Underground Shiva Temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022839695385175762" / /a br / br / At times the base of the temple is flooded with algae-filled water making it inaccessible for tourists.
Most of the sites in Hampi are scattered, so if you look closely you might discover many more places. br / br / a href="http://bp3.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS1Vz8qJsI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hVDLJqL99Is/s1600-h/Picture+577.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS1Vz8qJsI/AAAAAAAAAXw/hVDLJqL99Is/s400/Picture+577.jpg" border="0" alt="The Ruins"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022838870751454914" / /a br / br / After the Shiva temple we moved little further ahead on a small muddy road leading to the Mosque, the Mohammedan Watch tower etc located at one side of the road and the ‘Noblemen’s quarters’ is on the opposite side. br / br / a href="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS0sj8qJrI/AAAAAAAAAXo/pGJRhS2EXj0/s1600-h/Picture+580.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbS0sj8qJrI/AAAAAAAAAXo/pGJRhS2EXj0/s400/Picture+580.jpg" border="0" alt="Bhavika at the Mohammedan Watch Tower"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022838162081851058" / /a br / br / Clyde was fairly tired with the day’s activities, and you can see I was already sitting down, so we decided to go to the watch tower and see the sunset.
We also had to catch a boat back from Anegundi village to Shanti, so we headed back. br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSzKT8qJqI/AAAAAAAAAXg/Ilobw6aQf6o/s1600-h/Picture+588.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSzKT8qJqI/AAAAAAAAAXg/Ilobw6aQf6o/s400/Picture+588.jpg" border="0" alt="View from the Mohammedan Watch Tower"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022836474159703714" / /a br / br / On the way we passing Kamalapur, we saw the Malayavanta Raghunatha temple. It is built in Dravidian style and is located on a cliff.
We had a tough time moving the Moped up the steep slope, on entering the place we spotted strange-looking fishes and marine monsters carved along its outer walls. One of the local told us that this place was built on a single huge boulder. br / br / a href="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSyrD8qJpI/AAAAAAAAAXE/msT1cy3Zg6Y/s1600-h/Picture+594.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp0.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSyrD8qJpI/AAAAAAAAAXE/msT1cy3Zg6Y/s400/Picture+594.jpg" border="0" alt="Ragunath Temple"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022835937288791698" / /a br / br / Well, we don’t know how true that is, but towards the end of the temple as you walk straight up we came across this another small temple in a cave on a small boulder.
We have taken a picture of the crippled Sadhu inside. br / br / Actually he was quite insistent that we take his picture, which is quite evident in his pose. It was quite freaky, pretty dark inside and the Sadhu’s tone freaked us out.
After clicking the picture and we started to move out of the cave, he said in a nasty tone, ‘You need to make contribution’. Well, quite uncertain as to how much to give, we kindly kept Rs 30 on the floor and ran out. br / br / a href="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSyIT8qJoI/AAAAAAAAAW8/kf_UHwIOa_g/s1600-h/Picture+595.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSyIT8qJoI/AAAAAAAAAW8/kf_UHwIOa_g/s400/Picture+595.jpg" border="0" alt="Fake Posing Sadhu"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022835340288337538" / /a br / br / Just as we stepped out we saw the different colours in the sky post sunset.
And we were dumbstruck, speechless and oh so fascinated with what we were seeing. A good picture as you can see, there were strokes of orange, red, yellow, maroon, what a sight!!
! It was the best sunset ever. Quite romantic too… br / br / a href="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSvxz8qJmI/AAAAAAAAAWs/xcpKHred07Y/s1600-h/Picture+597.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp3.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSvxz8qJmI/AAAAAAAAAWs/xcpKHred07Y/s400/Picture+597.jpg" border="0" alt="Sunset from a Boulder"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022832754718025314" / /a br / br / Really happy ad delighted with the colours in the sky we decided to head back to Anegundi to catch our boat, and to our utter disappointment our back tyre got punctured.
Second puncture of the day, and we were on an isolated road, and we had no torch. br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSvIj8qJlI/AAAAAAAAAWk/7PHaZHV7PxA/s1600-h/Picture+601.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSvIj8qJlI/AAAAAAAAAWk/7PHaZHV7PxA/s400/Picture+601.jpg" border="0" alt="The Temple in the Boulder"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022832046048421458" / /a br / br / So Clyde lit a match to confirm that the tyre was actually punctured. We were in a state of shock, didn’t know what to do, on a unknown path, surrounded with darkness.
Good sense prevailed and I could recollect that there was a village few kms away, so we rode back towards the Raghunatha temple. br / br / And we were really lucky to find a mechanic in a village called Venkatapura. We heaved a huge sigh of relief!
!! Never been so happy seeing a mechanic, considering I don’t drive or ride a vehicle.
First there were only two-three guys at the small service station, and within no time few more gathered. It was like our first encounter with the villagers who get really excited to see tourists. They asked us where we from and they all were glad to know that Mumbai was our home town.
br / br / Luckily few of them knew bit of Hindi, so we could communicate to them our problem. The mechanic slowly dismantled the back tyre and found out that it was severely punctured and required a new tube. br / br / I was really tensed at that moment, because more and more men started to gather around us and amongst them was this drunk old South Indian man charging towards me and calling me ‘Amma, Ammma’.
I was petrified and started to weep as well. Clyde was trying to calm me down and to my surprise the villagers sensed that I was getting scared of the old man, and they all tried to convince me that this place was safe and there was nothing to worry about, while they stopped the old man from coming towards me. Coming back to the puncture, two villagers really generous volunteered to get us a new tube for the back tyre from Kamalapur which was around 20 minutes away.
In fact they also offered us to keep their bike for the night and asked us to collect our Moped the next morning. But the Moped didn’t belong to us, so we decided to get it fixed immediately. br / br / The two guys left as me and Clyde sat on a platform near the shop.
We were lamenting our terrible luck. It was 6.45 pm and I told Clyde that we would have made it for the boat on time if not for this disaster.
Anyway, no complains, because we came across some really nice and kind people. We began to converse with the villagers, speaking about Mumbai being the home town of the famous cricketer Sachin Tendulkar and the number of Hindi movies they watch. br / br / Some of them also get influenced by them, like the drunk old man, who was calling himself ‘Kalicharan’.
Soon there were 12 people around us, each trying to know what the actual problem was. In some time we got our new tube and paid the villager Rs 130 (Rs 20 for his petrol). And subsequently our bike was fixed and we decided to click few pics with them, they actually became our friends.
One of them took Clyde’s number and Mumbai address down and said he would call. I have taken a picture of all the people of Venkatapura village who helped us during our ordeal. The drunk old man is third from right, next to Clyde.
br / br / a href="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSuvT8qJkI/AAAAAAAAAWc/HwLVNVJBaB0/s1600-h/Picture+603.
jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp1.blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSuvT8qJkI/AAAAAAAAAWc/HwLVNVJBaB0/s400/Picture+603.
jpg" border="0" alt="Puncture Friends"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022831612256724546" / /a br / br / We had missed the boat and decided not to go back to Shanti, because we would have to take a longer route of 50 km, pass the highway NH17 filled with trucks, and then reach our guest house, which wasn’t advisable seeing our bad luck. We didn’t want to stretch any further. br / br / A villager asked us to stay in a lodge at Kamalapur, but I thought it made more sense to go to Hampi Bazaar and feel more secured there and would leave early morning back to our hotel.
We got a decent room with an attached bathroom for as low as Rs 175 at Shiva guest house, since it was just for a Night. br / br / Really exhausted, we went to get some dinner at Venkateshwar Restaurant (recommended by Lonely Planet), really delicious food. But when you are starving everything tastes delicious.
We also picked up a postcard from a local boy selling them and a medieval coin which has an elephant engraved on it. br / br / a href="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSuPj8qJjI/AAAAAAAAAVs/VMCM9qBnySs/s1600-h/Picture+605.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.blogger.
com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbSuPj8qJjI/AAAAAAAAAVs/VMCM9qBnySs/s400/Picture+605.jpg" border="0" alt="Rare Coins or Just Duds?"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022831066795877938" / /a br / br / After the meal we rushed back to our temporary guest house to get some much-needed rest.
Nevertheless, we loved the adventure we had during the day. That was the end of a truly action-packed, adrenaline pumping day. br / br / a href="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbStxj8qJiI/AAAAAAAAAVk/0irw_5N5FfA/s1600-h/Picture+606.jpg" img style="display:block; margin:0px auto 10px; text-align:center;cursor:pointer; cursor:hand;" src="http://bp2.
blogger.com/_Z8mwJp4iSOo/RbStxj8qJiI/AAAAAAAAAVk/0irw_5N5FfA/s400/Picture+606.jpg" border="0" alt="The Food at Venkateshwar Hampi Bazaar"id="BLOGGER_PHOTO_ID_5022830551399802402" / /a br / br / strong January 18 - Hampi /strong br / br / Boat ride to go back to Shanti – Rs 20 br / Stay at Shanti – Rs 400 br / Breakfast – Rs 90 br / Lunch – Rs 330 br / Dinner – Rs 100 br / br / We checked out early morning, and went to the same river, which had refused to take the Moped on it, to try our luck.
I guess the lady luck was shining on us, because the boatman allowed and we reached Shanti.
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