Day 77 - Hampi

Today we were even more active than yesterday (shock horror) - we hired bikes and cycled out to the ruins in the Royal Center. The day was a scorcher (thank goodness I've adjusted to the crazy heat here), so my tan got topped up nicely. It was so nice whizzing by the banana plantations and palm trees, and catching the odd glimpse of temples reaching above the greenery, or the occasional random clearing complete with crumbling ruin. Have vowed to hire bikes more often - they are miles cheaper than getting rickshaws, and though they are all one-gear wonders, they are a great way to get around

For dinner we cycled along the ghats to The Mango Tree, a very cool restaurant on the banks of the river. We sat chatting and reading (and being bitten by mosquitos) until the sun set, then somehow managed to cycle back along the path in the dark without falling into the river/some bushes.

Our landlady is sorting out my ticket to Chennai on Friday (for a small fee of course) and on the same day Becca catches her train to Goa. Sob, alone again for the first time since I first arrived - given that I came on my own and have been here 2 1/2 months, this is quite an achievement. I'm quite excited tho, and am looking forward to exploring Pondicherri and Auroville, yay

We took some more random pictures today, just for the fun of it.../

Vittala Temple


And again...


Conquer the elephant (like the scary facial expressions?) - the elephant stables


A building in the Zenana Enclosure


Swinging from the Mango Tree, in Mango tree restaurant


Sorry... unforgivably I totally neglected to get a random picture of us on the bikes... maybe tomorrow.