Hampi – Journey to the golden era – 1

A trip to Hampi had been due for a couple of years. Neither my husband nor I had previously visited this place, and so, we were eagerly waiting for a long weekend to drive to Hampi. What better time could we have chosen than the Independence Day weekend to visit the bygone glorious era?

We quickly made a checklist to check weather conditions, reserve room, check condition of vehicle, and take a printout of the map. Of course, we also had to complete all our errands and chores before taking a vacation.

Our route was from Bangalore - Tumkur - Sira - Chitradurga - Hospet. For details about the route that we took, see Map-Route.

Though most travel blogs or agents suggest that the best season to visit Hampi is during its festivals (October to February), we preferred the rainy season; any season other than summer is fine. A word of caution if you visit the place during monsoon – do not mess with the overflowing river. During this season, the coracle rides will be suspended. You will miss the coracle crossing; but you can always take the longer road route to visit the places on the other side of the river. The country side is awesome, and will be worth the long drive.

Hospet (and Hampi) offers you hotels to suit your budget. We stayed at the Hotel Malligi, Hospet. The hotel provides neat and comfortable rooms at a reasonable rate. The food at their restaurant is tasty. The hospitality is good. And, best of all, the hotel is closer to the Bus station, Railway station, and the city center. The other hotels are the Royal Orchid, Hotel Krishna, Hotel Karthik, and others. On the Hospet-Hampi road, you can also stay at Vijayshree Heritage Village.

On the beautiful Saturday morning, we headed towards Hampi. The day was cloudy, and we prayed that the lovely weather accompanied us during our journey. And it did! We stopped for breakfast at the Kamat Hotel on the Bangalore-Tumkur road. The place was crowded with travelers. Seemed like a big breakfast party; only that there was no host and that you had to pay your own bills!

Plenty of trucks and heavy-duty vehicles greeted us on the road. Surprising we did not find many cars on the road. Oh well, that made us the sole users of the road! The road was bordered with fields. The country-side was beautiful. Farmers grew maize, corn, onion, cotton, sunflower, and other crops. Lakes and river supply water; some fields have bore-wells. Of course, we took the camera, jumped out of the car, and marched into the fields. First, we absorbed the fresh air and sunk in the beauty of the plants, and then clicked a few snaps to save the sweet memory. The truck drivers seemed amused, and would honk when they saw us in the fields.

In my opinion, each terrain is different. Each road narrates a different story. Each culture fascinates us in a unique way. The river, lush fields, cloudy sky, fresh air, and a great travel companion are similar to a gift basket with wonderful goodies. As we drove further, we spotted one windmill after another. They were erected on several hill ranges, and stood tall. When the blades moved, they seem to greet us – “Hello! Welcome.” Click, click, and click went our camera. That’s our way to acknowledge their beauty.

Just before Hospet, we stopped the car to see the backwaters of the dam. Oh, so much water that the waves splashed against the retaining walls like the waves in the ocean!  All the roads were fantastic except a few potholes on the road that led to the Hospet town. Hospet is a cute little established, and one cannot get lost in those streets but can miss a road. We can see a lot of canals; be careful when you walk or drive at night. It’s nice to see people lazing near the canals, washing clothes or vehicles, or generally gossiping. The breeze that blows over the canals is refreshing.

Leaving you with this refreshing feeling. In the next article, will write about our day at Hampi.

(More photos at http://rake-and-spade.blogspot.com/2011/08/glimpse-of-fields-on-way-to-hampi.html.)

Next:
Part 2: http://asha-ram.blogspot.com/2011/08/hampi-virupaksha-temple-2.html
Part 3: http://asha-ram.blogspot.com/2011/08/hampi-hemakuta-hill-sasivekalu-ganesha.html
Part 4: http://asha-ram.blogspot.in/2011/08/hampi-lakshmi-narasimha-and-badavilinga.html

Regards,

Asha 

Bangalore to Wayanad - Part 3

Continued from Part 2...

The NH 212 is a beautiful road; absolutely spotless. In fact, all through Wayanad, the roads are beautiful. Almost everyone gets tempted to speed on this road; well, they do speed! Only when you reach the townships, please watch out for autos (especially) that move in unpredictable direction without a clue. We witnessed a few accidents (though minor) because of such carelessness. We also saw a car off the road, and passengers injured. An ambulance was helping the passengers out. People, speed kills!

As we drove into Vythiri, we saw sign boards of several hotels and resorts. One among them was Windflower Spa and Resort. Imagine holidaying in a coffee estate of about 27 acres. What an experience that would be! We drove past the sign board only to find more sign boards. Ah, Vythiri Resort and Spa... That's a heaven on Earth because it's about 150 acres of rainforest with natural waterfalls and streams, and the resort can pamper you to the core. Seriously, I wouldn't mind being an orchid in this estate; peacefully enjoying Nature and all its goodness!

We were smiling because we were approaching our destination; we had entered Lakkidi. Lucky day especially after all the adventure! On the right side of NH 212 stood Upavan Resort. We drove in, stopped, and stretched. It was the 'Coming home' feeling. The resort rested on a hillock, and looked lovely and neat. When the clouds covered the hillock in the evening, they would enter the rooms (if windows or doors are open). That's what I love the most.

Upavan

One part of resort

The resort staff were courteous, and quickly finished the formalities. We totally loved the wooden furniture. Oh, the earthen containers were placed inside a stunning cane basket! I wanted one such basket, and dreamt of decorating our little terrace garden with all such artifacts. First terrain has the dining hall, gym, and rooms. Second terrain has the indoor games. Final terrain has the cottages. Seemed like the entire hillock was sliced like a bread loaf. When we reached our room, the room smelled like lemongrass. Beautiful! We were ready to crash, but not before we had our lunch.

Cane, cane!

Breakfast, lunch, and dinner were buffet, and the food was delicious. Just outside the dining hall window was a storage for natural water source. A pretty kingfisher bird sat on the parapet wall for a long time; unfortunately, we didn't have our camera to capture its vibrant colors. A few more birds flew down, and sat on the parapet wall. Their melodies were like welcome drinks. The Pink lilies occupied one corner of the pond. Perfect calmness during lunch.

Did we not loaf around after lunch? Hmm... Read about that in the next part! :)

Happy traveling!

Part 4...

Regards,
Asha