Magic

Hampi (Pronounced Hemp-ee)

It will be very difficult to put into words what Hampi is! The pictures will tell you a little of the story but it is really too, too incredible to describe. I am a visual person and I am on overload. The temples would have been enough. The landscape would have been enough. Together, they were amazing beyond words.

GB arranged for a Maxi van, a driver, a guide in Hampi and accommodations. We had a fender bender before we left Goa but it was minor and no injuries! The ride was beautiful and green along the coast. As we turned inland, the fields were very similar to central Florida – large flat fields that go on forever. Then we reached the area North of Bangalore that has received no rain. There was a huge wind turbine field that was a familiar and great for the green planet! The fields were parched and it was sad to know people would die in these conditions. The Hampi area again turned green as they had the river and dam system to help irrigate their lands.

GB told us we would be staying at someone’s guest house. This house turned out to be JSW Steel Plant and complex. You can see in the pictures it was very modern, swank and arty. We were staying with people from all over the world, there to buy steel. We felt we were under dressed, but there were very few women around, so it was okay.

Hampi was a half hour away but we reached it in over an hour, which is typical for Indian directions. We knew as we approached the site that we were entering a magical place. The land is strewn with huge, round boulders. They are granite but appear very tan colored. We puzzled constantly about how this beautiful mess happened. Was it the aftermath of the ice age? Did the river and monsoon rains leave it? Were the rocks just splitting over time? GB has a Geologist friend he plays golf with so we will all get information soon!

Every Hindu experience must start with Ganesh – the elephant child. His father beheaded him for disobeying and the mother was furious and told him he must make it right. He found the first animal he saw, an elephant and placed the head on his son…..and so it goes! Our first was a huge monolith Ganesha, to welcome us to Hampi.

We next entered the sacred area. We had to take our shoes off and leave them behind – we tried to put them in a backpack but were scolded! So we walked along the ruins and working temple with the cows, monkeys and elephants in our bare feet! We ran into a group of Indian Middle School students that acted just like the APW kids on a trip. They were loud and silly and would not stay on their side of the sidewalk! I will tell you no more but let you enjoy the scenes in the photos…