It was just another afternoon at work and the Republic Day long weekend was approaching. I was in no mood to spend yet another weekend in the sweltering heat of Mumbai, plus, the traveler in me was itching to escape the city life.
Not wasting any time, I opened my long list of weekend getaways from Mumbai and zeroed in on Hampi. After all, it had been on my wish-list for a long time!
Getting there:
After finishing work on Friday evening, I straightway boarded a bus for a 12 hour journey from Mumbai to Hospet (the last bus stop on the way to Hampi). Thank God for the Volvo sleeper buses, you can travel without breaking your back or burning a hole in your pocket! Another travel option was to catch a flight from Mumbai to either Bengaluru or Belgaum and driving further down for about 5-6 hours. After mulling over all the permutations and combinations, travelling by bus seemed to be the most convenient option.
The journey from Hospet to Hampi was a rather short one, but in those 20-25 minutes, I was transported from the landscape of an average Indian city to an ancient, historical world, almost making me feel like I had hopped on a time machine instead of an auto rickshaw.
The first few glances across the landscape were enough to make me realise that this wasn't the usual "long-weekend" trip, rather, I was in for a real-time lesson in history combined with on-site learning at a UNESCO World Heritage site!
Although, to be honest, I'm not much of a history buff, but the site of massive boulders encapsulating architectural ruins of an ancient kingdom surrounded by lush green coconut trees and paddy fields is a setting straight out of a Sanjay Leela Bhansali film and is bound to pique your interest.
Staying in Hampi:
On arriving in Hampi, my rickshaw driver dropped me off at the city centre, where I realised that to reach my homestay, I had to get to the other side of the river.
Quick Fact: Hampi has two parts split by the Tungabhadra river. The first and the more popular side rests majority of the temples, ruins, beautiful monuments and plenty of stay options suited to all kinds of travellers. However, it has certain restrictions when it comes to food and drinks, if you know what I mean ;) The other side is a boat ride away which usually takes not more than 5 minutes and has a completely different vibe to it. Its marked by hipster cafes laid against lush green paddy fields that also double up as cheap and cheerful guest houses. This side of Hampi was bound to be "my side"!
So to travel to "my side" I hopped aboard a coracle, although you may choose to cross via a regular ferry as well. In my case, I wanted to experience the rustic and authentic Hampi, so the obvious choice was the Coracle.
On crossing over to the other side, and another 10-minute auto ride later, I finally arrived at my destination, Uramma house homestay . Tucked right in the middle of a small village called Anegundi, a cozy little cottage welcomed me along with friendly glances from some curious local kids.
I'd recommend Uramma homestay to anyone who is looking to experience the local culture firsthand. The rustic architecture and a friendly & courteous staff are some added perks of staying here.
Things to do:
No matter if you're a history geek wanting to learn something about the ancient Hindu dynasty, a social media influencer in search of that perfect sunset picture, or a backpacker hoping to achieve nirvana (wink wink), Hampi has got something for everyone.
Of the 3 days I was in Hampi, I spent most of my daytime exploring the temples and other architectural wonders. And since I'm no expert at talking about architecture or history, I'll let my pictures do the talking and give you a glimpse of the marvels that I saw.
Evenings were spent capturing spectacular sunsets from the Monkey temple.
The best part of the trip, however, was the dinner and after-parties at the local cafes. Imagine tourists- young and old, Indian and foreign, yoga enthusiasts and rock climbers; all exhausted from the site seeing and indulging in strenuous adventure sports during the day, waiting to wind down by sipping a gin and tonic or the classic, Old monk. All this, against a backdrop of cafes set up in the middle of this historic landscape with Indie artists and musicians from across the world performing in an intimate setting.
I still can't forget this artist I met at a cafe on the 2nd and final night of my trip. He introduced himself as the "Suzuki Samurai" and casually crooned some old classics like Sweet Child O Mine and Hotel California while strumming his guitar, the rhythmic tapping of his wooden slippers making up for the absence of a percussionist.
As I boarded the bus back to Mumbai the next day, I knew I'd wanna come back again someday, but next time it'd be for more than a long weekend!