Shblog again…

Right were do I start? I suppose the best place is getting here.

The night before was supposed to be a quiet one but of course we starting meeting up with a few other travellers had some dinner and ended up on the beach at 1 in the morning just relaxing drink some indian spirt called Jungle Juice. We’ll to say the least it blew the top off. There was a nice group of people from multiple nationalities, English, Swiss and Indian.

So we decided to head to bed but I still wasn’t sleeping nights because of the sunburn so in my infinite wisdom i decided to stay up and read. Now bear in mind our taxi was a 6:00am the next morning to the train station. Due to the fact we have no clock, getting up a pre-arranged time can be an issue but I have found an alarm clock on my iPod and I thought what nicer to wake up to that Queens of the Stone age. Slept through but we asked the nice guy who works at night in the huts to wake us just in case and thankfully he did. Then in sueded a hasty final pack and run out the door for the taxi, quiet a speedy start to the trip! So we got to the train station and everything was grand. we were on the platform reading the Hindi Times (an English language India newspaper) and Ian lit up a cig. After around 1 minute this guy walks up to us flashing a Goa Police badge and said smoking in the train station is not allowed and its a 200rps fine. Ian in his endless defiance of authority said he wanted to go to the trains police station, we did and after a mountainess amount of paper work( A testement to India’s love of beauracy) we found out the fine was 100rps. We paid and the Police guy even offered for us to have a smoke in the police office, we didn’t oblige.

So we got onto the train, a nerve racking experiance because all the people who are in travelling 2nd class carriages have to push on to get a seat as it is a first come first served kind of thing. We were on the 3AC carriage which was lovely, really comfortable and we had some food, generally speaking quiet a nice train journey. I will let Ian go into more detail on the train journey as this is his area of expertiese.

So we arrive in Hospet, a city near Hampi get a richshaw for the 15Km journey to Hampi. We had the luck of knowing where we were going to stay as we met people in Palolem who had just stayed in Hampi and they had the recomdations. Got to our place and not so bad. So we walked around that evening and gently let ourselves slip into our new suroundings. There is protocol when forigners arrive in Hampi to sign in to the police station as “Hampi is Dangerous”. There are a list of rules, for example, ” Don’t get too friendly with the hotels boys”, “Don’t go outside at night as it is dangerous”. Now the thing is about this place that it is one of the most relaxed places and safest I have seen since I have been in India. Now I should explain that around 15 years ago Hampi had problems with tourists being mugged but they had an over reaction and now everthing is clamped down on and one of its most craziest thing, NO ALACHOL (its feels so long I can’t even spell the word anymore).

Now you might say whats the big deal, but after going around some of the temples, (there are over 2500 temples in Hampi) all you would like to do is get out of the 35Degree heat and have a beer. Buts its not all bad and you can really start to the simularities between India and Ireland and that is the great relationship with tea, its now 7:15pm in the evening and I have had at least 5 cups of chai (tea) and its really good, I am ashamed to say better than lyons.

So we had a guided tour today. Now the most educicational part of the trip so far. Learning all about the Hindu religion, now if you think christianity is complicated compare to having over 1000 gods and they all mean different things and they are all represented by different symbols. The head spins.

Anyway thats pretty much it, just to say you could spend some time here as its just a really relaxed place and I am starting to see a trend, stay out of the cities and keep to the small towns and you will meet real indians. Hampi is just not a forigen tourist place it is also a pligramage site so we have gotten to meet so many people, the best analogy I can think of is lourdes but the people are younger. People really wanted us to take their picture this is one of a little girl that came out well.

A really great experience and well worth it and now off to Bangalore, the IT capital of India talk about getting away from our lives at home.

Joe

I think that if this place stays the same, ill eventually be back here… Definatly off season, it has some of the cool strange things of india, cows and soldiers on the beach, but without the accompanying hustle and fast pace of life.. Everyone wemet both locals and other travellers were sound, we leave with good advice for the rest of india and emails and blogs exchanged… Am gonna miss lazing out on the hammock and swimming 4 or 5 times a day, the eagles, crabs, mad sunsets and thunderstorms at dawn, only wearing shorts or cotton pants for 3days… Good (read safe) food, and just the laid back atmosphere….

Last night was a late one, 6 o clock in the morn with some old maid army surplus rum, candels and a good group for the leaving party… Lightning and thunder but no rain and temperature the same as an irish heatwave Today was a boat trip up the river, seen kingfishers and eagles, and other birds/fish/random things, followed by a few beers for sunset, a short swim around the headland (my camera barley survived..). Dinner now and a last kingfisher beer before we head to (completly dry) hampi….

Oh and the sign on the enterance to the beach reads (ill upload photo later): “Strong currents. Dangerous. Remember, you have a loving family waiting for you at home” India…

We are going to Hampi tomorrow morning and leaving Palolem at 6:30 in the morning. We are looking at planning the next 4 weeks or so of our trip, this is grand but the problem is that each person you talk to has different recomendations about what would be the best thing to do next, our plans have changed at least 3 times, like trekking in Nepal, getting motorbikes for two weeks and travelling trough a mountain pass thats open for only two months but the thought of Ian anywhere near me on a motorbike scares me to death. In Hampi we will be able to rent out mopeds to see the sights. Thank god I’ve got the good sturdy experiance of driving a honda 50 so I should be solid as a rock( contrary to popular belief).

As Ian has previously metioned we are going to soon encounter the all-encompassing Monsoon so hopefully we should be able to get stuff a lot cheaper(I know I should have been born in Cavan). This has opened up so many options and everyday we are hearing of new and stranger options, because it is so easy to change your plans and completley change your direction of travel, I am really starting to understand the size of India. We have been looking at hiring a house boat for a night going through Kerala Backwaters. This would be the height of luxury with our own chef on the boat and everything. It would cost around a bit but if we could find another few travellers to split the price with its could be class.

 Not much more news at the moment just dreading having to pack everything up now and getting up so early

Joe

I think the monsoon might be here a little early, I was woken up at sunrise by a huge thunderstorm, only lasted an hour but with no lighting… Every day the sunrise and sunset changes, the sunsets turn more puple and blue instead of yellow and orange with the few clouds and haze, and the sunrises are begining to look like your typical irish mornings, (except theres a dog sleeping under your hammock, you swim to wake up, and its still 30 degrees . During the day it clears but its getting later and later, its twelve here and has just cleared up… We leave for hampi on sunday, got the tickeds sorted last night, train leaves at seven from the nearest cits, so we up at 4… Hopefully it will be cloudy there, becuase its further inland but I dont think its on the ghats so gets very very hot during the day… My hope for here (or else kerala in a week or two) is to see one tropical storm, one of the guys here was describing one from last year to me, sounds amazing…

Our hut has been taken down for the off-season now, under government law any buildings less than 200m from the sea will be demolished after the 1st of june. We still on the beach until we leave, but in a more permanent hut, a nice one with an en-suite.. Unfortunatly it came with a price hike (accomodation here is in short supply, and backpackers keep arriving), from 150rps to 400 (4euro each per night). For the first time I think we are keeping in budget in palolem, averaging at about 30-35 euro between us per day. Im happy about this, in mumbai we got swindeled so much  we were waaay above budget, anyway you live and learn!

The plan for the next few days… Theres a river that comes into the sea besidfe the lagoon (I think theres a picture on the previous post), so we will try to explore up there with a few others and a guide (one of the guys were friends with who works in a resteraunt beside us..) Also we might try to cross the headland to catch the sunse before we go, I think you have to swim a bit, but i want to bring the camera so I might try to climb over the rocks..

I still havent found a place to burn my pics to dvd, or even print them, yet, theres nothing around here and I only heard romours of a place in madagon (nearly an hour by bus). I seen an indian tourist on the beach taking pics with a d200, so I ran after him the other day to ask him about developing them.. funniest thing tho, he ignored me and when I came close he hid his camera round his back… He thought I was gonna steal it, on the beach, wearing only a pink tan and a pair of shorts! The tables turned, now I know how people in mumbai felt when I was over-protective of my camera…. 

Oh and joes still laid up with sunburn, three days now, but its getting better… Hes asleep (cant at night so stays up reading and sleeps during the day..) Anyway, off to get some pinapple juice and an indian brekkie.. Will try and upload pics next time..

Ian