CHILLING OUT EVEN MORE IN HAMPI

Slept really well in the air con last night and after a delicious breakfast of homemade yoghurt and muesli and fresh juice, we made our way along the ghats (steps down to river) to the ferry across to the other side.  On the way we came across these little beauties being dried for some purpose (elephant)

Then we got to the water's edge and met all the chaps taking off their loincloths and having a bath in the river.... then we met the ladies in the water in their saris doing the daily wash and putting them on the steps to dry.  While we waited for the ferry which John quibbled about paying 10 pence for,we watched an old chap sitting on a rock with a bit of line catch a fish like a carp about 10 inches long and add it to his bag of other fish- Beside him the rest of his family wallowed in a shallow rock pool and mum washed down grandad with a few splashes of water over his head - well you know how smelly these old folks get!

Finally when there were enough customers to fill the boat, we were picked up and ferried 2 mins to the other side.  The other bank is much more laid back with little settlements of banana leaf huts and hammocks outside - lots of young hippies over here.  We walked past a lush green field of ripening rice still waterlogged at its base - then took a left to Laughing Buddha guesthouse and restaurant which also had huts and hammocks and the restaurant was like a colombian dope smoking den that I thought our boys would be proud to see us sitting in - we didnt have any 'special lassi' here but a diet  coke and a snack in the cool riverside breeze where we easily wiled away 4 hours before coming back to the busy side for yet another rest - life is really slowing down here in preparation for Goa.

Hampi is a great place - you could easily spend weeks here doing nothing...

Looking back over the river from the restaurant towards our guesthouse with temple in middle

Laughing Buddha restaurant - a great place for hummus, felafel and chips!  Yes that is John in the tulip hat - his latest head-wear for 50 rupees!

The restaurant is just beds with crashed out hippie types...

rice field....

There were so many kingfishers around, frankly it was boring - oh for a robin! and even the grapefruits looked more like a woman's buttocks!

As you can see - the weather is frazzlingly hot....

The huge rocks in the river are covered in beautiful carvings and there are holy statues on many of the rocks - it is a very sacred place here for many people.  It is totally laid back and we don't feel at all hassled - we sleep here tonight and leave on the 6 am sleeper train for our 8 and a half hour train trip to the ocean tomorrow - looking forward to it!