FROM MYSORE TO BANGALORE ON THE SHATABDI EXPRESS

We had a leisurely start and the Shatabdi express was a great modern train with wide carriages - 5 seats wide and seat back trays and air con.  No sooner than we got started the little man appeared with free plastic tray containing a pack of 2 rich tea biscuits - then a free bottle of water followed by free tea or coffee.  The journey was about 2 hours long to do 140km - a lovely ride.

Bangalore - the capital of Karnataka region and high tech hub is a huge city - sprawling and modern.

We had a 6 hour wait before our connecting train so we put  our big rucksacks into the left luggage and caught a tuktuk into the main shopping street of Mahatma Gandhi road.  We immediately were struck by the modern shops - lots of westernised young Indians and not many tourists.  Moira and I enjoyed entering the silk shops and looking at all the saris and fabrics - Moira bought a bit of Mysore silk and I just looked.

John walked us miles to a recommended restaurant to chill out- called the Olive Branch - but when we found it - it was closed.  We were very hot and tired so we caught a tuktuk to a high rise block - Barton Building to a restaurant called Ebony.  It was pretty booked but as we were early they let us in and we had the most amazing Chef's steak dinner with mashed potato (Moira has been hallucinating for potato and cheese - and this was good although it was only smash.  The steaks were lovely and cost a mere £5.50 each.

From here we went back to the station to catch our 10 O'clock sleeper train to Hospet for Hampi.  We are getting good at trains now and know how to spot the carriage and find our names and seat numbers.  The train was full and we had 2 bottom bunks and one middle - all 6 bunks were taken in our compartment by an older chap and a younger man and his 6 year old-ish daughter.  We got free newly laundered sheets and pillow plus a blanket.  Moira slept like a baby and John kindlylet the father have the lower bunk opposite his daughter.  There was a young couple outside our compartment with a very young baby and we were worried about crying - but after the first unsettled time the baby settled and we didn't hear a peep from anyone - except my coughing - sadly we were disorganised and got on without water- but we managed.

Here's me on the bottom bunk that John took from third level

We spent long periods during the night stopped in sidings in the middle of nowhere and then we would start up and move slowly onwards- as the dawn started to break at around 6am you could see a very desert-like landscape like the Thar Desert with the odd thorn tree and field after field of cotton - some still with their bolls on - others cut and re-ploughed.  There was also mining going on - iron ore but so much corruption all the govt officials are now in prison - locals have been stopped from buying land because of the chance of iron ore deposits.

We had a 20 km ride in a small tuk tuk to get to Hampi from Hospet and there are rivers and canals and it rained last night- lots of yoked oxen and carts doing jobs and lots of pigs and goat again.

The land formation around Hampi is huge rocks like Mount Abu and then these amazing temples from the 1500 and 1600s (over 3,700)when Hampi was a big city before it was destroyed by some other tribal groups - (Deccan princes)

 the scenery is surreal - looks like South American temples on the top of rocks all over and a little settlement for tourists .  Our little hostel is great - Rocky's Retreat - Rocky is very nice and our rooms are nice and clean and we see the big temple towering above us when we exit our room - Vittala temple.  We have had a hearty breakfast and met up with some travellers we were with in Kerala - they have been here for 3 days and enjoyed exploring the site.  You can hire bikes or walk about or catch tuk tuk - the streets are verynarrow so only tuktuk or bike here.  We may go to the sloth bear sanctuary some time - chill out time again under a mango tree - there are aggressive red faced monkeys here apparently in the afternoon.   Looking forward to exploring after a civilising shower.