New and Improved -- Part One of my exhilarating introduction to India (Hampi)

Newest additions- more captions and monkey stories down below.

The best view of all time. After a grueling hike to the top of the tallest mountain in the area, we were rewarded with 360 degrees of amazing mountains comprised solely of huge sandy boulders, acres of banana plantations, pure white temples to the elephant god ganesh in the distance, and the remarkably still standing temples from 13th century- seen over my right shoulder in the photo, along the lazy cafe au lait river.
The best road I saw for days. Seriously. After roaring through the jungle in a Toyota Qualis for well over 2 hours through "roads" which featured quicksand-like mud, potholes deep enough to house a small tribe of pygmies, and crazy kamikaze daredevils on motorscooters, this road was like a slice of heaven.
The best photograph of nothing. I forced Winnie to take the photo of me shooting up peace love and happiness to the tadpoles swirling in confusion at the bottom inch deep pool of water which was quickly evaporating under the tropical-almost equatorial-sun.
The best jungle restaurant. Fellow indiana jones wannabes: Matt, Josh, Pete, Me, Winnie. You have to hike through a banana plantation for 15 minutes without any indication that there will be sustenance or prize at the end of a dirt path, upon which you stumble upon this oasis of swings, balconies, and amazing Indian chefs lodged on the banks of the river. And what makes this the best restaurant beyond a doubt- I had a banana crepe smoothered in Nutella (straight from France) served on a gigantic fresh banana leaf. Absolutely supreme.

Stumbling into the Mallagi Hotel, the only lodging with private bathrooms for miles, we were greeted by an exuberant staff of 20 crowded behind the "reception" desk, giddy with delight that their famous westerner guests had finally arrived. Above is the sign featuring our mini-celebrity status in the state of Karnataka- we are the party part, while Josh (apparently Joshuo) Bornstein was the real attraction. Josh has been living and working in Bangalore for two years and truly rules the little expat kingdom here. Evidence A: Upon entering the banana plantation restaurant near Hampi, miles and days away from Bangalore, we hear "Josh, Josh!" and turn to find two Israeli families with a gaggle of curly haired blond little girls giggling, smiling, and waving at him. The man is recognized by people even in the sticky humid depths of the Indian jungle. Amazing. Evidence B: http://www.indiadaily.com/editorial/07-17b-04.asp So famous, didn't even know this article existed about him. Oh, and the Times has done a couple pieces on him so far. Tropical flowers on the side of the road
A monkey contemplating the deeper meaning of life, the missing matter of the universe, and why bananas are yellow (and taste so good).
A hidden monkey admiring his jungle paradise. The ones we encountered were very curious and playful animals. Several botched attempts to make friends by offering twigs and banana peels later, we realized that bringing him back to Bangalore as a pet to train was just a dream.

One was so friendly, he even investiaged (more like dug into, threw out and carried away) the contents of Matt's bag he left laying unguarded by the side of a temple perched on top of the mountain. Contents included: his new Play Station Portable, Eyeglasses, Postcards, Eye drops, and his wallet with credit cards, cash, and the foreign resident permit. Fortunately for Matt, the monkey wasn't too bright- when he returned and discovered the Monkey red-handed, the culprit hurled the postcards over the edge of the mountain and scampered off with his glasses, dropping them further down his getaway path only after much agitated yelling from the humans. The only permanent damage- the unusable chewed up bottle of eye drops spewing eyedrop solution from little monkey teeth puncture holes.

Above, Winnie and Nate in front of a temple built in 1161. Below, Nate dwarfed by rocks... and I thought I had seen a boulder before. these things were massive and chaotically scattered throughout the countryside. It was like a couple of bored giants decided to play marbles with rocks the sizes of mansions, flung the stones about the banks of the river, then got up and left their marvelous mess behind.


Hampi, the ancient forgotten capital of South India. An unbelievable trip- from the very fact that we survived abandoned dirt roads winding for miles in the middle of rice paddies and jungles, to the impressive temples adorned with intricate statues depicting Hindi gods in elaborate scenes hundreds of years old. A highly recommended brief background on Hampi for those interested- http://www.webonautics.com/hampi/history.html http://www.world66.com/asia/southasia/india/karnataka/hampi/history

Starting with the temples… now I’ve seen my fair share of crumbing rocks and granite slabs posing as ancient ruins, but these temples were some of the most well-preserved and ornate buildings I’ve encountered. Every inch was carved into a scene of gods and goddesses, mythical animals, ancient rituals, telling the story of a civilization long lost to years of invasions by Muslim invaders. It was amazing to see the transformation of plain, boring boulders dug up from the jungle countryside into scenes loaded with life and character solely with the help of the local craftsman axe and pick.









The most remarkable temple we visited, Vitthala, actually played music when you tapped on one of its 86 columns. Clusters of solid columns four feet high, ranging in diameter from 4 inches to 12 inches, surrounded the perimeter of the temple. In the middle of each of these clusters, a worn carving resided which indicated which musical instrument best represented the noise that eerily diffused from the dark corners of the ceiling when one clicked on the exterior of each column. Yes, quite spooky.

Again, explanations/stories will accompany these photos tomorrow...

And the now infamous Times Article which is slowly circluating around the world, making my plight in the little city of Bangalore, India a little more well-known. (http://query.nytimes.com/gst/abstract.html?res=F20A11FF3F5A0C738DDDA10894DD404482)