Metamorphosis

A few things happened that shook things up. Hampi is the place. Yup, I felt too lazy to not use “things” twice in that first sentence. 

So that girl I met on the train was also travelling alone and getting high on life, but after we reached Hampi she kind of dismissed me and went off in her high bubble. One-time use traveller. But hey, to each his own. I’m not used to meeting and throwing people away, but sometimes I guess I do it too and there’s no choice. Though I usually prefer to bond to a certain degree with people I meet and to share a more meaningful time with them.

Without saying much about seeing each other later, she set off on her own to find her guest house, and left me to wander in the paddy fields to find Manju’s place, which had been recommended by a few people. As I tried to walk over the narrow dry paths in the submerged fields, I fell in the mud a few times with my bags, and there were other hippie travellers around but no one helped me, looked at me, or said a word. I was getting a pretty horrible first impression – a place where superficial people come to do…who knows what. 

Soon I got settled in a hut, and set about pacing in the tiny space, trying to decide what to do first. Not used to being alone again. I texted a few people who were supposed to be in Hampi around the same time. I ended up meeting up with Martin again – whom I first met in Mysore – as well as Bruno and Yusti, who I knew before I left for India. The four of us had a damn goat time there :) I’ll try to condense the week I spent there as best I can.

Ahhh, Hampi truly is quite special for many reasons. The surreal landscape is dotted with old temples springing up among the otherwordly boulders, making you feel like you’re walking on some movie set. You can easily find a secluded ruin and sit there all day. But not only that, the atmosphere in Hampi is awesome; very hippie and laid back. The thing to do is get high and eat and chill, after a long day of visiting the sights. Especially on the other side of the river, aka the cool side.

The first day, I walked around the ruins with Martin, enjoying geeky conversations, and having lunch at the highly recommended Mango Tree. We then met up with the other two but soon had to rush back to catch the "ferry" to the cool side of the river (last crossing at 6pm unfortunately). The four of us decided to meet early the following morning, rent some bikes and go exploring.

The fun didn't end for Martin and I once we were back on our side. We caught the sunset on a picturesque rocky hill, and I must say it was one of the best sunsets I had seen in years. The other people on the rocks even clapped afterwards (nod to Wreck Beach sunsets in Vancouver :)). Martin even made some canine friends. I decided I have got to camp on this hill one night before I leave.

After a candlelit dinner (gotta love power outages), I indulged in what became one of my favourite desserts there; Hello to the Queen. With a name like that, you know it's going to be wow-tastic. Crushed graham crackers, bananas, chocolate sauce, ice cream, coconut... all in a giant bowl. We then meandered over to the Tipi for more drinks, which was also recommended by another traveller. Turned out to be just that; a giant tipi where you could sleep, and they also followed the same formula as all the other guest houses; eating space with cushions on the floor, books, chilled out atmosphere.

The following day, we met up with a cool guy from Bangalore who had a map so the 5 of us spent the day riding together and seeing the sights. It was rather lovely, except for some flat tires and punctured tubes. Highlights were probably goat love at the river and Hanuman temple. We wound up making a rather long tour and ended up on the cool side of the river, so the other three went back to the uncool side while Martin and I spent another chilltastic evening at Shiva's restaurant. 

The next day, we actually all moved in at Gopi's, where Martin was staying. We eventually walked over to a lake a few kilometers away, after stocking up on watermelon and another traveller. At the lake, there were too many bloody Indian men staring at us swminning in an unbearably annoying way, even for India. You get used to it, but sometimes it's just...too much. Yusti and Bruno got a ride in what looked like a giant coconut shell boat, we ate watermelon with the locals, and eventually walked back. Along the way, we stopped at a place Martin knew, where we were told we should try the "special" lassi. Mmmmk. Sounds like fun :P We shared 2 among the 4 of us, then hurried back to Hampi to catch a screening of Into the Wild at one of the restaurants. I didn't feel anything on the way, and thought we had been ripped off.

But here's how things went down. We got to the place a few minutes into the film, sat down, ordered food, then...BHANG! :P I don't remember the last time I was that high. I wouldn’t have understood the movie if it was the first time I saw it; Bruno didn’t :P The combination of the film and the bhang unlocked something in my brain though. Can’t quite describe it, but it was like learning the art of surrender, shedding of fear, the beginnings of thirst for adventure. The ending of the film almost sent me into a panic attack though, but I was able to control it through some considerable effort because I expected it. 

We all checked in with each other, and well, it hit us all pretty hard. We all were gooooone. Twitching. Talking nonsense. Karma pyramid scheme. Somehow managed to get back to Gopi’s. Spent some time listening to music with Martin and laughing at how high we were, then fell asleep. 

Next day; major recovery necessary. But I felt a lightness of being I hadn't experienced in a long time. I danced while I walked, I felt so alive. Bhang and cuddles was just what I needed. Anxiety: 0, Fear: 0.

We decided to repeat the experience that night, but first heading to the hill for the sunset. Another feast for the eyes. This time the air itself was pink. Then we went to search for a place serving bhang lassis closer to Gopi's, and split a much smaller quantity this time. After some time, we were gone again. Tasted another amazing dessert; bonoffe pie. This must have been around the time when the goat jokes started. Bruno and Martin were on a roll. I don't know how many minutes we listened to "Pete and Repeat are on a boat. Pete falls off. Who's left? Repeat. Pete and Repeat are on a boat..." We again eventually somehow stumbled back to Gopi's, but realised on the way that we had never paid for the lassi, ha ha! It was impossible to think. The place's owners were probably pretty high as well.

Another sunrise. Another day of recovery. I really was craving going into the wild as this was my last day in Hampi, so Martin and I planned to camp out on the hill under the stars for that night, while Bruno & Yusti had to catch a train that day. So we got some food and supplies and set off to find the perfect camp spot, after dinner & sunset of course. We found a fairly secluded nook among the surreal landscape of rocks and then gathered wood to make a fire (which wasn't too difficult as everything was incredibly dried up), listened to music, ate watermelon, talked, watched the moonset... 

I set my alarm to watch the sunrise and practice some meditation. Dawn on the hill was pretty impressive as well. I then had to hurry back down to pack so that I could meet with a couchsurfer in Hospet before heading to Goa.

There was some confusion about the meeting time though, and while we waited, Martin and I got to see another temple and meet Lakshmi the elephant. First time I touched an elephant! :D Their skin is so...mesmerizing. We then finally met up with my host and he showed us around some of the main Hampi attractions that we somehow had managed to miss previously. 

Goodbyes ensued... I wasn't sure what Goa would have in store, but the Hampi craziness was the first in a series of events that opened my eyes and moved something in dark corners, even if only slightly and temporarily. It's something I will always be thankful for.

Photos: Hampi