A Hampi Christmas

A typical Christmas day scene in Hampi.

For some reason I always had it in mind that we'd spend Christmas in Hampi and I'm glad we made that decision. While everyone else in India was hot-footing it to party in Goa, we managed to have a chilled festive season in Hampi with a bunch of Indians and Israelis - none of whom could give two hoots about the birth of Christ (although, truthfully, do many people in the UK care about the birth of Christ anymore?).

So, Christmas day involved getting up and hopping on our moped for a swim in the nearby Sanapur Reservoir. Which all sounds very idyllic until you see this sign not 10ft away from said reservoir...

After chatting to a few locals who said: "No, no crocodiles in lake!" but with a bit of a knowing grin on their faces, we decided to go in up to about our knees, with a plan to run if there was any sign of a croc. Not so relaxing after all.

We then had a traditional Christmas breakfast of muesli and fruit at our favourite Hampi cafe restaurant,  Laughing Buddha, and spent the rest of the morning reading while appreciating the amazing view.

The view from Laughing Buddha in Hampi.

For lunch it was a traditional Christmas veg biryani and in the evening we had a few Kingfishers and a salad. So it's easy to say it wasn't the most Christmassy Christmas we've ever had but it made a very refreshing change to the sometimes fraught season in the western world. Some people may
 be shocked (and even disgusted) to hear that we didn't even bother getting each other presents.

Without knowing it, choosing to stay in Hampi turned out to be a stroke of genius on our part. It was actually quieter than usual (people seem to gravitate to the coast at this time of year) so there were bargains to be had with accommodation and the food and drink prices were normal.

Hampi is a beautiful place and the best way to see it is on a moped (or a bicycle if you aren't as lazy as us). The landscape is how you imagine Bedrock in The Flintstones if it came to life, with massive boulders all balancing on top of each other and a pretty river running through a valley. This is all then topped off by amazing ruins at every turn from when Hampi was known as Vijayanagara, the former capital of the Vijayanagara Empire. We actually spent hours just taking in the scenery from the moped while driving through the paddy fields.

On Christmas day we watched the sunset from the Hanuman Temple, better known as the Monkey Temple, and encountered some of the naughtiest monkeys of our trip so far. We honestly saw one run up to a couple sitting on the edge of the cliff and try to steal a water bottle out of the man's hands. When he tugged it back the monkey pushed him (presumably hoping he'd drop off the cliff altogether), then bit him and grabbed the water bottle before unscrewing the cap (yes, a monkey UNSCREWED a cap) and started drinking out of  the bottle like a human. And here's the photo to prove it.

The monkey taking a refreshing break after trying to push this man of a cliff. No joke.

We also witnessed a monkey thief who ran up to a woman, grabbed her handbag and then bounded up the side of the temple and proceeded to pick through the contents, tearing open the bag with its teeth, before trying to eat everything from a plastic necklace to her mobile phone. Shocking, right?

Naughty handbag thief monkey examines his loot.

If you ever go to Hampi then beware of the red-faced monkeys, it seems to be where all of the convict monkeys are sent.

We also encountered a shoe thief, although I don't think they were stolen by a monkey. On Christmas day Luke left his new Converse, and more to the point comfortable, flip flops outside a restaurant (as is common practice in India) and when we came out all that was left was a scruffy, clumpy pair of "no name" flip flops conveniently in his size. A large group of Indian "lads on tour" had left just a few minutes before and I was ready to spend the evening hunting them down but Luke, being Luke, was much calmer about the whole thing.

Overall we really loved Hampi, especially because we got to ride a moped (150rps per day plus 100rps per litre for petrol) and didn't need to rely on tuk-tuk drivers who, we are beginning to realise, add extra stress to every day!

I got so excited about the moped that I did the peace sign.

To get from one side of the river to the other we had to go on a tiny boat designed for about eight people, but they carried six mopeds and about 30 people. We were told there used to be a bridge but three years ago it collapsed killing ten people - it's safe to say that health and safety isn't India's strong point.

Mopeds queuing to get on a tiny, wooden boat in Hampi.

Because Hampi is a touristy place where Indians visit, we got asked to be in a lot of photos with people - they seem to love having photos with westerners, a bit like we're aliens! In the spirit of things, we've started to ask to have our own in return - the results are quite funny.

USEFUL INFORMATION ABOUT HAMPI

Accommodation: We stayed at Murali's Guest House on the other side of the river in Virupapur Gadde. Although this isn't near all of the main ruins, it's a lot more relaxed (you can easily get a beer) and there are lots of lovely cycle rides through the paddy fields. I think it's more suited for backpackers. We paid 800rps (8GBP) per night but actually I think you can get a nicer place cheaper. We looked at one almost immediately to the right when you get off the boat (called Teja Guest House) which had lovely huts for 500rps a night and not so lovely cell-like rooms for 250rps.
Food and drink: On the Virupapur Gadde side we loved Laughing Buddha for the amazing views and chilled vibe.
Getting there and away: From Hyderabad we got a night train to Hospet and then took a tuk-tuk the 14kms to Hampi Bazaar (approx 150rps in the daytime and 250rps at night), we then got the boat over to the other side for 10rps - but note it starts at 6am and stops at 6pm at night. If you want to get your moped over the river then you need to get the boat at Anagunde village (the bike is an extra 10rps).
To get away from Hampi we got a tuk-tuk to Hospet and then a private sleeper bus to Bangalore through SRS Travel which was approx 550rps each.