Travel 2022

Last time I had a blogpost was in 2018 and now its 2022. I have travelled to a lot of places in between but I was just too lazy to pen down anything. 

Instead of going back to all that travel journeys, which I'll do sometime, lets start with fresh travel tales.

So the first trip of 2022 after the pandemic situation looked a bit in control was a drive from Bhubaneswar to Puri. 

I was still new to driving and I was truly excited for this trip. I also wanted to check on my long driving skills.

So two of my friends and I start out journey. Suchi was ready to take over driving in case I feel exhausted. Or anyways she wanted to drive in between too. So we shared the load. 

We took a lot more time than it was supposed to take because we were obviously going slow!

Some snapshots from the trip:

HAMPI ! The hippy side ~

Continuing from  Hampi- Heritage Side

DAY 3: My staying place was super cute and near to paddy fields. This day I am touring the Hippy side or the other side of Hampi or Anegundi village. I hired an Activa two wheeler and went on to explore. My first destination was a Hanuman temple where you have more than 600 steps to walk. With directions and an amazing long drive in the greens and fresh air, I reached. I walked all the steps and visited the temple. One good thing had been the view from that top. Breath taking!! Boulders everywhere and the rivers crisscrossing and green fields. All these times, I hadn't missed my phone which was broken and I was out of connectivity.

Somewhere around Hampi

Bobby's guest house. 

The amazing hills

:) Camera timer works

Fields and farmers

Hanuman temple

View!

Gorgeous that was ~

The boulders were just wow. Like how amazingly are they placed all over. How are they even formed like this. Then I drove more like a vagabond and visited two more temples, Lakshmi temple and Durga temple. The people at Durga temple humbly offered me lunch. It was a yummy sambar-rice meal! I was so content :)

Lakshmi Temple

Durga Temple

A Banjara lady

My free humble lunch at Durga temple

How perfect are they!

Taking it all in ~

The reservoir 

A late afternoon here was a bliss, plus it was drizzling :)

A lady in the farms

  
I proceeded to see one reservoir now. So I drove and drove. I lost my way and drove some more. Even driving there cluelessly was beautiful. I finally reached and awed at the place. It started drizzling and it added to the beauty of it.

On the way I paused and clicked some birds. A boy came and guided me to another place full of birds. There I saw plenty of Baya weavers making their nests. I got some amazing shots. I finally reached my hut. I met a guy named Jungle and he offered me to take to a hill nearby where all hippies and travelers are going to see the sunset. So we talked along and he helped me climb up the place. A lot of people had gathered and there was Gali. He waved and they all had various musical instruments playing. What a lovely feel. Over the hill, music and a gorgeous view in front and a mild sunset happening in the monsoon, I Loved it. This was one hell of an experience. We all were down by late evening and all chit chatted and I was welcomed to a jamming session that would happen in a restaurant near by called 'Nargillas'. I went and shyly took a corner seat. Then I was asked to share the table as it was getting crowdy. So two men joined up, one from Israel and one from Argentine. One smoked and other was drowning in beer but we all chatted well about our countries and what we are doing here and all that. Movies, food, and all rubbish, I ordered and enjoyed my lasagna. Too cheesy it was. Slowly the place was full. My time with those two strangers went quite well...some memories to add of Hampi!

I came to my hut, made a call to home and then sat around there for sometime. Gali joined me and we talked till late hours. Later even the hotel reception guy joined in. We three walked till the open the fields and I realized that Gali had his flute with him. He played. On top of it it was full moon. Full moon, paddy fields, bouldered Hampi and nothing but hustle of the wind and beautiful melodious flute music. It was a divine feeling. He played and we sat listening. After long we all got back and settled at our own places.

'Ashy Prinia' and the song for the beloved

Male Baya weaver making the nest for females in the mating season

Gali and the folks

Our beautiful sunset place

lasagna 

My memorable evening in Hampi

KNOCK KNOCK

Day 4: Somebody knocked the bamboo door of my room. Squirrels were around making noise. I opened the door and Gali was there, he was leaving somewhere and before going he gifted me a CD of his HAMPI music. That was nice of him. I later checked out, had dosa locally and then crossed the river for connectivity was from that side. I had to bid goodbye to Tungabhadgra river. I came this side. I had time in hand. I again went around Virapaksha temple and climbed further on left side of hills. I had missed this earlier because of rains, and now I was here again. More beauty. More ruins. I could see the overall Hampi site and the little iconic Hanuman temple with the slanting tree. 
I took a bus then to Hospet and called home from a strangers mobile. He was a poor shopkeeper and didn't even take money for it. I wrote this last journey while being at platform no. 1 , Hospet. ~

The Iconic Hanuman temple

Bye Hampi, I loved you :)