Hampi, Goa and Mumbai

Hampi

An unusually cool town, our brief trip to Hampi was well worth the diversion inland. Hampi is a small settlement in the middle of flat plains, with a landscape scattered with oversized boulders and 14th century ruins indicating it was once a bustling trading hub.

The locals have in recent years settled in the ruins, using the foundations to build their houses and shops, but the site is being restored to preserve what is left, and the locals are being encouraged to move 3km down the road. What remains of the old town is a just a few streets of tourist accommodation and local housing amongst a crumbling mess of demolished buildings. 

We hired bikes and a guide to show us around and explain the history of the ruins.  We finished the day with a climb up a nearby mountain for a panoramic view and a gorgeous sunset.

Moving on from Hampi, we headed back to the coast for two relaxing days at Goa's southern beach-Canacona- with our friends James and Bronnie. So good to see them again- we spent the days swimming in the sea-retreating in the heat of the day to a beach side restaurant for cocktails. 

An overnight train plucked us from paradise to the city sprawl of Mumbai. A pungent mix of wealth and poverty, we saw as much as we could in 1 and 1/2 days through a city tour with a local guide. He took us through the rich intercity suburbs to the slums Mumbai is well known for. My initial reaction was that the slums aren't 'that' bad, many with satellite dishes and set amongst lively markets and busy industry like recycling sorting- there is a strong community feel. But none have toilets and most probably don't have running water. And the waterways that surround the neighborhoods and thick and toxic. And as we pull away from the city, these shack neighborhoods just keep going. The scenery of India is certainly changing has we leave the South.