“Twenty
years from now you will be more disappointed by the things you didn’t do than
by the ones you did do. So throw off the bowlines, sail away from the safe
harbor. Catch the trade winds in your sails. Explore. Dream. Discover.” ~ Mark
Twain
After the intense daylong extravaganza of seeing a dozen historical sites, Tippu dropped us off at the only beer-serving establishment in town. After putting away a couple of Kingfisher beers, the three of us headed back to our hotel where, at the ripe old time of 7 pm, we tricked ourselves into believing that a 20-minute nap would actually last only 20-minutes. Instead we slept for 14 hours.
Warmed by the welcome and the increasingly hot sun, we three Banditos re-started our hawgs and continued our trip. Soon after, we stopped at the Monkey Temple where we climbed 575 stairs in the mid-afternoon heat to reach the top. Aptly named, the Monkey Temple is home to two types of monkeys that delight in mocking the inability of their human cousins to climb around the temple’s huge and cumbersome rocks. At one point, we witnessed four monkeys trying to charm a banana out of a fellow tourist’s hands. Needless to say it worked. Eating its banana the monkey then proceeded to jump from seat to seat on the nearby motorcycles parked in a row.
The entire “hawg” experience is the other of my two favorite experiences. There was something about the freedom of exploring the area on our own terms and the fun of driving a moped that made the day unforgettable. After a few more hours we dismounted our hawgs for the last time and headed back across the river. We ended our Hampi experience with an extravagant dinner at a 4-star hotel near our bus stop. After a few main courses, desserts, and multiple Kingfishers we got into a great debate about a range of topics including sustainable living, climate change, America’s place in the world, Canada’s place in the world (Tagg is Canadian), and the challenges India faces in the future. The debate raged on as we made our way to the bus stop and boarded the bus. Soon we were fast asleep trying to ignore the bumps before arriving in Bangalore early Monday morning. As the sun rose on another day, the sun set on the first adventure of the Bangalore Banditos. But fear not dear reader. The Banditos will ride again. Viva los Banditos!
A week ago I had two of my favorite experiences in India
and both of them happened while visiting the tiny hamlet of Hampi. After an
overnight bus trip that left us bleary eyed, I joined my compatriots and
Simpa co-interns Patrick and Tagg as we made our way into Hampi from the bus stop. We
checked into our hotel, signed the guest registry at the police station
(required of all visitors), and made our way to the Mango Tree for breakfast.
Along the way we met Tippu, Rickshaw Driver Extraordinaire. If there were a
“Best Hampi Salesman” award, Tippu would get it every year. Using his near
perfect English, Tippu sweet-talked, cajoled, and convinced us to take an
all-day rickshaw tour of Hampi. While at first we were certain we would get
ripped off, by the end we didn’t care. Tippu took us to nearly every temple in
town, offered historical and architectural dissertations, showed us the back
way to various sites where we ran into multiple goats and their herders, and
offered us delicious Indian cookies not once, but twice along the way. I have
no doubt that one day Tippu will be India’s Prime Minister (you heard it here
first!).
Formed by centuries of volcanic activity and erosion,
Hampi’s landscape is nothing less than magical. The hamlet is filled with beautiful
rock formations that look like they dropped from the sky a million years ago
leaving a randomly placed, but beautiful collection of rocky hills. At times it
reminded me of parts of Arizona where similar ecological forces shaped the
landscape over eons. Seeing the landscape made me understand why Hampi is
considered a sacred place. If I had lived in the 15th century and came upon
this landscape, I would think it was God-given as well.
After the intense daylong extravaganza of seeing a dozen historical sites, Tippu dropped us off at the only beer-serving establishment in town. After putting away a couple of Kingfisher beers, the three of us headed back to our hotel where, at the ripe old time of 7 pm, we tricked ourselves into believing that a 20-minute nap would actually last only 20-minutes. Instead we slept for 14 hours.
The next morning, we journeyed forth from our hotel well
rested and ready for another day of adventure. After another breakfast at the
Mango Tree (the best place in town both in terms of quality and because there
are only three places in town), we took a ferry across a small nearby river. Our
mission: to rent three mopeds to explore Hampi’s backwaters. It turned out to
be the best 350 Rupees I have ever spent. As the video below highlights, it was a blast. We hopped on our mopeds like 10-year olds who just been
given new bikes for Christmas. And, thus, the Bangalore Banditos were born
under the rallying cry, “Viva los Banditos!” We rode our “hawgs” for the next
eight-hours visiting various temples, historical sites, and towns along the
way.
Early in our road trip we noticed a Mosque built into the rocks on the
other side of a rice paddy field. Ever the intrepid souls, Tagg and Patrick thought
we should take the short walk to check it out. I was apprehensive about walking
on someone else’s rice paddy field and about showing up at a holy site
unannounced. I couldn’t be happier that Tagg and Patrick won the debate. As we
approached the Mosque we realized that a small creek kept us from our goal. Just
as we were about to turn around, we heard a dozen small voices shout various
phrases of welcome: “Hey, mister!” “Hi!” “Hello misters!” Out of nowhere a
dozen kids appeared and, happy at their new found friends, tried to persuade
use to cross the creek. Undeterred by our apprehension, they decided to show us
how easy it was by crossing to our side instead. I doubt I will ever have as
warm and generous a welcome as those kids gave us that day. They enticed us
across the river, showed us around the Mosque (perhaps to the chagrin of their
elders), and practically mauled us with high fives. It was the best experience
I’ve had here so far (see the second video below).
Warmed by the welcome and the increasingly hot sun, we three Banditos re-started our hawgs and continued our trip. Soon after, we stopped at the Monkey Temple where we climbed 575 stairs in the mid-afternoon heat to reach the top. Aptly named, the Monkey Temple is home to two types of monkeys that delight in mocking the inability of their human cousins to climb around the temple’s huge and cumbersome rocks. At one point, we witnessed four monkeys trying to charm a banana out of a fellow tourist’s hands. Needless to say it worked. Eating its banana the monkey then proceeded to jump from seat to seat on the nearby motorcycles parked in a row.
The entire “hawg” experience is the other of my two favorite experiences. There was something about the freedom of exploring the area on our own terms and the fun of driving a moped that made the day unforgettable. After a few more hours we dismounted our hawgs for the last time and headed back across the river. We ended our Hampi experience with an extravagant dinner at a 4-star hotel near our bus stop. After a few main courses, desserts, and multiple Kingfishers we got into a great debate about a range of topics including sustainable living, climate change, America’s place in the world, Canada’s place in the world (Tagg is Canadian), and the challenges India faces in the future. The debate raged on as we made our way to the bus stop and boarded the bus. Soon we were fast asleep trying to ignore the bumps before arriving in Bangalore early Monday morning. As the sun rose on another day, the sun set on the first adventure of the Bangalore Banditos. But fear not dear reader. The Banditos will ride again. Viva los Banditos!
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