India
From time becomes more and more vivid in our minds the idea of visiting a very different environment from that to which we are accustomed to date, we know that India offers a lot of rocks (raw material for our trip), so now it remains only more to decide the exact destination. After the famous video of Josh Lowell's "Pilgrimage" the idea becomes a certainty, and placed the issue of visas, obtained two days before, I finally, we leave Stella and Michael France: destination Hampi, already famous pilgrimage destination for tourists and locals.
We arrive at five in the morning in Bangalore, just south of the town of Hospet, referring to achieve our immense area blocks.
Soon we are out of the airport, we immediately rented a car and driver, (here we often use taxis for longer distances), negotiate rates as the price of custom and off we go. We spend 7,800 rupees which is about 128 euros to cover more or less than 380 km. We would be unthinkable, the price would be much higher.
The driver notes before leaving our two crashpads intrigued with the help of another guy trying to fix them on the rack in the roof of the car using no less than 20 minutes.
The travel distance is not very long, convinced that it takes a few hours wondering how long the driver will spend and decided he answers: 10 hours. ??!??, "Sorry is how to Hospet?" (Ask him), "she says about 400 km"?!?, Do not say anything, I think, or wrong, or the roads are very different from ours.
The answer comes to me quickly, we spend an hour and a half to get out of Bangalore, in traffic that I have ever seen, with dust, goats, cows, motorbikes, trucks and people everywhere in every point of the road.
The driver used remains impassive, nails and accelerates continuously without a murmur.
Leaving the town the road climbs straight up north to Hospet, continuous areas of possible blocks appear everywhere, you see hundreds of boulders emerge in every corner, trying to stay awake to see all three as possible, to see a new corner of the world but we are too tired, inevitably give in soon after.
Upon awakening, we see hundreds of wind turbines, truck loads of people on large trailers, we are in full working hours and traffic is growing up, even outside the city. We walk the narrow streets, crossing small villages built of tin sheds and asbestos.
We stop at a gas station to gas station, the driver gets out and starts to chat with everyone, at some time points still not convinced our crash pads and call another to bind them together again, using another 20 good minutes. After almost 40 minutes with the full fact we share.
I look at my watch, it's past 5 hours, finally begin to look for signs Hospet, I think it lacks a little now, but the road begins ac
amble, we meet more and more dirt roads with huge holes in the mud. Many times proceed at a crawl between tractor and goats that lines the road, the heat is crazy inside the car, the driver keeps the window open right throughout the trip but it becomes difficult to breathe too much dust.
We arrive in Hospet, destroyed, and there are still 13 km, cross country, I do not know if we are in the center or periphery, but looks incredibly dirty, piles of rubbish everywhere with stray dogs looking for food, chaotic, noisy, animals in the middle the road, motorcycles, trucks, rickshaws (Api Piaggio adapted to carry people), dust and odors of any kind. I must admit that the "impact" is certainly very strong start, we do not expect a lifestyle as well.
There are very few directions, the driver continues impassively to stop to ask how to get to the village of Hampi, the answer is always the same: Hampi-Hampi? Striit on de wheel! (Hampi? Go straight on the route).
Seven and a half hours by car and we finally arrive, they are split, with nausea for the infinite accelerated and nailed. Out of the car, there are at least 35 degrees and I realize that we are all completely covered with dust because the windows are open throughout the journey.
I turn and see an incredible amount of blocks of granite, will be millions, mixed with temples of all sizes. Three people arrive at once (as will happen throughout our stay here) and begin to ask Rickshaw? Room to stay? Restaurant? Meanwhile, fill us with business cards, We negotiate the price to take us beyond the river, the part called "Hampi Island", where all the houses for tourists gest, lead us and finally after about 30 hours total travel by Savona in Hampi can rest.
Hampi is now as divided in two by the river Tungabhadra, use a small boat every time you want to reach the other side, on the one hand there Hampi bazaar "old" home to the premises, other than "new" gest with all the houses and restaurants for tourists.
The place is very basic, but comfortable, all are very nice and helpful.
The evening of our arrival, although tired, we allow ourselves a ride perlustrativo between the blocks closer, we first took the chalk and an infinite possibility of steps. We are around the famous 'Goan corner', the oldest and most famous meeting place for climbers.
Now it's evening, in front of us is a sunset pink and red that gets lost between palm trees, temples and endless hills of rocks. Incredibly beautiful and evocative.
We eat from the local restaurant, where they prepare almost anything, also cook using filtered water for us Westerners, so groped to limit stomach poisoning. They are very attentive and the food is pretty good.
The first two days we try blocks already released by others to adapt and orient ourselves in this infinity of rock, quickly recognize many lines appeared in the video Pilgrimage, the only reference we have, I find an amazing, (the last movie), "The middle way ", a big stomach orange resting on a smooth base, grams
adoption of "unknown" (here the difficulties are taken very nicely elasticity) a Czechoslovakian guy bumped me para super motivated, the sun is to the side, there is a hot murderess but I feel too, too good. The thermometer indicates 34 degrees.
The cleats are revealed at once sharp and with this temperature, the skin will not last long but I do not care, I try, I try two launches, I understand the sequence. Stella in front of the rock salt ready for the video, I wait a little hope that maybe some clouds will give me a little 'shadow but to no avail. A few minutes after allotment, smagnesio well and I understand that here you have to climb quickly if you do not want to come up with your hands bagnatissime mid-block, childbirth, three launches almost always dry your feet in the air and reach the top, beautiful. The children who attend with me screaming in magical silence of this place, we are all happy.
We continue to run, jump Michele motivated by a ball of rock to another without worrying about what he's trying, following the magnesium left by others, even Stella trying vague lines at random.
Even if you were to go to Hampi is not difficult to familiarize yourself with other climbers. When they see you try something or wander among the rocks approach trying to tap into their group is like to be part of every community. Whenever we travel there often is a great way to experience the climb.
The climbers come here more and more every year, now this is a goal rather than established fact in the evening when the temperature gets better we meet on the blocks, and silence is often heard shouts of encouragement come from somewhere.
The local guide in fact is still not realized in 2005 a list of the first steps, the area is so wide that you understand very little. The buy out of solidarity but it is already too old, missing many lines, and they come out continually new, so after you leave the pastry to room.
A line is certainly beautiful "Surfer's beams" 7c. Unaware of his exposure to the sun for most of the day, we start at 10 am super motivated and fascinated by this beautiful cross following a long notch almost to the top. Fools, because from 10 on, these days it is better to go in the shade, we find ourselves in front of the rock, no one is thinking of leaving, let's try with two singles and then giving birth, the thermometer indicates 39 degrees.
At first I took convinced that maybe you should try at another time but peace, and now we are calling, your hands get wet immediately, do not have the pocket behind me, I wipe on the pants and the other from an outlet. Towards the end my head spinning I do two flips and jumping off the rock, I feel almost miss the heat, get out of hand scaling and fatigue can touch him so hot. Michael was soon "collapses" into a small canyon and disappears under the rock for an hour.
Understood the lesson, we learn immediately that we must scale in the early morning from 7 to 10 and from 3 to 5.30 in the afternoon just before dark, completely in the shade, so the climb is focused in a few hours of the day.
We did not understand what is the best time not to suffer the heat too, but there are many conflicting opinions. They say he is from November to February, but we have found in November along ...
One day of rest, go to the "bazaar", the main street, where almost all the sellers come to ask us if we buy their products, such as clothes, food, musical instruments and accessories. Between two narrow walls of sheet tied to wooden stakes is a woman who irons clothes, even the iron with coal, in all the clothing stores have sewing machines to repair or change anything, they are also fast.
Here local products really cost anything, pants and sweaters colorful bags are bought together for a few euros.
By walking along the road we often meet with groups of schoolchildren in their uniforms returning from school, sometimes you find Baba, holy men in the group seeking tourists to take pictures that make, offer their blessing and immediately show the price list for each, about 100 rupees each, (1.40 €).
We continue our tour down to the path indicated to access the various temples and shrines. There are about 350, the oldest t
ra these sacred buildings date from the fourteenth century, when it is absolutely necessary to see them here, are splendid. A stairway rises up the hill from countless rocks, small buildings begin to appear, you will encounter while sellers of stone objects and women who ask you to enter places of worship explaining what little money to his legend.
Each temple is a different divinity, like the Monkey God, or the cobra, elephant and many others, which are often found carved on the columns of these magnificent monuments.
Do not expect anything for free, every explanation, every shot is followed by a request for money. The tourists here are a powerful source of income, it is understandable, but after a while 'is tiring always having to bargain for everything.
We continue up to the great Achyuta Raya Temple, which shows many carved on columns that support the various scenes of life including many erotic positions, I do not understand what they did here centuries ago, but certainly not bored ...
The tour is long wanting, you can walk for days, continuing to explore various temples, we stopped at the river, arriving shortly after a young boy to take us from the other side with a big basket of woven wood, curious and doubtful about its stability There we go, is a characteristic way to replace the boat, use it to bring a lot of everything, than to stay there at least 6 people, we also carry scooters, bicycles, etc.. Try it.
Wherever we go we find hills block the eye, so after the first day of steps have already released our attention goes on the rocks "new" in front of millions of rocks is not hard to find, you just need a little imagination, the rock is already clean, one must be careful only to grips "empty" that break easily.
Take a rickshaw and let us bring in a new area next to the huge reservoir of Hampi, 5 km from where we are. The place is m
uch good, the wind often blows in this heat is easier to climb if there is a little 'air, we agree with the guy because there is to resume at 18 o'clock in the parking area.
We climb the hill blocks smagnesati finding by others, along with many lines ever climbed, we turn off left following gigantic boulders until we stop at an angle that hides a beautiful shade and evident cave with a center line which will be called: "Black moon ", a long ball in half on tacchettine of 8a, with the possibility of a sit-start harder. Stella starts immediately on the block more aesthetic, a "torpedo" vertical balance, leaning on one edge of the precipice, the threshold is so that seems just a push to get it down. We call it "A life of balance", a 6c + esteticissimo.
Each boulder overlooking the hills and banana plantations, there is almost always a river that separates the valleys.
Michael tries a traverse on flat again we call "White Moon", two outputs, the first on a mantle of 6c +, or if you continue to the edge more and more flaring become 7b, I was a bit 'for the style you prefer and above I try the cave's shadow.
Quickly we realize that this small square found by chance is infinitesimal compared to the unlimited size of this place, there are very many blocks.
The sun begins to decline, a sign that the light will run poorly, the sunset gives way to dark in a very short time, so we go down front to hand the running of s 
entiero to the parking lot, and .....? ! There ...... the guy pulls a pack not showing phenomenal appointment.
Optimists expect punctuality thinking that perhaps it is the culture of the place but in vain, does not arrive.
By now, dark, with hardly see the road and with only a front, walk 5 km walk with crash pads and bags, tired and hot. (We discover days later that he did not appear to escape a police control room, we have not investigated the reasons ...)
A first cross section in complete darkness under a starry sky and come to a beautiful little lighted village, with local people running everywhere, it seems everyone has a great hurry, children who go home, motorcycle coming from all sides, cows , goats, dogs pass us by. With our material on their shoulders we look incredulous and curious, but without saying anything, the children greet us, the women prepare dinner and they do put in all the objects scattered outside during the day. The worst stretch is along the final straight with tractors that arrived in the dark whenever touched as fast. We arrive in the room an hour later all three legs destroyed. Certainly did not expect this return, but basically it was interesting and instructive. I'm tired, lying on the bed under the fan that removes hot air into the room, I am convinced that was a fortune to walk back, I liked it.
We arrive famished at dinner, I maybe a bit 'too constant habit to eat the same excellent rice with vegetables, Stella curious, try anything on the menu has a strange name and Michele in the law of opposites is maintained in half by choosing carefully every meal .
In restaurants, we often encounter other climbers and travelers who are away from home for months now, the environment becomes familiar and the night slips away in a pleasant way with talk of other places and travels around the world, each with an interesting story and a personal vision of experiences in these places so incredibly different from ours. It's fun to listen to them, they also have a "light" in his eyes that I could not see for some time. Other times we are held back by "magicians" who try to charm the birds from customers by showing a basket, you never get bored.
Hampi is the most likely place with the highest concentration of boulders in the world, are spread over several hills as far as the eye can see, the only problem is definitely too hot which makes it hard to provide. Furthermore, the rock is very aggressive and does not allow too many turns.
In the evening comes in the most popular "cake man", a local man with a cloth bag containing biscuits and cakes, has invented a job in the morning preparing all kinds of cakes, puts them in paper bags and wander for hours among the blocks trying to sell them to climbers.
The shepherds always stop to look scalar, people seem very peaceful, private, are to the side apart, you probably wonder why they are so difficult to try to make a few meters of rock, sometimes wonder if I can photograph them and shyly proud, but you pose. I showed him the photo on the back of the machine and each time I respond with a smile that does not like, after a timid greeting go away with their flocks of goats.
At dinner that evening Michael does not talk, is always very sociable and likes to chat, but this time it does not say a word, he eats two bites and end up saying that it is unwell, upset stomach, and feels rather go to sleep.
Let's find him after dinner, I knock but does not respond.
The next day he tells me that he spent a night in hell, nausea, fever and all the other symptoms of intoxication in the stomach. Prudence in all our food was served for nothing ...
Talking to Slovenian friends discover that the Goan Corner is a girl with the same symptoms, the local I say that here in Hampi so many people have these problems but rest easy because it only lasts a day or two.
The next morning I go to climb and Stella, while Michael rests in his room, playing with new lines for a while 'but upon returning she feels the same initial discomfort in the stomach, and lives equal to the same dinner last night to Michael.
The next day she is destroyed, oscillating around 38.2 fever, nausea, stomach pain, and kidney, remains weak in the room.
Do not we all ate the same things, but in the same restaurant, so I wait for my turn.
This (apart from the humid heat) is the downside of Hampi, eat and live each day in an environment totally different from ours, certainly makes it more intriguing, but at times like these adverse effects occur. Our body is not accustomed to Indian food and we have no antibodies.
It is said that if you come here you definitely have physical problems, I know many people who have been eating very well everything is very personal, but in these places, the lack of hygiene is obvious, surely it is more likely for us bacterial infections.
After two days Michael recovers, it is still weak and prefer not to climb again, so we go together to buy the pants and a particular Indian blanket to take home, in the meantime we plan the days remaining.
The heat does not cease there from, hopes fall just on some cloud covering the sun.
Meanwhile, Stella is still weak in the room.
The next morning he tells me to feel much better, great, I chat with her on the blocks that you can try in the evening, when suddenly I hear a whine coming from behind the bathroom, on the side of a field with cows that live there.
I look through the window and see two boys who kill a dog with a stick.
Next to an adult watching them without speaking, are all serious, I do not think they do it for fun.
That's the same dog that I'm here for ten days it helps to keep the cows, I admit.
Why did you kill him? What happened to make such a bad thing? A shot of the kids take turns to kill him, until a few minutes later by dying stops moving. Quickly take two sticks and take him away.
Continue questions come to mind, I can not take my eyes from the scene. He was hurt so remove it? However, deserved to die that way? If they wanted to get rid of him was not enough to take it somewhere else and leave him with other dogs as we often see here, living among the garbage? Not proficient in these people and their culture, so I would not venture an opinion, but the questions are more than legitimate.
The last thought that I wrestle with is how to have interpreted his death that dog, after having served the people until they were needed, established a relationship, perhaps even limited or superficial, I wonder what you will be asked when he saw them turn against to kill him in a horrible way.
When back in the room I saw a different star, and asked me what happened, but I can not tell, loves animals too much to explain what I saw.
The only reply that the man is a really strange.
It 'true that the environment is beautiful, even their culture is fascinating, but it seems a great number of extremes: it is filthy, there is garbage on the streets, around homes, incredible amount around the temples. In the temple of Virupaksha ask you to remove your shoes before entering, out of respect for the place where you are, great, but the outside walls of the same hide a waste of all kinds.
So many contradictions that I can not understand. It seems a people in pursuit of progress but not yet seem ready, on the one hand there are wind turbines to produce electricity, and other people living in tents or shacks side roads, almost all have television but no furniture, beds and kitchens, some eat in the middle of the earth, many live next to mountains of trash, but then they treat their gardens, and washed every morning in the river, have fast internet, but the current is interrupted very often. I think our culture is too different to understand them in only three weeks that we are here.
A morning star we take advantage of the cooler hours of the morning for a ride along the river.
Arrived see many people sitting on the grand staircase to the side, seems to be waiting for something, time to reach the other side and we see on an elephant. I've never seen one, do not deny that emotion is very strong, slowly descends the stairs and jumps into the water for the morning bath.
A tourist asks the guy who brings it may be helpful to wash it, the animal lies down after he surrounded himself sideways to wash with the brushes. We are all curious, the tourists slowly approaches, the elephant seems a bit 'scared and then when he sees that proves very affectionate leave you scratching the huge body with the brush.
It 's hard, (it's like cleaning a large block from the moss), without stopping in the two brush and rinse several times, I picture while Stella takes all.
At the puppy seems to like him, he turns the other side to start until after about 1 hour and 15 minutes, his companion rises above us and slowly walks away.
Beautiful, go away happy to have witnessed this scene, we head once again in the "bazaar" and see a guy sitting to the side that plays a "flute" especially with two baskets in front of him.
He sees that I approach curious, open baskets quickly by releasing two large cobras that just open up the neck showing to people.
Within seconds the crowd get curious, they both have the design on the back of the "two eyes" united by a semicircle, are beautiful.
The guy swings often the right hand to draw their attention to him, shows great confidence in the movements he makes. Just curious children get too close with a quick gesture alienate them, a few minutes later and closes the baskets goes away.
Unbelievable, we have seen such beautiful animals in a single morning, we return by Michele motivated to tell him everything. Meanwhile, I reflect again on the Cobra, I get spontaneous questions, there are things that do not convince me, I explained to a German scale here since 1991, is called Hari, the only local boulderer who knows the real potential of Hampi. He spent many days alone among the blocks looking for new lines as well, sleeping among the rocks, (a character absolutely know), tells me that the cobras are protected animals and the guy made an illegal act by keeping them in the baskets to show them to tourists also (even more miserable), they take off their teeth to make them harmless. That's why the man showed no fear before them.
A quick lunch and we go to scale.
This time we go to the top of the industry, "Baba cafe," Stella wants to try a famous beautiful corner, is called "Two tap", 7b, remains almost the whole day in the shade. When we get a group of monkeys watching us curiously. We climb on these two edges flat, just next door is a beautiful sequence of cleats that goes straight "Quality control" 7b +, Stella reasoned test everything and we move quickly, unfortunately it gets dark early and we can not stop long, just go above and solve the full version of a block freed up by a few days before the French "Crystal Ball". Michael meanwhile try many steps around the sun is already down, in a hurry to show its beautiful colors that blend the lights of these rugged hills, the temple now in pink and red.
Faceplate to the hand and back.
This is definitely a fun and educational trip, but before leaving the place to get ready to look with different eyes and leave behind much of our culture. On many things we have to learn, children are always smiling even though they have nothing, playing with the inner tubes of bicycle tires by rotating them with a stick, ride a bike much larger than themselves, you take your hand if you see Western and walk with you but without straying too far from their mothers. They seem happy, and this is why we think so many young people no longer have the same look in his eyes.
This is a place economically poor but at the same time is full of beauty, people seem happy, we are entertained by foreigners who spend their days trying to climb the rocks, we often wonder what we do up there on the hills, but when spieg 
or do you think they do not understand.
It 'a place "magic" that is definitely seen, both for simple scalar "pilgrimage", you will see unique things that will amaze you, make you reflect on our differences, some things will appear clearer and more understandable, but surely this small amount of India will remain inside of you forever.
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Data Sheet
- Hampi is in Karnataka, in southern India, 13 km from Hospet.
- And 'possible to reach Hampi, from Bombay or Bangalore.
From Bombay the most recommended is down along the coast at night by train or bus to Goa (famous tourist destination), stopping a day or two and then go east to Hospet.
From Bangalore, drive to 380 km to the north by night train or bus and taxi.
- Life is very cheap for us Westerners.
- At the village of Hampi, cross the river Tungabhadra to reach the guest houses for tourists, are lined up along the single main street parallel to the river.
There is almost always placed, often no need to book first, if you find busy with the next try next.
The most famous among climbers is the Goan Corner, where it is easy to walk to the areas most famous.
- The restaurants are all listed and linked to the guest houses.
- Definitely worth visiting the country, to see the temples, are beautiful.
- Often sellers invent prices on time and are always inflated, remove at least 30/40% of what you ask.
- In the field next to the Virupaksha temple is beautiful even in the junk blocks, beware of broken glass bottles, but other areas outside the country attended only by mountain climbers are clean.
- From Europe also suggest that the anti-malarial, many here argue that there is a need, we have not done, it's a personal choice.
- Take medicines for food poisoning, sanitizing and mosquito
