Southern Delights

We headed down south, with its promise of a gentler, more relaxing and less taxing introduction to the magical wonders of India. Just what we needed after the hustle bustle and jostling crowds of Mumbai.
The first stop was Panjim, the Capitol of the state Goa. It lies on the banks of the Mandovi River estuary in Tiswadi Taluka. We stayed at the beautiful Alfonso Guest House which is situated in the quaint Latin quarter of the city. The roof top is where I spent most of my time (nursing a Kingfisher beer hangover) looking out to the Jungle grown mountain side and the whitewashed St Sebastian chapel. This is also the best place to get your traditional Goan fish curry! 

From Panjim we took the long but beautiful train journey through the Western Ghats to Hampi. 
This place will leave you speechless, it had an almost eerie feeling, heaps of boulders piled high over miles of undulating terrain, paddy fields, banana plantations, and the ancient ruins of scattered temples, to me it looked like a movie set, something out of Jurassic park.
We crossed the little river by boat to get to the hostel side. Not such an easy task when the boat resembles something paddington bear floats around in and there is 8 of you with backpacks trying to balance and screaming out in fear of falling into the bog of eternal stench! We found a great place for only 200 RPS a night, no fan, electricity or water but a bed with a fly net, and a fully stocked bar, I was happy! 
My favourite spot was Nargilla Guesthouse and restaurant, this is where we met all the weird and wonderful hashed to the max hippies, I played jambe drums and didgeridoo with the local music man and partied my night away surrounded by the UV glow of the mushrooms and pixies on the wall. Hampi was my favourite place in India, the rugged beauty and peaceful sunsets made me smile from the inside out, truly a breathtaking experience.