Paddy Fields

Please enjoy these shots of Hampi's Paddy Fields by clicking on the link to my other blog below

The Camera and I

Hampi, Climbing, Temples and Peace

Our Bit of Paradise beside the Paddy Fields

We’re in Hampi, India. The one thing that strikes you about India are the colours, every dresses in bright oranges, pinks, blues and greens. It’s a delight to stroll along the river and watch these colourful sarongs drying in the breeze, columns of pilgrims trekking to the temples seem to shimmer in the sun. We have settle in very quickly, taking in the local temples and ruins on our first morning, then venturing over the river for some bouldering in the afternoon.

The other side is quite a contrast to the religious hustle and bustle of Hampi, here its quite paddy fields, a few guest houses and the boulder fields. The rock here is ancient granite boulders, smoothed by glaciers (if you think how long ago glaciers where in central India it gives you an idea of how old they are), they are marked with tiny sharp crimps and positive flakes to cling to. The landings where very good, although a mat was needed as the boulders perched on the granite plateau and wouldn’t have been too pleasant to hit from high up. The only downside was having to dash back before 6.00 to catch the last ferry over to Hampi.

We should have moved over to the other side of the river sooner, when we finally packed our bags and headed over we swapped our creaky room and shared bathroom for a bungalow, backing onto sparkling paddy fields which lead down the river and even had the luxury of our own bathroom, even thou the shower was still cold. Everything was better over here, less busy, our guesthouse had the best restaurant we had eaten at so far and we didn’t have to dash back for the last ferry.

During the day we could cross back over the river to wander round the vast Royal palaces with their Elephant stables or the Temple complexes with their Bazars and ornate pillars and statues. Then when the day got cooler head into the hills from some bouldering. The potential here for new lines is endless, you could even bring a small rack with you and put up some routes. We are even starting to get used to the climbing with both Yvette and I climbing well, other climbers can be found in the popular spots, but head further in and its just you, the odd goat and holy man and the rocks. A nice Spanish couple have taken us under their wing to show us some of the best problems here and I’m starting regretting not staying here longer. All the problems require strong fingers and mine are slowly getting used to the tiny holds, another week and I really feel I could climb something hard here.

But with the bus to Goa booked it was all rushing to a close far too quickly. Both Yvette and I really fell in love with this place, it’s so peaceful, you can’t help but feel relaxed as you waste a couple of hours swinging on your hammock outside the bungalow or wandering around the ancient ruins trying to take in every detail around you. But move on we had to, hopefully some of the photos will do the place proud.