Umrswimr

I'm headed to Bangalore next week for a work trip, though somewhere in the translation they failed to indicate that March 31st was a holiday... So I have an unexpected day off. I've been the BLR twice before and paid a quick visit to Bangalore Palace, Bull temple, and the Shiva temple where this lady decided to scare the f**k out of me with a cobra:



I've done Delhi/Agra twice as well, so that's not a requirement. Prefer not to take another plane, so close to Bangalore is my goal. Mysore?

Keyser

mysore is a pretty decent option if you don't want to go too far....i know you said you didn't want to take another flight but in case you see that as an option then a short hour long flight to kochi would be nice over the weekend....

stut

Mysore is pretty impressive, but it's quite a small city.

If you're OK with overnight train travel, you could consider Hampi. Otherwise, join the weekend crowds headed to the Nandi Hills!

Umrswimr

Wow. Hampi looks nice.

stut

Hampi is stunning. It's a bit of a backpacker-up-from-Goa-for-some-culture-and-banana-pancakes haunt, too, but that doesn't really detract from it. It's an easy auto ride (several guesthouses will pick you up) from Hospet - and if you do go, you are (IMO) far, far better off staying at a basic guesthouse in the village rather than a resort hotel in Hospet. You can walk, hire an auto for the longer distances, or better still, rent a two-wheeler (with or without a motor...)

The weekend trains to/from Bangalore get seriously heavily booked up though, so make sure you book in advance, or have your finger on the website for that Tatkal quota...

http://www.flickr.com/photos/stut/se...7638803424043/

Umrswimr

Is there a website to book through? It's literally next weekend, so I might be out of luck.

Why a basic guesthouse? I suppose it puts you closer to the actual culture? As a city slicker, I have to admit to be a bit worried about the belly.

stut

OK, if it's next weekend, you may have problems with train availability - have a look on something like erail.in for availability. You'll want 2A as a minimum. The alternative is to arrange a driver.

Basic means clean, with a bed, a mosquito net, and a shower that may be fixed or consist of a bucket. But then it also means the temple, ruins, river, restaurants a few steps away. Why? Put simply, this is your only option if you want to be in the thick of it - the big hotels are a 20-minute drive away in Hospet, a nondescript mining town and railhead. It's a matter of personal choice - I'd rather have the sunset from the hills, a quick scramble down to the town to have some dinner (and watch the monkeys), then a good night's sleep and waking up to a home-made dosa overlooking the temple. Others prefer the creature comforts and the resort facilities and entertainment.

There are also backpacker-style hut resorts across the river in Virupappur Gadi - a very chilled part of an already very chilled place. Plenty places to eat and relax there, but you need to watch the last ferry times or face an auto-driver rubbing his hands with glee.

Food is mostly vegetarian, and generally of decent quality - the veg aspect helps, as does general precautions with hygiene and water usage. With mostly veg food for my first week on any stay, I've managed to avoid any stomach upsets in the last year or so of regular travel over to South India (but then, I eat a lot of spice at home).

The guesthouses won't have online booking, but many are pretty responsive over email or Skype.

legionnaire

If you can't find quota in 2A rail, consider booking a seat/sleeper via Redbus. Redbus allows you to filter based on conveniences (AC, nonAC, Sleeper, charging ports etc.). You would be looking for a bus from Bangalore to Hospet and back.

When visiting Hampi, start with the Archaeological Survey of India museum outside Hampi itself. The ASI office has an excellent introduction to the history of the Vijayanagar kings including a scale model of the Hampi area that will help you decide where to visit. The ASI office is located here in the nearby town of Kamalapuram.

w.r.t food at Hampi itself, the Mango Tree restaurant is a safe choice. Its located here and there is some information about the restaurant on this website.

Make sure to carry bottled water when exploring Hampi. Staying hydrated is critical. If you are into photography, a tripod will be very useful in many locations. If you run out, locate a vendor selling tender coconuts and have him open one up for you on the spot. If he doesn't have straws, you might want to buy a packet of them and carry with you. .

Watch out for monkeys, they can snatch food when unaware.

If you've been to any of the Mayan sites in Guatemala, Mexico, its worth comparing the architecture there with what you will see in Vijayanagar. The tail end of the Mayan period coinciding with the Spanish conquest was around the same time (1420-1490) as the rise and fall of the Vijayanagar empire.

Make sure to wear shoes with good ankle support. When traversing the granite slopes at times, if you are not used to it, twisting your ankle/foot can ruin the trip. Also, do not go exploring the cracks in the sun-baked granite rocks. Snakes do take shelter there from the heat of the day.

Vodafone, Airtel and BSNL generally have cell coverage in the area. When I was there last, there was definitely EDGE and GPRS data near Kamalapuram. Hospet itself had some 3G. If you're using your smartphone for photography, make sure you start your day with a fully charged phone.