Hampi 2019 – Part 2

As I had mentioned in my previous post, traveling alone someplace was my way of pushing past my comfort zone and hopefully learning something new about myself in the process. I would say that Hampi definitely helped in that regard!

One of the biggest takeaways from this trip was that I was able to completely satisfy the explorer in me. I found myself going to random ruins and clicking pics of whatever I felt was fascinating. A special shout out to my shoes for being incredibly supportive. I guess it is right what they say, a good pair of shoes can help you go a long way!

I felt like I could walk for miles, visiting offbeat ruins without a care in the world. An example was the Chintamani temple near the river, on the Hippie Island. I cycled all the way over there and hung out with a sadhu who claimed to have resided under a rock for 20 years or so. I mean, I did see his place and all, but I still find the 20 years part a bit hard to believe. Nonetheless, I was able to satisfy the part of me that just wanted to climb rocks and visit new places and meet new people. In fact, this was a part that I never knew existed in me!

Over there, I was able to speak in Hindi more frequently. I spoke in Hindi to almost everyone I met there, except for the foreigners of course. Maybe I wasn’t too embarrassed about my accent/vocabulary or too afraid of making mistakes while speaking. I guess I was able to finally let my guard down and enjoy the process of speaking in a new language! Being able to speak in Hindi to strangers, even when negotiating the prices of stuff, this is something I consider as a bonus!

Coming to negotiating prices, I was quite uneasy as I have rarely bargained before. However, bargaining is a necessary evil as the shopkeepers tend to quote at least twice the actual prices in most cases. Though I sort of got the hang of it towards the end, I would never say that I was totally comfortable haggling. In fact, I’d say that haggling might have even given me a headache at times!

I ended up having veg food for the entire duration of the trip. I had breakfast for all 4 days from a roadside food stall in front of my shack. Towards the last few days, I went to the restaurant where I had had dinner with my newly found friend from France. This restaurant quickly turned into one of my favorite places to eat at Hampi. The owner, who also happens to be a fantastic cook, prepares fresh food each time someone orders a dish and it is pretty easy on the wallet compared to the other restaurants around. I had so much fun exploring the local cuisine at this joint!

I guess it was on the 2^nd day that I decided to wash my shorts and kurtas. I realized that if I wash and use the same clothes, then I wouldn’t have to carry so many clothes when I travel. After this, I decided to buy small sachets of washing powder, soap, and shampoos, so as to avoid carrying big bottles of shampoos or soap the next time I am to travel. This again may be one of those tips you often read about traveling, but you don’t realize how much sense it makes until you’re in that place yourself!

Hampi is pretty diverse in terms of the animals that live there. I saw cows, dogs, cats, different species of monkeys, lizards, squirrels, goats etc. all roaming around with joyful abandon. It sure was a very welcome change from the concrete jungles that I’ve lived in the past. 

It got me thinking about how our experiences shape our perceptions and how if we were to open ourselves to more experiences, the way we see ourselves and hence the world, would change.

This solo trip of mine meant a lot to me. It made me face things I wasn’t comfortable doing, like long distance traveling through buses, climbing hills, eating just veg food for a couple of days etc. and I believe that I am a better person having faced these and overcome them. It also made me more appreciative of all the little things that I often tend to take for granted. Moreover, it made me accountable for my own safety and well-being but at the same time, it also taught me to be more forgiving towards myself. Sometimes we tend to be our harshest critic!

Over and above all this, the satisfaction of having attempted something new is in itself invigorating. I’m so looking forward to my next solo trip!

What has your recent trip taught you? Feel free to comment and share your thoughts!