Hampi is one of the places I’ve heard about most since moving to India. In fact, the photographs lining the walls of the Grand Mercure are all of Hampi. Maybe because it’s relatively close to Bangalore, maybe because of its history. After deciding in Honavar that I would never do a long (car) road trip in India again, I thought Hampi was just not going to happen.
While in Kodaikanal, the Annas and I were talking about going to Kabini the next weekend. US Anna’s PML was in Bangalore and had planned a weekend in Kabini, going on safaris. I didn’t know much about Kabini but as I heard about Diana’s plans, I was being convinced. Diana had a room at Evolve Back, I luuuuuxury hotel chain. I’ve been desperate to stay at one of their locations. As has happened more than once, I was insistent, “No, I can’t do the drive” until the Annas started finalizing their plans to join. Then it was a quick pivot to, “yes, yes, count me in.” We’d settled it. US Anna texted Diana and we started getting excited! Diana wrote back that there was not enough space for all of us to join the safaris and just like that – we were out.
We’d committed that weekend to travel so we had to pick another place. UK Anna and I had been talking about Hampi and that we both wanted to go so she suggested it. Thinking about the long road trip, I was hesitant. When I learned there is an Evolve Back in Hampi, my interest was piqued; and when UK Anna announced that WE COULD FLY TO HAMPI, it was a done deal.
At a very reasonable time the next Saturday morning, the Annas, UK Anna’s mom, and I were headed to the airport, off to Hampi!
I keep meaning to look into this but there has to have been a recent campaign to equip India with airports. There are so many airports in India and they are all seemingly quite new. Definitely a Modi thing.
We land in Hampi and Evolve Back’s driver is waiting outside for us. The 40 or so minute drive to the resort was beautiful and very India. Green green land, blue skies, dark orange dirt, cows and goats, motorbikes, colorful utility trucks, trash, rubble, low power lines. But when we pulled onto Evolve Back’s property, the only reminder of where we were was the ridiculously bumpy stone driveway that had been laid (it was beautiful stone, meant to welcome you off of the preceding dirt road, but basically impossible to drive on and definitely impossible to drive on at a decent speed). We crawled along, taking in the gorgeous manicured lawns and private villas.
Check-in took 20 minutes, as we’ve come to expect here. The staff insisted on giving us a tour of the grounds but since I needed to work, I asked that they take me to the room (to be shared with US Anna) and then take the others on the tour. The culture is such that… deviating from instructions is not normally encouraged. So when special requests like skipping the tour are made, everyone seems to be confused and nervous. Nevertheless, the Annas were whisked away on the tour and I was whisked away to the room.
Friends. The room. It was stunningggggg. The walk to the room was stunning. Thick cement walls, chunky banisters, curvy arches, dark wood and bright natural light; every view and scene was impeccable – green and blue, grass, water, sky as far as the eye could see. It was truly like an escape from the rest of the world. The room was huge and dark like a cave. Tall ceilings, a living room and mini bar, the biggest bed (it had to be two kings pushed together) I’ve ever seen with fabric-draped canopies, a window nook and sitting area + oversized balcony with private bubble bath + gorgeous spa-like bathroom.
I worked the rest of the day and logged off just in time for dinner with the Annas and UK Anna’s mom. Apparently, part of Evolve Back’s business model is to hire locals interested in the hospitality industry and train them to be the best of the best. And were they ever! We sat down and immediately, for whatever reason, started trying to replicate the napkin folds. A couple staff came to teach us and then showed us around the buffet. I ordered a mocktail – some spicy fruit drink – yum! I knocked over a cheese plate, filled my plate, and had a delicious meal while chatting about American politics. Biden hadn’t yet stepped down so we all talked about who would replace him if he did (I never believed he actually would but UK Anna’s mom had nailed Kamala as the perfect alternative). We planned for the resort’s early morning nature walk and went to bed.
US Anna and I slept through the early morning nature walk but met UK Anna and her mom for breakfast. It was muggy, muggy already. UK Anna had arranged autos (i.e., tuk tuks / tuk-a-tuk-a-tuk-a as Harlow called them in Sri Lanka) and tour guides and we started out at the Queen’s bath and elephant stables. Right off the bat, we were the site to see for the locals. Young guys asked for pictures and followed us around as the tour guide tried to ignore them and find space just for us. It’s funny – the people start by staring and then pretend to be / become interested in the tour guide’s history lesson. It happens everywhere I’ve been. If the tour guide turned around, it would look exactly like he was telling a fascinated group of Indians all about the foreigners.
It was hot and beautiful. We saw ancient aqueducts and learned about Hampi’s state of the art ancient irrigation system still in use today. We learned that Evolve Back was built on what used to be the biggest water reservoir of the area (great). Then we moved on to another site of various temples and rocks (huuuuuge, smooth rocks all over the place). We opted to walk to the temples instead of taking the tram but regretted the decision. We were walking along a dirt road surrounded by lush green fields, with the sun beating down directly on us. Everyone we passed wanted to take pictures and ask “what country?” As usual, the temples (one on the way, another the destination) were incredible – ancient stone carvings so intricate and ornate arches and columns. The main temple is famous for its stone chariot. Unreal.
Again, we were like animals in the zoo. As our tour guide told us the history, gobs of people stood behind him staring at us. Every once and a while someone was brave enough to ask for a picture and when I finally made the mistake of saying okay, US Anna and I found ourselves backed into a corner surrounded by Indians taking pictures of us. As we tried to escape, the tour guide helped disperse the crowd. We all regretted the choice to walk to the temple but when we saw the line for the return tram, we made the choice again and started the long hot walk back to the tuk tuks. At the end of the road were various vendors so we bought ice cream for us, our guide, and drivers and bought some knick knacks (a yellow dream catcher for me).
Back at Evolve Back, we took naps and hot tub dips, I went to the pool until I couldn’t stand the bugs any longer (didn’t take long) and went to the property’s non-buffet restaurant for dinner. It was a nice night – a little muggy but ceiling fans helped in the open air space. We ordered dahl and paratha and paneer and rice and had another delicious meal.
The next morning, there was no sleeping in. This was the morning of our sunrise hike and I was pumped. We hopped out of bed at 4:30 am and were out of our rooms by 4:45 to drive to the trailhead. We stopped for chai with locals on the way and started the climb. This was more like bouldering than hiking. We climbed those huge smooth rocks, weaving up and around and over, careful not to twist an ankle. UK Anna’s mom was a fucking champ. Monkey’s met us at every turn and as the sun came up, we made our way up to a hilltop temple and 360 degree views of Hampi.
It’s no surprise that the pictures don’t do it any justice but when I say it is some of the coolest landscape I’ve ever seen, I mean it. Rivers, hills, temples, ruins, ancient gates, boulders, green grass, blue sky, black soil, red clay. I came to understand the appeal of and love for Hampi. A traveling chai man joined us at the top so we refueled and watched as a late teen/ early 20-year old woman dressed in traditional clothes did a traditional Indian dance, barefoot, and flawlessly.
After climbing back down, we walked through old abandoned temple ruins that were destroyed and gutted by the British. This was the quietest India I’ve ever experienced. We were the only ones there and it was so remote that no man-made sounds could be heard. Then the tour guide asked if we were up for one more climbing adventure. Of course we were.
We walked to what looked to be a boulder field. Once we climbed on the first one, I couldn’t see any ground, just boulders on boulders on boulders. This was some FUN climbing. Not vertical, just over boulder after boulder as we made our way to a glassy river. Again, pictures and words cannot explain the serenity of it. Just knowing how chaotic India can be, it is so special to find this India, too. And there is plenty of both.
After buying gaudy parasols from a vendor by the river, we got back to the resort for breakfast – hot and sticky from the hikes. We took showers and naps, did some shopping at the resort store (a jute purse for me), and took pictures in the hotel’s cool electric old-timey car that kept breaking down so couldn’t take us around the property until we needed to leave when it suddenly became fixed, giving me just enough anxiety about making it to the airport on time to ruin the fun.
Security at the airport refused to let me take the parasol on the plane (even as UK Anna demonstrated that EVERYTHING could be used as a weapon, pretending to wrap my phone charger cord around her neck). Fortunately, her mom was checking a bag and the airport staff was able to retrieve it so that I could put the stupid umbrella in her bag.
I’ve now seen, in real life, all of the sites shown on the walls of my Indian home.
Emily in India 
Leave a comment