Great riding through central south India. Slept in a beach hut at "Paradise" beach. Attacked with coloured powder and eggs as part of the Hole festival.
22 Feb – 1 March: Ooty, Mysore, Hosdurga, Hampi, Gokarna, Panaji

Had an enjoyable time in Ooty, visiting Hebron International School where my brothers and sister were students back in the day.

Had a chai with Michael, who used to be a fill in teacher at my school in Melbourne, and his family. It was also nice to meet the friend of an old mentor from home. As I lay in bed at night I “heard” silence. A very infrequent sensation since arriving in India :)

This was the morning of my first mishap with the bike. I had noticed that the rear taillight/indicator section was loose and so my morning task was to find duct tape - If it moves and it shouldn't, duct tape it. But I thought I'd be able to make a quick lap of the lake before I pulled out my taping skills. Wrong Cammo. One bump too many and the whole unit fell of the back and went tumbling down the road. Torb was bringing up the rear so he picked it up, still intact except for a bit of damage to the number plate. Couldn't find duct tape but electrical tape around the rear mud guard has done the job for more than 1000km now.

The road from Ooty wound down through tea plantations

and out into the Mudumalai National Park

before flattening out and giving us some challenging riding through busy busy traffic in the last few kilometers before Mysore.

Mysore is famous for it's palace which is quite spectacular. I always enjoy imagining what it would have been like to live in the era when something like this was made. But, more than that I enjoy challenging Torb to get photos inside when photography is not allowed. We'd picked out our spot, hidden from the two guards by two separate pillars. But he hesitated and we became suspicious looking. Challenge lost Torb.

To redeem himself he had to face off the tiger

The same tiger that had earlier had a go at me

Heading north from Mysore towards Hampi I picked out a town called Nelligere, on my Indian Map Service (IMS) road map, as it seemed like a logical town to go through if we wanted to follow the back roads and enjoy the scenery. They certainly were back roads we found – we went 100km to cover what should have been about 50km according to the map! But it was well worth venturing off the highway and we thoroughly enjoyed the scenery and the small villages we passed through.

We saw a huge drain dug deep in the earth and I had to check it out

But coming back up wasn't so easy!

By the time I had escaped I was dripping with sweat – the Enfield, at about 180kg, is much harder to muscle around than the scooter I used to ride.

Eventually we reached Nelligere which turned out to be no more than about a dozen houses bunched together. I was glad to be able to see where we were on the map at least :)

From here we spent a night in Hosdurga and made our way to Hampi by the evening of the 28th, making a quick stop at the Chitradurga Fort, entry INR100.

There must be some sort of factory (cement?) nearby, as 15km out we hit trucks. LOTS of trucks. Heading in both directions, blocking the road, parked on the sides of the road, heading straight for us, etc. I tried to take a video as we passed through them, using my left hand, but this meant I couldn't use my horn which is kind of the lifeline on the roads here. “TOOT! I'm here, please don't crash into me!”

Often if people have talked something up a lot I am disappointed when I see the real thing. This was not the case in Hampi. I have read about it and heard people speak of it for years, but seeing it was something special. It is the first place on this trip that I would add to the highly recommended list.

I should let the pictures explain, but it's almost as if Hampi is built inside a giant natural cauldron with boulders strewn across the landscape for kilometers. In amongst the boulders are the ruins of a city which peaked at about 500 000 people in the 16th century. Unlike many historical sites which are fenced off and high admission fees charged, the modern day town of Hampi is built amongst the ruins and we could walk, or ride, around many of them.

Then of course there is the fact that the road stops at Hampi, which means so does the bus, truck and horn traffic. A beautiful thing! We stayed in the guesthouse named after that famous Indian store owner from The Simpsons:

Oh, and one little trick that they're playing in Hampi is to advertise with AC, which all across India means Air Conditioning. Not here. “AC, air conditioner?” I ask Mrs Appu Guesthouse. “Not air conditioner, air cooler” she replies with a cheeky grin.

A couple of days were spent climbing up impossible rock faces and sitting atop hills gazing in amazement at the extent of this landscape and the fallen city.

Here I am quite happy with myself at having climbed up to this little temple

but Torb wouldn't be happy until I had moved closer to the monkeys...

and closer still...But too scared to touch them. Aagh rabbies!

Hmm, should I try this berry?

Yeah, give it a go... NO, it's very sour!

Aaand I'm dying.

Next stop was Gokarna with a night spent just south at Om Beach

and one further south again at Paradise Beach. As Torb rightly pointed out, this was hardly paradise. Even if the water had been crystal clear, which it certainly wasn't, it would have taken some work to re-paradise this place. But, we had a good time any way and enjoyed the chance to lie and read.

Torb set up his hammock and mozzie cocoon. I waited anxiously hoping he would come out of the cocoon as something more beautiful. No such luck.

Accommodation for me here was a bamboo hut atop a small cliff with sandy floor and straw mat for bedding. It would have been great with no mosquitoes, but the mosquito net didn't work and I had a shocking nights sleep!

Hence the lash out on a nice room at Casa Paradiso in Panaji, the capital of Goa, the next night. From the least I have ever spent on accommodation one night, to the most I have ever spent in India the next night.

Panaji and 2000kms racked up on the bikes means time to have the bike serviced. No, 1st of March is a holiday and almost everything is closed.

I'm pretty sure that February 28 must have been National Dress like a Yeti Day

and March 1 turned out to be National Cover Each Other in Coloured Powder Day

Known locally as Hole (hollie) I believe

I copped a little coloured powder on my travels around town, which I was ok with, feeling part of the festivities. But it was quickly followed by water and, the master ingredient of death, egg! This could be the end of the favourite blue facial hair shirt. RIP! Thankyou for the memories.

I kept my lips tightly pursed until I could get to the shower!

There is egg all over the engine of the bike and that is going to smell baaaad! oh well :)

By the way, don't you dare use knife and fork in this restaurant! Company policy.

Details on cost, in Indian Rupees (INR):

ACCOMMODATION
Appu Guesthouse, Hampi, 650 for a double
Large room with good bathroom, fan, air “cooler” which wasn't great, TV, mosquito net.
5.5/10 on the Brookesy scale. Low because it was expensive

Namaste Cafe (guesthouse), Om Beach, Gokarna: 200 for a double. Also rooms available for 500, 700.
Tiny room with fan, shared bathroom, mosquito and power sometimes.
8/10. High because it was cheap.

Om Shanti bungalows, Paradise beach, Gokarna: 75 for a double straw hut.
Small room with sand floor, straw mats and cushion. Not lockable but the owner tells me he hasn't had a problem in 15 years. No power, feral shared toilet, bucket shower and bring your own mosquito net!
4/10. Would be considerably higher with a mosquito net, if you like this kind of thing :)

Casa Paradiso, Panaji Goa: 1365 for a double
Comfortable beds, clean room, TV, Air con, nice bathroom, bit of street noise.
7/10. The room is probably a 9.5/10 for budget accommodation, but the cost was more midrange.