Hampered in Hampi

 Hampi, India -- Day 3

The day dawned early as it was a restless night for both Dean and I.  For Dean, due to a high fever and chills, for me, due to the hot and sticky conditions sans A/C.  I was thinking we were out of the really hot temps for India, but apparently, India is really hot all the time!  Deano tried to join us for breakfast, but it was clear that what he really needed was to go back to bed.  So once Dad declared he was down for the count, the kids and I decided to see parts of the tour that we missed yesterday.

Our breakfast at the Hema Guesthouse was enjoyed outdoors at their dining facility, where we sat on cushions and enjoyed the covered space with fans blowing.  The kids have discovered watermelon juice that is served cold, tasty and refreshing.  I've discovered Aloo Paratha, which is a sandwich of sorts, made of naan with potatoes and jalepenos, which can be dipped in a cool yogurt sauce.  The kids had made friends with the various animals at the hotel.  This particular morning, the cats were on hand to woo them.  With our resident photographer attempting to recover, it was up to Dex and Kylie to capture the scenes.  They enjoyed the "Power of the Lens".

After giving Dad his final get-well hugs and kisses we made our way to the ferry that would take us back across the river.  To call it a 'ferry' is pretty strong.  It was more like an old rowboat with a small outboard engine that gets loaded down with at least 20 people.  Seriously, it wouldn't run unless there were 20 people to cross the river.  Our luck was good, and we had the required number of riders and off we went.  Just as we approached the other side of the river, we saw a friendly, familiar face waiting for us.  Kai, our tuk-tuk driver from the night we arrived at the train station.  Yeah, what a perfect way to get to see the rest of the Hampi area.  When I told him what our plans were and asked if he could take us around, he said yes, so off we went.

Tuk-tuk driver and guide, Kai

Kai is my kind of driver -- he never uses a horn (could be he doesn't have one), and he isn't overly aggressive when driving in and around people, which are everywhere in India.  It was also nice to be moving freely and with a breeze.  Our first stop was back at the Royal Center and to the Randa Temple.  Again, the kids took hold of the camera and got some neat shots of the place.  Once they were done looking behind the camera, they were approached by several groups of families and tourists (all Indian) to see if they could take pictures with them, or with their kids and them, or with their grandparent and them... you get the idea, which resulted in Dex and Kylie being in lots of pictures!

And so it went.  Kai would wait for us outside the temple or ruin and we'd go in, check things out, get asked where we were from, where we were going, can we take a picture with the kids, etc.  As we traversed between temples and ruins, we were enjoying the unique Hampi countryside, which consists of large boulders piled high.  It was clear the boulders were the oldest thing amongst us, as a temple here and there were perched upon them.  It's times like these, I wish I could remember my geology better.  The scenery was very cool, very different, and nearly otherworldly.  But, after four hours, we were all wiped out and ready to get back to our little room across the river.  I was hoping that Dean was able to get some decent rest, and that the electricity stayed on so that at least the fan could do its job.  We said goodbye to Kai (and, at $45, had overpaid, according to Dean) and made it across and back home by about 4:30 p.m.

Our bungalow door, permanently warped and dragging on the cement floor, makes a horrendous thudding and screeching sound when it's opened, so even if Dean had been sleeping (not to mention anyone else within 200 yards), he was now wide awake. Unfortunately, he was no better, so the kids went to find the cats, and I laid down on the bed enjoying the fan.

We limped along again at dinner without Dad and then made our way back to our room where we read for awhile and then called it a night.  We are all hoping Dean gets to feeling better as we certainly didn't have the same mojo without him.