North Karnataka continued and my computer!

Yes! It's true! My laptop has finally made it home to me, after hours of travel. Of course, it couldn't be that easy...I think I blew up my charger. I'm not really sure how, because it was plugged into a converter which was plugged into surge protector...but it is no longer working. I don't know. Perhaps I am magnetic or radioactive or I'm actually a X-man and my power is destroyer of electronics. Anyhow, the professor here from Iowa has a few extra Mac chargers, and he has let me borrow one of his for the time being. (I'm praying to the laptop gods that I don't destroy his as well.)

Well, let me just go through a few highlights of the rest of the Northern Karnataka tour, since I never got around to finishing my tale.

After Badami, we traveled to Bijapur, a city in which the majority religion is Islam. So our first stop was Ibrahim Rouza, a tomb/mosque. The weather was wonderful, and truthfully we all just enjoyed being outside after our bumpy, frantic four hour bus ride. What I'm trying to say is, nobody really learned that much about Ibrahim Rouza...but it was beautiful nonetheless!

Right after Ibrahim Rouza, we went to visit Gol Gumbaz, known for its Whispering Dome, which we would visit the next morning. Our visit that evening was the simply sit in front of it, sipping chai, in awe of its splendor. I think it is either the second or fourth largest dome in the world...and quite a sight to behold. I could even fit it all into the picture, obviously. This is some of us, sipping chai and waiting for the sun go down so we could watch it slowly be illuminated by spot-lighting. (Does that even make since?)

A minaret at Gol Gumbaz, by moonlight.

 

A shot from our van on the streets of Bijapur:

 

In my last post, I mentioned further hotel drama. That night, after visiting Ibrahim Rouza and Gol Gumbaz, the power went out in our hotel room as my roommate and I were brushing our teeth. I spit in the sink and ran to the window to let some light in. As I drew back the curtain, the rod fell right on my face, on my eye, to be exact, and approximately 45 seconds later, the power came back on. My eye turned very red, slightly purple, and swollen. I got some ice for it, and emerged the next morning with only a sore nose. So, it wasn't that bad, just another hotel injury.

The next day we were off the Hampi, land of the boulders. We spent three nights at a lovely hotel in nearby Hospet, whose restaurant had the best garlic naan I've ever had. Hampi, though, was AMAZING. The city built there, Vijayanagar, was built out of slabs cut from the boulders that litter the landscape. Very Universal Studios. My favorite parts of Hampi:

1. Feeding the Virupaksha Temple and feeding Lakshmi, the elephant, some bananas.

 

2. Walking along the old bazaar and along the river, looking at the old temples tucked amongst boulders.

3. Climbing Matanga Hill at 5:30am to watch the sunrise over the mountains. We sat on top of the temple that rests on top of the hill and overlooks all of Hampi.

 

 Other Hampi highlights:

a Lamani tribal woman (about to spit, no less)

 

Narasimha, lion/man incarnation of Vishnu aka supercool

 

So, of course I couldn't leave Hospet without one more hotel saga. On second day in Hampi/Hospet, I wasn't feeling well all day. At dinner, my friend and I ordered Gobi Manchurian (basically fried cauliflower) and I thought I was going to vomit. Which I did...later that evening. Several times. All over the bathroom because the toilet would not flush properly and I had no choice but the aim for the sink, and then a bucket. I was feeling so sick, I couldn't figure out how to clean it up, and promised myself as I crawled back into bed for the final time that I would wake up before my roommate and clean it up. Unfortunately, she beat me to it, and ended up calling someone to assist us clean (aka clean while I suffered in bed and she comforted me). I stayed in bed the next day, still feeling ill, and missed our last morning of site visits in Hampi. Luckily, once we got on the van to head to the train station, I seemed to have rid my body of all fluids and therefore had nothing else to expel. By the time we reached Mysore the next morning, I was feeling much better and grateful to be home. (Home...haha..I guess that is what it is now.)
Overall the trip was wonderful, barring my own personal issues. I'm leaving for my own independent travel on Saturday, and I am hoping to have better luck. More on my travel plans later!