In preparation for this RTW trip, my image of South India somehow blurred into one big temple experience (I do like temples, so no problem for me). Hampi however is much more: a complete city, stretching out over several kilometers. The monuments are in different states of repair, varying from complete ruins to active temples. The natural setting is magnificent, a quiet rural area dominated by a river and strangely shaped boulders.

I spent 1.5 days in total at the site. The first late afternoon I walked along the river to the Vittala temple - one of the finest excursions here. The view of the river and the boulders is breathtaking. One of the reasons that Hampi has been on the "In Danger" List for several years is that there were plans to build a bridge here. That certainly would spoil the view. The Vittala Temple is also the place where the sculpted chariot is located, the icon of this WHS.

The next day I started out on foot from the town of Kamalapuram. It lies just to the south of the Royal Enclosure. This is a vast area, with several highlights like the Stepped Tank, the lovely Lotus Mahal, the surprisingly luxurious Elephant's Stables and the Underground Siva Temple. It took about 4 hours to make my way up to Hampi Bazaar, visiting most of the sites along the route.

After lunch in Hampi, I took the ferry across to Virupapur Gaddi. This is a backpacker place in its most pure form, full of Israelis also (I even noticed a makeshift Orthodox synagogue). I rented a bike there and cycled in about 45 minutes to the village of Anegundi. According to the Lonely Planet, this is part of the WHS also. I'm not sure, as reports on the Unesco site are conflicting about this (there's a very crude map drawn by hand which seems to suggest that nothing on the other side of the river is within the designated area). Well, I liked cycling there, very quiet and Anegundi is a sleepy village that's worth a look. It has several temples. They look of a more recent date than the ones at Hampi, but maybe that's because most of them are still in use.

Hampi is "worth a journey" for everyone, it somewhat resembles Angkor in rural atmosphere and size (though the latter has more imposing single monuments). Despite its clashes with Unesco regarding the management of the site, I found the site a pleasure to visit - well-signposted, quiet, clean and dozens of very different sights to see.