Hyderabad Bicycling Club: Tour de Hampi

It is becoming quite a trend that the blogs are coming in almost after a week. I can’t blame it to laziness, but mostly to the overly burdened week’s work. Sneaking some time out for cycling is the only respite. And this is what us six vagabonds did last weekend, taking a hike to the ruins of Hampi, and cycling like crazy on those beautiful roads.

We all took Friday off from the office to make this happen. The idea to take a train and pack our bikes into it was too tedious and time-bounding, so instead we hiked in two Innova’s, that of Shay and Ed. The journey began in the wee hours of Friday as the jaded souls grunted the early morning wake-up call. But in a matter of few minutes, the cars were rolling on the roads with these wanderers and everyone shared a smile.

First pit-stop was at Raichur, taking the well needed breakfast and loo break. Having dosas at a road-side joint, we were served brown water! And we were amazed that people were actually drinking it! But the food worked wonders and the journey continued towards its destination. The road was good and early morning traffic was minimal. Only some delay happened because of some political hubbub that blocked the traffic for more than an hour. We finally reached Hampi around 2PM and were hungry like hell! Nothing could satiate us more than sitting atop a roof-top restaurant, sipping the unique lemon-ana (that is lemon-soda with a huge dip of mint) and some good looking food.

With filled bellies and replenished souls, the day’s first hike began to nearby ruins built atop a huge rock. It was more of a temple with its beams scattered across the massive rock formations. It was just beautiful, looking at those centuries old ruins in the backdrop of an overcast sky. We went berserk running on those rocks and climbing on them, well, not with our bikes, yet :). Shay baba was able to climb the highest of them all. Perched on the top of the rock and unfazed by the whirling winds, am sure he had a wonderful time catching a glimpse of the vast expanse from that wonderful rock. We clicked photos and absorbed all the beauty around till the guard came running in and also it started to rain. Time to get back to the rooms. Then just a lazy dinner and a cozy walk underneath the night lamps to wind up the day.

It was only the next day we were able to get our hands upon the local bikes. They were not in very good condition, but well, they were bikes, and that is all that mattered. For one reason, it was a great thing to rent the bikes there: everyone will have the same kind of bike, no fancy gears and no extra frills. Just plain simple bikes. Yes. It was a different experience altogether, taming those single-gear bikes. Even getting up a simple looking slope was a herculean task, alas, not for the pros, who climbed at ease. One just wondered – how the hell, man!

Then we headed towards the hidden waterfall. Am sure that not many would be aware about it, for it was far and the path to it was cobbled enough to attract a board-sign – not for the faint-hearted. But those rocks were just beautiful, like resting there for centuries, gathering occasional dust and waiting for the rain to submerge them with waters again. The place was pockmarked with astounding water caves. It was unbelievable as to how those kinds of shapes came into existence. My favorite was the love-struck water cave :)

Feeding the eyes with the beauty of those serene rocks, it was was now time for some lunch, and for that the team rode to the hugely famous Mango Tree restaurant. The moment we had landed there, that was the only name we heard. And tell you what, it stood for its hype. The food was great, the ambience was wonderful and the view was mesmerizing. Sitting there, pointing towards the huge rocky mountains in the backdrop, Matt said smilingly – I could easily hike for 3-4 days in those rocks. It would just be amazing! So true!

Now was time for more cycling and exploring the area. We biked around, stopping casually at the ruins and looking around. Biking was bliss, I must confess. The winds were cozy, the roads were smooth and the uphills were inviting. With our helmets, we were a sight for the locals, who waved and shouted at this small peloton. A wonderful part was the Turtle-boat ride in the river. For most of us, it was a unique experience, especially when the boat was made to spin at its axis at high speed as everything around fuzzed into one frame. Here’s a video shot of what am talking about:

Then we headed to a temple, the entry fees for which was Rs250/-, which we all unanimously agreed was too high. So we decided to crash in by climbing the back wall. That was wonderful and as we reached the top, the guards came running at us, but before they could do anything, we got what we climbed there for. Then jumped back on the bikes and cruised our way out as if nothing transpired :P

This was only till afternoon, so there was still loads of fun left in those ruins. The group then split into two, with Ed, Suni l and Shay going for fishing (yes, Ed was all prepared for everything!) and the remaining still finding solace on their bike saddles, in search for more ruins. They landed up in the main ruined remains of a huge fort that went on for like kilometers. Best part was climbing a leviathan stage that could have been the King’s sitting place in the courtroom. This was indeed mesmerizing as one could see the huge expanse of the broken down fort’s ruins spread in acres of area. And standing on that top, just felt good.

We then watched the beautiful sunset from a huge rock. Lounging around, we just let the whole things sink in into us .Then the day ended with a drive to the Hospet bazar, were we were able to find some good food, and ofcourse, some much need beer for the parched throats. Getting a little drunk, we guffawed and joked till the night ended and the morning knocked to pack our bags and head for home. It was a lo ng drive back home as Ed declared that we’ll be taking a different route back home. Only thing, it turned out to be a little more lengthy then the incoming trip, but still good.

Looking back, it was a wonderful trip, the best part being cycling around in the ruins, stopping at will and exploring the area, with no time bounds and no clock ticking. Silhouetted and and engraved in time, this picture speaks it all. Till next time, just ride!

All the pictures are shared at the link here.
And some videos from Sunil’s camera: