Runaway Train Never Coming Back......

I did not take this picture, I stoled it off the internet, thank you to whoever I stole it from!

Greetings from Bangalore, home of DSL! LOL........Just got off the train from Hampi.....10 hours in a sleeper car. I was a bit nervous to take the train, but it was totally fine....at first we were in the wrong car which smelled like urine pretty badly, and Karen and I almost turned right around and went back to our hotel in Bangalore, but we realized that we were in the wrong car, the pee pee car...how do people sit in the stench for 10 hours? I dont know, but I guess it was all they could afford...our proper car did not smell at all, and we met some wonderful Indian people on the way there and back. Note to the Karnataka state railway....PINESOL LYSOL COMET AJAX SCRUB BRUSHES MOPS WATER....need I say more?

OK so, Hampi was awesome, I got some totally fun and ORANGE hippie clothes, and a ghandi tshirt hurray!! I looked pretty bright in my orange capris with purple embroidery and mirrors, lime green tshirt and magenta shoulder bag! I think maybe I even might have blinded some people! I loved my orange pants so much that I had to have more....after searching I found one green and one orange pair. The green pair were too large so the lovely man that sold them to me altered them while I waited. While waiting, I chatted with the wife of this tailor, and discovered she had 7 daughters. This woman was just 29. Her daughters were aged 1, 3, 5, 7, 9, 10, 12! SO do the math! Yes, it is very common in Hampi for women to be married at 14 or 15.. If you are wondering, this lovely lady looked older than me....and you all know that number!

Don't get any ideas Little Rita, you are not getting married til you are 30! :D I bargained my way down to 100 rupees apiece for those pants, but when I met the lovely mama and her 7 daughters, I just gave them 500 rupees and told them to keep the change. She then started to cry....ohhh!

We got hennah tattoos on our hands, and saw some amazing ancient ruins, met a wonderful ricky driver named Ramesh, and if you ever come to Hospet/Hampi you must find this young man to help you. He is a marvelous guide, honest fair and sweet. Ramesh wouldn't tell us how much to pay him, he said you pay what was fair...so we gave him 1200 rupees for two trips to the train station (18 kms) plus 5 hours of touring the ruins! He even let Karen drive his rickshaw, but I couldnt since I dont know how to shifty shift! But it was hilarious! When we gave him the money he started to weep...I guess we were quite generous. We left alot of money and "school pens" behind in Hampi....which is what you should do for a town that only gets tourists 3 months of the year.
When I asked Ramesh what did he do the rest of the year to survive he said it is very difficult and he must budget his three months earnings to last the entire year.

I am all weepy right now thinking about the beautiful people of Hampi, how generous, how lovely, how wonderful.
Now, the food was also quite delicious, however, I am sick sick sick! I guess after 4 times to India it is my turn for the Delhi Belly......somehow, Karen is totally fine....yet we ate the same things.....I dont know what happened....but arghh!!

Anyway, we are back in Bangalore, and tomorrow will go to Mysore....that is If I Can! Eeek! Hope all is well in Bloggyland, and Mr Ratburn, Little Rita, Heather, Michelle, Snavybean, big hugs to all of you!

PS For more adventure of the fearless twosome, go here! I have also linked Karens blog and its on my sidebar called Mobilus In India!

Mwah!