January 14, 2025
Kopal to Hampi
Before Kopal the land had been flat and green with large fields It seemed well irrigated and the soil looked fertile. Lots of birds: a pair of doves sitting on power cables alongside the road watched me pass then flew on ahead to perch again and have another look. They did this several times.
At Kopal the land started to change with rocky hills poking out of the ground. My ride to Hospet started on a small sandy road that went past a series of iron ore plants where the road surface changed to smooth concrete. Unfortunately the new concrete road still took the lorries through small villages.
A motorcyclist rode alongside and asked the normal questions - name / nationality / where am I going? He then asked ‘are you all fine’….and I was. Riding down that road on a sunny morning I certainly felt fine.
At Hospet things felt different! It all got too busy and roadworks squashed the traffic into narrow lanes so I rerouted around the North of the town direct to Hampi. I had meant to go to the Southern side of Hampi as the temple complex is on that side of the waterways. Where I was on the North side became crazy busy with jammed roads due to a Festival so I took a random side road and found a place renting out bamboo huts where I will stay for a couple of nights.
The landscape is something out of Passage to India by E M Forster. Large rocks piled up make hillsides with individual pieces the size of a house. It is as if the Gods had sprinkled them from above, but I expect there is some rational geological explanation. A mystical and beautiful area. In the evening I cycled up into the rocky hills to a man made reservoirs that blended in with the rocks around them.
Today's ride: 49 miles (79 km)
Total: 143 miles (230 km)
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